Poem
Tsitsi Jaji
HOLY DEPARTURE
HOLY DEPARTURE
HOLY DEPARTURE
It is today, then.The wrapping in blankets
And laying to rest
In your new cradle,
The earth.
How faithfully you tilled it,
Soil shifted into mounds,
Warming the beginnings of
Sweet potatoes, spiny cucumbers,
Pumpkins and groundnuts.
How often you patted the ground
With your small feet,
Goading the cattle on,
Up the hills, across granite,
In search of grass.
You laid out the traps
For mice and other delicacies
And caught those Icarian birds
With a slung stone, drawing them
Back to the ground.
Lay down and rest, dear one.
The others have been waiting for you.
Swaddled in soft colors,
Sleep calmly,
Knowing that we know
Where you are resting,
Where to find you.
We will sit by your side
And listen to your peaceful breath,
Ever a New Born.
© 2017, Tsitsi Jaji
From: Beating the Graves
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press, Lincoln NE
From: Beating the Graves
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press, Lincoln NE
Poems
Poems of Tsitsi Jaji
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HOLY DEPARTURE
It is today, then.The wrapping in blankets
And laying to rest
In your new cradle,
The earth.
How faithfully you tilled it,
Soil shifted into mounds,
Warming the beginnings of
Sweet potatoes, spiny cucumbers,
Pumpkins and groundnuts.
How often you patted the ground
With your small feet,
Goading the cattle on,
Up the hills, across granite,
In search of grass.
You laid out the traps
For mice and other delicacies
And caught those Icarian birds
With a slung stone, drawing them
Back to the ground.
Lay down and rest, dear one.
The others have been waiting for you.
Swaddled in soft colors,
Sleep calmly,
Knowing that we know
Where you are resting,
Where to find you.
We will sit by your side
And listen to your peaceful breath,
Ever a New Born.
From: Beating the Graves
HOLY DEPARTURE
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