NAME THE OLDEST MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY
the baby, the new born, is the oldest
member of the family, not yet fully a person
her whole being is ancient, albeit fresh
into the contemporary air she is a bundle
of chromosomes & flesh drawn from every forbear who
preceded her bawling in this world, in her bones
she knows nothing but the impulses of spirits
this society misnames ghosts, she will put
a block, her hand, a rose, a roach into her mouth
attempting to taste everything, and as she grows
she will become younger until she is so old
on the threshold of death, the thinness of her skin
a translucent veil parting in preparation for her transition,
her descent into the depths of resurrection, a total dissolving
into the body of the earth, and her ascension into the bodies
of progeny, the common far away look of elders
which we mistake for some sentimental remembering
is really the twilight savoring of the delectable
newness of every precious breathing moment, the flavor
that normally only those just entering or just leaving
eternity are wise enough to distinguish
—kalamu ya salaam