Two Poems by Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca

 

E for Earth 

 

 

The first time I heard the word Earth 

I was learning the English alphabet 

I might have been three or four or younger. 

 

My father in his usual way enunciated  

each letter slowly and deliberately, 

I repeated faithfully after him. 

 

While other children learned E for egg 

or E for elephant 

I learned E for Earth. 

 

My teacher was puzzled 

when in the classroom she said “E for…’’ 

The chorus of children shouted “Egg” 

I said “Earth.” 

The children laughed loudly 

My turn to be puzzled now. 

 

That was when I understood  

My father was a poet 

And lived on another planet…not earth! 

 

The love of words now my steadfast inheritance.

Y for Jello 

 

For my sweet and loving granddaughter 

 

My granddaughter attends the Spanish/English bilingual school 

in her native country 

her first language is Spanish 

I watch her on the video practising her English 

mostly she’s earnest about doing her homework. 

 

Her mother is dedicated to helping her succeed 

she points to the letter Y on the colour chart 

there’s a splash of the colour yellow beside it  

¿De qué color es esto? 

What colour is this she asks in Spanish? 

“Amarillo” comes the quick response 

En inglés? her mother asks for the English word. 

My granddaughter calls out excitedly 

‘’Jello” 

her hands waving in the air 

a large wide smile on her face 

her black eyes shining radiantly.  

 

On her birthday I will be eating yellow Jello instead of cake!

Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca - In a career spanning over four decades, Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca has taught English in Indian colleges, AP English in an International School nestled in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in India, and French and Spanish in private schools in Canada. Her poems are featured in various journals and anthologies, including the Journal Of Indian Literature published by the Sahitya Akademi and the four issues of the Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English. Kavita has authored two collections of poetry, ‘Family Sunday and Other Poems’ and ‘Light of The Sabbath.' and a Centennial Celebration volume "Nissim Ezekiel Poet & Father." Her poem 'Advice from a Poet Father' was nominated for a Pushcart prize in 2024. She was born and raised in Bombay, India, and currently lives in Calgary, Canada. Many of her poems celebrate the city of her birth and her Bene Israel Indian Jewish heritage.