How funny
when grandma got confused
and instead of my name
the names of her children
and those of her other grandchildren
and sometimes
even the name of her husband
fell out of her mouth
how funny because it took her like thirty centuries to say my name
. I thought she got confused.

Today I know the truth.
These truths that old age hides
out of decorum, out of love, out of doubt.
Today, when I too have my mouth full
of love,
today I understand.
When old people
let out a string of names:
they don't get confused, it's not senility,
it's that they call them all together.
As if
by naming them the family
suddenly came together again.
As if by naming them
those who are far from their homeland came closer
or those who died came back home.
That's why she names everyone when she calls one.