Root Work Journal - Convening in the Ark - Volume 1, Issue 1
Diaspora (para Itana)
W. Yusef Doucet
Joko Collective
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.47106/4rwj.11107563
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We all belong to each other.
Diaspora (para Itana)
Thousands more miles separated a little black girl
At play with red chickens in her grandma’s yard
In Salvador, Bahia and the black boy throwing a baseball
Against the red brick wall in his Los Angeles backyard.
Why should distance matter?
Why should language matter?
“When you speak, I know you in my spirit,
In my spirit right here.”
She speaks with her hand over heart.
Why should distance matter?
Why should language matter?
“I’m so glad,” he says. “I’ve known you
My whole life, in my heart right here.
I could hear you giggle when the baseball
Bounced back and your delight
Would scatter the chickens.”
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