By Maya Borhani
“If net worth is negative,
enter zero.”
My daughter peers over my shoulder,
knows the weight of what can’t
be measured or held:
open sky, heartache
new leaves unfurling
to a dying sun.
She factors endless love into the equation;
I type zero, press Enter.
She qualifies for maximum aid
at prestigious university,
follows her dream into art’s
wild furred world,
like I followed mine,
climbing into hills
where I studied masters
and forgot to worry about the future.
Some days I ponder
what lacking a net worth brings,
the trade-offs gained
in this wandering life.
I bet Han Shan
didn’t have a net worth either,
climbing mountains, writing poems,
mind relaxed as plum blossoms
floating downstream.
Maya Borhani grew up among eucalyptus, wild nasturtiums, and sour grass blossoms in Berkeley, California, before migrating to the great central valley, and later the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California. A former resident of Lopez Island, her work has appeared in previous issues of Shark Reef, as well as in an upcoming special UNESCO issue of Multi-Disciplinary Research in the Arts. Maya has recently completed a Master of Arts degree in Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, on the topic of poetic inquiry and a/r/tography (the conflagration of artist/researcher/teacher). When not studying or writing, Maya spends her time hiking, playing in the dirt, and reveling in sunshine and beachcombing.
All work by Maya Borhani
