did you hug the earth today?
everything is so busy right now. i have letters to write, people to thank, emails to send, poems to revise, finals to study for, essays to answer, books to read, packing to do, music to hear, traveling to figure out, and it doesn't end. even when one thing is done, it's onto another. and in 9 days, i'll be a senior...in college. what? how did that happen? AND. this is my last week at indiana review. i'm pretty sad about that. i kind of love it there.
anyway. here is a poem. partly because i'm procrastinating. mostly because i love it.
"Litany"
-Aracelis Girmay
when we are old & our hearts have beat within us, let
us go back, & when we have buried our loves, & shed
our bodies piece by piece, & when we have danced
& broken our shoes, & danced, let us go back,
when we have gone mad, & when we have shut
the doors, dismantled our eyes & rifles, let us go back,
when we have drunk the wine & licked our lips
& put our tongues to the inside of the green glass bottle
& laid down our bodies old as trees, streets, let us go back,
when we have told our stories & forgotten our stories,
& set the tables & made the beds, let us go back,
& received other bodies into our bodies, let us go,
when we have entered, & opened,
& opened our mouths, let us go back,
& when we have crossed rivers on the back of a horse,
& read the palms & burned the candles,
& touched the cactus, & eaten the fruit, let us go back,
when we have tasted the salt, & our knees have touched
the ground, let us go back, when we have painted
our hands, let us go back, & when our hands
have touched the backs of other hands, let us go back,
& when we are old & nearly crossed over,
& all of our bones have walked within us,
& when we have planted flowers
& talked into the ears of our dogs, let us go back,
& when we have lost our mothers,
& sent our brothers away
& heard no news,
& when we have watched the rain from trains,
let us go back,
& when we have been moved by this & by that,
& sung the songs & disobeyed, & when we have turned
& turned & turned & turned, let us go back,
when we have boiled the tea, & tasted the bread,
& washed our right hands & walked through mountains,
when we have learned the children's names, let us go back,
& seen our reflections in the hyena's eye,
& walked under the ladders, & lit the frankincense,
& when we have seen the wars, let us go back,
& when we have given our fathers & gotten them back,
& when we have given our fathers & not gotten them back,
& when we have studied the maps & learned the languages,
& prayed over the food, let us go back,
when we have whispered the secrets, let us go back,
& when we have walked & calloused our heels,
let us go back, when we have braided the heads
& set the peppers out to dry, & laughed
& laughed & laughed & laughed, let us go back,
& when we have watched the stars & seen
the black-lined eyes of pirates selling beads,
let us go back, when we have tasted the sweetnesses,
let us go back, when we have sewed the dresses
& licked the thread, let us go,
& when we have wanted water, let us go back,
when the poem has been sung
when the strings & tambourines,
when all the birds have gathered at the window, let us go,
let us go back there, let us go back
anyway. here is a poem. partly because i'm procrastinating. mostly because i love it.
"Litany"
-Aracelis Girmay
when we are old & our hearts have beat within us, let
us go back, & when we have buried our loves, & shed
our bodies piece by piece, & when we have danced
& broken our shoes, & danced, let us go back,
when we have gone mad, & when we have shut
the doors, dismantled our eyes & rifles, let us go back,
when we have drunk the wine & licked our lips
& put our tongues to the inside of the green glass bottle
& laid down our bodies old as trees, streets, let us go back,
when we have told our stories & forgotten our stories,
& set the tables & made the beds, let us go back,
& received other bodies into our bodies, let us go,
when we have entered, & opened,
& opened our mouths, let us go back,
& when we have crossed rivers on the back of a horse,
& read the palms & burned the candles,
& touched the cactus, & eaten the fruit, let us go back,
when we have tasted the salt, & our knees have touched
the ground, let us go back, when we have painted
our hands, let us go back, & when our hands
have touched the backs of other hands, let us go back,
& when we are old & nearly crossed over,
& all of our bones have walked within us,
& when we have planted flowers
& talked into the ears of our dogs, let us go back,
& when we have lost our mothers,
& sent our brothers away
& heard no news,
& when we have watched the rain from trains,
let us go back,
& when we have been moved by this & by that,
& sung the songs & disobeyed, & when we have turned
& turned & turned & turned, let us go back,
when we have boiled the tea, & tasted the bread,
& washed our right hands & walked through mountains,
when we have learned the children's names, let us go back,
& seen our reflections in the hyena's eye,
& walked under the ladders, & lit the frankincense,
& when we have seen the wars, let us go back,
& when we have given our fathers & gotten them back,
& when we have given our fathers & not gotten them back,
& when we have studied the maps & learned the languages,
& prayed over the food, let us go back,
when we have whispered the secrets, let us go back,
& when we have walked & calloused our heels,
let us go back, when we have braided the heads
& set the peppers out to dry, & laughed
& laughed & laughed & laughed, let us go back,
& when we have watched the stars & seen
the black-lined eyes of pirates selling beads,
let us go back, when we have tasted the sweetnesses,
let us go back, when we have sewed the dresses
& licked the thread, let us go,
& when we have wanted water, let us go back,
when the poem has been sung
when the strings & tambourines,
when all the birds have gathered at the window, let us go,
let us go back there, let us go back