by Dorothy Johnson-Laird
The ink river traces a line between the tall trees
It finds space under the sky that turns a deeper blue
The moon dances slowly above the water
She dips into the waves and then rises above the clouds
The fishes swim on underneath the river
They do not wait for the moon
They are not peaceful, but hurry, venturing forward
Chasing after one another, unable to be still
The woman stands by the river
Alone, under the sky.
She sees stars take a quiet shape above her.
They move in a circle of peace in the dark sky.
The breeze carries a eucalyptus scent within it,
A new smell, an uncommon smell.
The gentle wind surrounds her as a comfort
She listens to the air move over her face, her hands,
Her palms are now upward, under the stars that continue to circle the sky
Sitting down by the river, the breeze whispers over her
She becomes more still, quietens the body and just listens
To the breeze that travels alone,
Descending over her, down through the stars in the sky.
*Sakinah comes from the Arabic meaning “tranquility,” “peace,” “calm,” from the Arabic root sakana “to be quiet,” “to abate,” “to dwell.” In Islam, sakinah “designates a special peace,” the “Peace of God.” Newby writes that it was like a breeze with a face that could talk.
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakina)
***
Dorothy Johnson-Laird is a poet and social worker who lives in New York City. She received an M.F.A. in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Dorothy also has a passion for African music. She has published music journalism with www.afropop.org and www.worldmusiccentral.org. Recent poems appeared in Aji, Cantos, Pomona Valley Review, and Pedestal Magazine among others. Her poems were also recently published in the anthology Alchemy and Miracles: Nature Woven Into Words.