mana

mama,
which mana did you pass on to me?

is it the one from arab or indonesian tales
or did you just stand there and take the one from the bible?

mama,
i received your mana through your palms
when you held them on my forehead and stroked my head

mama,
now a man puts his palms on my forehead and sometimes reaches my head

i listen closely to see if i can hear something in the maps of his palms

mama,
i can’t hear the mama in your voice anymore
so i was wondering about that mana

sometimes i speak in your mama voice
from a memory of it

now when i talk to you
your voice is just that of another human
who counts things in her head before she sleeps

mama,
a man is stroking my head

which mana did you pass on to me?