Against a twilight backdrop,
we pick our way through the tangled net of the jungle,
wander past the ackee trees and the mangoes.
My feet tread heavy,
stumble over the papaya leaves.
You are my barefoot guide. Barely up to my waist.
Take me to the white sand beach,
let the waves lick our feet, accept kisses
from the ones before us.
Lead me through the sugar-cane valley of our ancestors,
across an island peppered with the footprints,
of a family I have never known.
Teach me how to catch crabs with a butterfly net,
how to climb the neck of a coconut tree,
how to speak the language of the island breeze.
Show me what it means to belong.
Your small hand in mine is the first step.
About the Creator
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More stories from Shauntelle Small and writers in Poets and other communities.
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Comments (1)
This is beautiful.