Lobo
For Paulo Paulino Guajajara, known as “Lobo”, who was a “Guardian of the Amazon”, killed by illegal loggers
I guard the forest
its canopy of reflected stars
the morpho butterflies the blue moons
bromeliads the fish
the roots of trees
drinking in the river
I guard the forest
the children of the tribe
I guard the canopy with its toucans parakeets
emerald
I guard the forest floor with its snakes
I guard the mating jaguars
I knew
they would kill me.
I could not have imagined
that it would be a shot to the
face that my body would be
left in the forest
Now
You guard the forest
its canopy of reflected stars
the morpho butterflies the blue moons
bromeliads the fish
the roots of trees
drinking in the river
You guard the forest
the children of the tribe
You guard the canopy with its toucans parakeets
emerald
You guard the forest floor with its snakes
You guard the mating jaguars
Altar
Begin with stillness. Summon
Courage. Kavannah.
Deliverance.
Essence. A beginning.
Forsythia and purple iris, tulips so pink edge into blue.
Gather your dearest, the lonely within and without. Bring your
Hunger, your fast.
Indeed, there is so much to hold here, to heal.
Just about everything calls out to you to be done and you must choose
Kindness, stay kind.
Love
Mystery, Mastery. All this is
Necessary.
Open to the sacred, the simple.
Pass over trifling annoyances, Make room for
Quiet places.
Reveal the past.
Sacrifice the things that no longer serve you. Remember the
Temples burning in Paris, in Jerusalem, in yourself. Listen, the
Universe calls to you.
Verify, purify.
Wake up your ancestors around the table.
Yearn for justice and freedom, bring your
Zeal. Bring your self, your deep desire to connect
the past, the possible, time no longer linear