Many travelled far to see him
like the great Ogotemmeli of Dogon
he was a towering library of tales
and like Akuku Danger of the East
he was the patriarch of a vast clan
children milled around him joyfully
he spared no chance to tell his stories
to the wandering eyes that stared at him
for he knew they were not merely children
but his ancestors returned to him in form
this is why he took special care of the young
he’d call them star seeds; travelers from afar.
his renowned power to heal, he joked
to the foreigners who occasionally visited
he said, came from a famous star system
while pointing with one finger in the sky,
another to his belt that had only three holes
with a coy smile and a heartfelt of laughter.
he’d go about his day fixing broken bones
and quieting minds lost in life’s humdrums,
for he knew who he was when his matriarch said…
“even a healer needs a healer with Grace”.
This Poem was published in the June 2023 edition of the WSA magazine. Please click here to download.
