When Mama and I left Berkeley,
Auntie Sachi and Uncle Kiyoshi and Shelley and Sharon
walked us to the taxi parked at the curb
and helped the driver put our suitcases in the trunk
and opened the doors for us
and closed them after we settled in our seats
and stood nearby.
The taxi driver checked his map
and fixed his mirrors
and called in to say he was taking us to the bus station.
All that time, our family waited on the sidewalk,
waving and bowing, and Shelley and Sharon and I
made pig faces at one another.
They stood at the curb when the taxi pulled away,
and they were still at the curb when we turned the corner,
out of sight.