because I’ve never been there
(for Tehmina)
because I’ve never been there
somehow I connect with your struggle
fast with you
pilgrimage to Mecca
because I’ve never been there
I offer you my hand
buy you books and pulseras
part the curtains in your room
air out the dirge
your fear of darkness,
plant hummingbirds in your hair
reverence is easy
my kindness revitalizes
recalling music never heard before
now sounding familiar
across ancient deserts
our people used to share
because I’ve never been there
I absorb distant voices from your memories
songs slipping through me like water
cleansing my path to selflessness
forging your path to freedom,
yes I can feel your struggle
every time you breathe
because I’ve never been there
because I’ve never been there
I pay no attention to
these rumors of holy war
further restrictions of the mind
insults and mistrust
garments to obstruct the light
because I’ve never been there
I wish to build a structure
pastel visions
open to the air,
and because you’ve been there
that heroic garden
begins to beckon to you again
a place where rebirth begins
a place where I may have been
though neither of us care to remember
6/92
Tucson