Of Women and Spirit © Kamaria Muntu

Of Women and Spirit
By Kamaria Muntu

Dare to sketch Gullah scapes
to wade uncharted water where no flotilla ventures
Let Chango lay the light of his fire on this water
until it glistens like spinster crystal
Go deep into the greenness
into the patois of snails, frogs, sea turtles and crabs
Inherit the swamp hip and okra stomp
Glide the glades of Damballah chants

Now…

lay your camera on the women
Pride them with the beholding eyes of Sunday suitors
Arrest a medicine wheel of color godspells
A cotillion of gumbo spice
their hair
their skin
their walk of waves
Veiled Osun golding the salty air
a delta vamp
Impel the mystique of clouds rising like cream
above the gelatine ocean
Implore the dewy nipples of Yemaya
and Elegba’s smiling guile
Spy the children dancing their lyric in sand
Secret ceremonies with flying fish
Witness prodigal gulls wailing their mercies
across azure sky fields
As Oya’s lightning bolt strikes the fever of crossing
We gather the dust of our essence
in our hands
and import our pasts in glass jars
with no seals