-the introduction-

he asked,
you know Sardegna?
in a good bright day,
i can see Sardegna
from my home.
i saw
pure joy and memories
dripping from his face.

sardegna, where?
i asked,
honestly, i had no idea.

you don't know?
he was perplexed.
his disappointment
unsettled me.
i sat there regretting
my lack of geographical knowledge.

he pulled the google map.
here here, look!
sardegna, the island.
just in the vision
of the boy
standing on the shore of tunisia.

do you know yazhppanam?
jaffna in english
well, it was my turn.

i know colombo
he said and asked
jaffna, where?

i pulled the same map
and showed him
here here, look!
my homeland.
survived a civil war
surviving war by other means.

now we know where we come from.