Into Africa

2008 WDC Quill Award, Best Free-Verse poem. 1st Place in WDC's "Bare Bones" Free-Verse Poetry Contest (Vincent Gaines, May 2008).
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Before reading the poem, please take a few minutes to view the following YouTube videos. They provide important insights into Dan Eldon's life and his tragic death at age 22 in Mogadishu, and put the poem into context:
Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZxxgetWUi1o
Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wZQWX5tGZFs

INTO AFRICA

Africa was never my itinerary,
the route clearly marked on my ancestral map of Ireland,
spread out on the floor like a patchwork quilt
so I could smooth out the crinkly creases
that never folded up the same way twice.

My eyes drifted toward Africa
and I saw your face gazing back at me
from old photographs I'd seen in books,
your hair and smile so present I felt
I could stretch my hand through time
and gently touch them.
I wanted to trace the boyish curves and lines
of your cheekbones and shoulders
now embraced only by paper borders.

I look at your journals
and colors shoot out like kaleidoscope flashes,
imprinting pictures onto my retinas.

You didn't see me watching you
through the time lens of my mind
as you worked your secret alchemy with paints and brushes,
composing with tape and glue the detritus of your day
that lay scattered on the floor,
your feet scuffing and rearranging it yet again.

Your translucent form shimmers above images
that capture your spirit like a camera.

Moving across the pages,
my fingers trekked savannas and canoed rivers
and, when I looked at them,
instead of my own whorled prints
I saw the dark contours of Africa
inked into the tips
like black tattoos that wouldn't come off.

You invite us into your fire circle
as if you are some tribal elder
imparting ancient wisdom from the gods.

I folded my map, turned away from Ireland,
and crossed into Africa.