Let the Ghosts Chit-Chat
I wonder if living rooms
Are not only for the living
To talk and tell stories
What if our ancestors also sit in this parlour?
Drinking palm wine
And trading memories of home
Of the coast
What if all my grandmothers are here?
The line stretched taut
Gossiping as they do
Maybe they’re weaving spirit thread
Or braiding spirit hair,
sliding beads on at the end
What if my grandfathers are present?
Some smoking long pipes
Talking war games
Or homemaking
Or unparalleled genius
What if they speak
always just out of earshot?
As we move
And love
And lose in this space
What if
when our mothers pray here
One thousand black women encircle us
Hands raised?
What if family rooms
Can fit the whole family line?
The tree rooted deeper than we thought
Through the very floorboards
Atira C. © 2020. All rights reserved.
