Eating Dirt

her famished tongue feasted on dreams and she catered to its cravings— green mangoes clay cloying chalk citrus soap crusty coal raw rice crushed ice cubes crayons ash powdered glass pickled garlic salt sieved rain-scented soil a son was born, he was fed and he learnt to feed soon he was caught eating mud a son taking after his mother a son inheriting her tongue she tied her speechless moon to a millstone and after some frantic spanking she saw in his cloudy mouth the truth of the three worlds— sand everywhere, everything turning to sand.