Ethiopia

• means everyone dances for joy

  on your birthday Even though the person hasn't had milk for so long, people are still happy and celebrate their birthday.
• but when you clap your hands break at the wrist

  when this person tries to clap their hands, their wrists break. This implies their bones are very weak, likely due to the lack of milk (calcium).
• and even grandmother's ghee cannot mend the delicate embroideries of bone.

  Ghee, a type of clarified butter often used in traditional remedies, can't heal their fragile bones. The "delicate embroideries of bone" refers to the intricate and fragile structure of bones.
• Story by


  Audre Lorde,