Poem by Mona Zamfirescu

SUMMER

end of June, every year, our dining table was fragrant,
wet, on old newspapers a litter of linden flowers
the tea is soothing to the nerves, we were told
to ward off colds in the winter, for us kids
no one read the news those days...

promised for a future time,
in the kitchen, under mountains of sugar
sweet peaches boil the summer away.
on counters rows of empty jars, glistening clean
like winters, barren and harsh those days...

my grandfather’s tree was laden with red glory
its canopy opened wide over the neighbor’s yard
I’d climb and reach over the fence,
a scrawny kid along the rough bark.
I cherished that harsh embrace, no tomorrow
on the heavy branches, just me sharing the boon
my little brother doubtful, looking up,
his smile dripping cherries those days...

before the cold set in, every day,
we would make the line in the vegetable market
back then, each kid counted at food lines,
our makeshift cart waiting for us around the corner
us kids full of questions
why potatoes, why now
what will we say
is it 10 kg for 20 lei, or is it 20 kg for 10 lei
why do we have to whisper
why do we have to run
why are they chasing us

​linden trees still line our street
the years gone, the summers,
those days... promised away

Romania, 80’s

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Mona is a professor of mathematics who has discovered her passion for poetry late in life. Currently she is enrolled in a MFA program in Creative Writing at CCNY-CUNY.

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