The unnamed first-person speaker remembers clearly the country she grew up in, despite having had to leave it as a child. The country is represented by sunlight in the speaker's mind. She receives news of war and tyranny that continue to afflict the country in the present day, but nothing can alter the speaker’s happy, bright memories of the place where she grew up.
The speaker’s memories become even clearer as time passes, and her ability to speak her childhood language becomes a great source of comfort to her as an adult. However, the state has banned the language, making it even harder for the speaker to connect with her heritage.
Without a passport, the speaker can't return to her former city, but she continues to visit it in her memories. She imagines the city peacefully lying down in front of her like a pet or a child, as she combs its hair and looks into its shining eyes. She further imagines dancing with the city through the new city that has replaced it, the “city of walls.” An unnamed group surrounds the speaker and accuses her of absence and darkness. Ultimately, nothing breaks the speaker's association of her country with sunlight.
