AXUM-ancient African Capital http://www.ethiopiatravel.com/Axum_eng.htm

AWLIYAW -- oldest and largest tree in Ethiopia http://forests.org/archive/africa/awliyawa.htm

One Seed

I found Axum.
I ran upon the maiden path.
I found the father’s seed.
I found the mother’s cradle.

I walked its highlands,
And God’s obelisks drew my eyes
To the heavens.
Granite prayers rose to shepherd me;
Stone kings that harbor
His promise.
Blood gaunt altars
Asked me
For my sacrifice,
So long denied.

I found Axum.
I beat an ancient drum.
I suffer at their request,
Passing over these roads,
Where my feet turned
Two thousand yesterdays;
Breathe into the lion.

Embracing this burden,
Bound in serpent’s peel,
It falls at my heart.
I will walk to my destiny
Eating the sandstorm.
Winds, north and south,
Swallow my fear.
Winds, east and west,
Bare shields to my faith.

Out of Axum,
In shadows of monoliths,
I abandon all roads.
Dew on my neck;
The breath of the mother.
Fire in the silence;
The voice of the father.

Winds;
Brothers of my heel.
This Blue Nile tumbles from the mouth of Tana.
I fall; I quake upon my knees.
Brothers, hear my heart.
Hear my heart beat
A prayer,
To become the smoke-water of the Nile.

Out of Axum,
I will find the bones before time.
I will find the hours before thought.
The bed rises.
The hour wakens.
Bones must be cleansed.
The dry earth must be thrown.
My brow must sweat.

My cry scatters the foul at the mouth of the Blue Nile,
And they will not return to eat.
My brother of the north has given a spade.
I throw the earth with a fever,
For the hourglass empties.
My brow rains with my toil.
My brother of the east has given water to flush my eyes,
And pours sugar for my thirst.

In the breeze of the Blue Nile,
My body lacks strength to be steadfast,
My body lacks the bread.
My brother from the south has given cake.

Hold now, the serpent purses.
The sun catches
The bones
Undisturbed.
Forgive
My affront to your sanctity,
My desecration to your perfection.
I come in reverence.

Out of Axum
In the shadow of the promise I come,
With bitters on my tongue.
And from the surpents fold I take one seed
Of the Awliyaw
To place on these bones;
Rebuild the cradle.
Forgive,
Our departure from our legacy;
The enigma of the seed.
To their knees brothers bend,
And crawl to the remarriage of man and earth.
Their spit anoints union.

In the breeze of the Blue Nile,
I quake upon my knees.
Brothers, hear my heart beseech.
Hear my heart beat
A prayer.
The hourglass is broken.
My brother from the west gives a blade,
That I plunge its coldness into my heart.
As I descend
Atop my father and my mother
To consecrate their altar,
I see the winds
North, South, East, West
Fly
Enraging the Nile into flames.


jeanne rene