Animal Birth

Animal Birth

-for Sofia Jolie, October 12, 2024

There are no words in origin

Out of the body, the body within

Inside the body, genesis awake

Earthquake minutes before midnight

All this time & now this time again

The universe begats a form, animate climber

Her heart, pure clear flame, tinder-caught

The way life continues its play, anti-entropic

Eyes forming to witness suns on water

Everything on hand to watch air move

Blue vine planted on the border, glorious morning

To be seen, light grows fingers, face & toes.

Poem by Qayyum Johnson

Painting by Suiko McCall. Eyes forming to witness suns on water, 2024. Watercolor on paper, 15×11″.