nakupenda

you aren’t living life
he said to me
you’re closed up
and held his hands aloft
for me to see
the shape of a stone
i watched his fingers unfold
hands blooming into lotus blossoms
as if my open mouth would reveal
flows of fruit and flowers
a running world of animals
ponies and long necked giraffes
birds of paradise
rolling meadows and starry seas
i used to worry
he said to me
but you can only give your best
and if you fail at least you know
you tried your hardest
that is what my grandmother told me
i tried to absorb his words
through my skin and eyes and ears
the boy named for a prophet
the boy who chose his birthday
the boy who lived a dozen lives
in one lifetime
we come from two different worlds
he said to me
and we unite as one
interlacing our hands
he laughed and touched the pattern
our fingers made
the smooth brown of his
and the
pale peach of mine
two different worlds meeting and
interweaving
nakupenda
he said to me
i was eager to be taught
and he
to teach
the soft syllables on my lips
nakupenda
before i knew what i said
he smiled
a flash of teeth
a thank you whispered
and a
kiss
on the back of my hand