I learn by watching, announced Katusha.
Her large brown, nine-year-old eyes scanning.
Rooms, plazas, parks, shops.
Indeed, she does.
Observing polite gestures in restaurants.
Greetings to people on the street.
Purchases of entrance tickets.
How to work elevators.
Or spot bats, the city’s symbol, on sewer covers, statues.
And she learns by asking questions.
Why do people ruin walls by writing on them?
Why do so many people smoke?
Why do people beg for money?
There is so much to learn.
But, Katusha exhibits a flair
for observations, questioning,
discovering, becoming aware.
Lynn Benjamin
February 3, 2024