DNA by Mahnaz Badihian

DNA

It was Monday morning and I was passing the big statue
In the lobby of Johns Hopkins hospital
Searching for Room 202, first interview with Mrs. Willis

She had a permanent smile on her lips
Her hands were wrinkled with red nail polish
Mrs. Willis looked me in the eyes
How do I pronounce your name dear
I said, MAH_NAZ, the exact same way it is written

Mrs. Willis with her MS degree said, I will try
MENAZ Manos, Maha-noss
Then gently she changed her voice and
Said, Can I call you Mary

Marry? Merry? Morry? Echoed in my head
I felt like evaporating morning dew
Like a branch of a tree under heavy rain
Like a fruit just fell from a tree

I looked Mrs.Willis in the eyes and said
“But my name is the charm of the moon
The name I was called by my mother, father
And by the man with black hair
Dark mustache and brown eyes
Mrs. Willis was looking at me with open eyes”

I said Mrs. Willis is my name more difficult
Than Deoxyribonucleic acid?