As the Twins Get Older

The girls were sitting,

On the trunk of the car,

Looking at the world,

Near and far,

When one noticed the emblem,

And asked what it was,

I read, “Nissan”,

And told them what it does.

When they heard the word,

They did something bizarre.

They both stuck their tongues,

Out really far.

Puzzled, I asked them,

What they were doing.

They pointed once more,

So I told them again.

Both tongues came out,

As if pulled by a cord,

And I almost decided,

This should just be ignored.

When it suddenly hit me,

What it was about “Nissan”:

The girls had thought,

That I had said, “tongue: lisan.”

But listen and see,

What else they do,

To constantly remind me,

That they are two:

After drinking their milk,

They always exchange,

And take each other’s cup,

Which is very strange,

Since they both drink the same milk,

Or water or juice,

And it must taste identical,

So what is the use?

And one will come and tell me,

When the other is crying,

By making the sign,

And reproducing her whining,

So I tell her to kiss her,

And make her feel better,

But they get confused,

And the crying one kisses the other.

Then bathtime comes along,

And they climb into the tub,

Oh, the joy of splishy-splashing,

And the dread of rub and scrub,

Each attempts to run away,

And hide behind her twin,

They try to push each other towards me,

While I wait to see who’ll win.

I grab one little girl,

Try to hold her in a vise,

She escapes; I grab the other,

Oh, I’ve scrubbed this one twice!

Now it’s finally time to sleep,

Change diapers, say our prayer,

I kiss them both and lay them in bed,

Each one grabs her bear.

All is quiet in their room,

As I start to close the door.

Then one says something to the other,

Oh, how I wish I could hear more.

But these little girls who babble,

Never let me in on what they say,

They laugh and talk back and forth,

So I turn and tiptoe away…

Asiya Akyurt

Asiya Akyurt lives in Virginia with her husband and twin daughters. She is an active MAS member with an ijaza (certificate) in Qur’anic recitation and tajweed, and enjoys teaching, interpreting and translating.