NEXT UP! 1 172 Mama points a finger at Babcia – ‘You don’t speak English, Mama. Only a little Russian. Why don’t you try?’ Babcia sniffs – ‘I’m an old woman,’ she says and Mama smiles. Babcia tells Mama to come home. ‘For the New Year concerts. For the skiing.’ Mama turns her back on Babcia And continues with the cooking. Babcia sings as she sews, Old parsnip fingers guiding the thread. She quilts patchwork bedcovers From old shirts and skirts – Clothes no one wants Babcia turns into magic. Kanoro comes to dinner On Christmas Eve And Babcia shrieks – ‘So so black!’ in Polish of course. Mama frowns and we sit to eat. We sing carols, Eat boiled ham, Open small boxes Wrapped in bows, And it is good enough. […] to sew – að sauma a parsnip – nípa a thread – þráður a patchwork – bútasaumur to shriek – æpa a carol – jólasöngur to frown – gretta sig to wrap – pakka inn Kanoro is a Kenyan doctor who lives next door to Kasienka and her mother. He is their friend.
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