Another Way

(From 1/4/18)
 
We hit the ground running:
The red earth of
Remarkable Rwanda

Morning movements among
The restless travelers
Explosive fruit, earthy coffee
Satiating palates and soothing anxiety
 
Eric and Noel,
Our gracious hosts
Counting our presence
Gatanu…Five
I am here among new friends
 
Nyamirambo Women’s Center
Empowering the disempowered
Silvia guiding us through her streets
Shops and markets
Smells, sounds, unfiltered
Reminiscent of a time long past
In my corporate synthetic
strip-mall world

 
Mama’s nourishment
Refreshing inexperienced lungs
Wisdom in every bite,
(Japanese would call “Kata”)
Tradition in movements and patterns
 
The Memorial
Scanning each word and photo in
Greater disbelief
My radicalism reignited
Angry, frightened,
Sick to my stomach
Grasping at my ideologies
An optimism defeated,
Deflated by the cushion
Of a seat nearby
 
Home photographs
Hang from strings
Thousands erased,
Never replaced
I see my friends in their eyes
I see my family in their smiles
I see myself in their being
 
Mourning
Hands held outside
With Eric and Pacifique
Breath escapes us
Wrestling bewilderment
We summon courage to move forward
Hot tears inevitably painting
The mass graves of those betrayed

Birds frolic and sing
Reminding us of another way
Standing still mourning
The world has resumed
In fact it never stopped
Rwanda is reborn
No Tutsi, No Hutu…
Simply Rwandan
 
Anger subsiding
I feel welcomed in a strange land
A place healing and offering our dark world
A light we can see if we choose to
Ready to play my part
Ready to frolic and sing.