Min tibetanska barndom i Zorgay - Life and Culture on the Tibetan ...

2
NAKED
I
was happy at the age of four. I was no longer a toddler or a
baby who only smiled <strong>and</strong> gurgled. I felt I was a mature boy
who could walk, speak, run, <strong>and</strong> sing. I could fall asleep
anytime during the day <strong>and</strong> nobody cared, unless it was
mealtime because I was the youngest of six children.
I did not like to sleep late. I rose every morning with
Mother <strong>and</strong> ran after her to our living room. Mother was the
first to get up. While she made a fire, my naked body shivered
all over as I stood by our black metal stove. Mother said
nothing to me, knowing that whatever she said would not make
any difference. She sometimes stared at me <strong>and</strong> murmured
under her breath. I never knew what she said exactly, but after
some time, she grew accustomed to my nakedness. It had been
going on since I could walk. My family could see my little thing
sleeping between my legs.
One morning, the air was as fresh as it could be. It
rinsed your insides when you inhaled, <strong>and</strong> gave you a good
appetite. It made me more alert, but also made me tremble.
Birds seemed happier than usual, twittering from their roosts in
the nearby cypress. The rising sun reddened the eastern horizon
as though a skilled artist had painted it. What a great day!
As usual, Mother built a fire to boil tea before the rest of
the family got up. I preferred to sit by the stove to keep warm
rather than stay with Father in bed.
That morning, my little thing embarrassed my third
elder brother, whom I called Tjobajo. I had nothing to do by the
stove, so every now <strong>and</strong> then I touched between my legs. I did
not know what it was then. I only knew it was an organ I
urinated through. It was getting warmer <strong>and</strong> warmer <strong>and</strong> then it
lifted its head, as big as an empty bullet case. It was the first
time that I had seen it st<strong>and</strong> up rigidly. I said curiously, "Please
look, Mother. It got hard."
Mother did not know what 'this' was, but when she
caught a glimpse of my little thing, she shut her eyes.
▪12▪