Poetry

Memories of Mali Part 2

Wading through the sea of sand

Red sun melting

Dipping into dusk

The shadows get long as the animals prepare for night

Did I see a kangaroo mouse hop across the road?

Memories have a funny way of dancing in and out of reach

Rainy season

Destination: Yuvuru

We glide in a long low wooden pirogue

The red, muddy water is pierced by a pole that grips the river floor and propels us forward

We have a motor but it is too shallow here

My baby sister is swaddled and wrapped to the bench of the boat

The rhythm of the water lulls her to sleep

The river widens and narrows and as its banks creep closer I see people

White teeth, white eyes, dark faces

They run parallel with us along the shore, waving

We are always a sight to see with our alabaster skin and eyes the colour of the sky

An adjustment

Village life

We dodge cow pies and thorns the length of small swords

The sun cooks the sand

Burning tender feed

I can never find my shoes

A swing

A red radio

A dung beetle tied to a string

A yellow tonka truck

A tire

A stick

A soccer ball

Kids are kids wherever you are

If language is a fence

We hop over and tunnel under

We are all fluent in PLAY.

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