CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Poem by Adília Lopes

We loved raspberry compote
and we were given a dish with more raspberry compote
than usual
but
our maid and our great-aunt
for our own good
because we were sick
had laced the raspberry compote
with spoonfuls of medicine
that tasted bad
the raspberry compote didn't taste the same
and it had white streaks
this happened to us once and that was enough
we never again jumped up and down when there was
raspberry compote for dessert
we never again jumped up and down for anything
we can't say
how yucky the medicine from our childhood tasted!
how yummy the raspberry compote from our childhood was!
when we found out about the mixture
of raspberry compote with the medicine
we fell silent
later we heard about entropy
we learned that it's not easy to separate
raspberry compote from medicine once they're mixed together
that's how it is in books
that's how it is in childhood
and books are like childhood
which is like Catrina's little doves
one is mine
another is yours
yet another is someone else's