Once you flew above my head
Your shadow racing across the earthÂ
One of a row of speckled feathersÂ
Lifting a bird to soar free in the air
Now I grasp this feather in my hand
And with it I brush the corners of my life
Whisking away the extraneous
The habits that don’t serve
Once you were the stuff ofÂ
The constant thrum of the hive
The buzz of a thousand bees
Moving in all directions
Now, coiled around a wickÂ
This wax makes a candleÂ
That I pray will light a way
For me to find what’s clear and essential
Once you were a tree
Rooted in earth, reaching to heaven
Leaves to the sun
Habitat, shade giver, fruit bearer
Branches spread in quiet wisdom
Now I hold a humble wooden spoon
Its gentle shallow moon-shaped curve
Ready to receive the crumbs and dust, the bits and pieces
I don’t need, so I am clear, renewed and ready
It is time for liberation
A feather, a candle, a spoon
Whisk; and light; and gather
The stuff of slavery we need to leave behind
As together, trembling but ready
We scramble toward freedom
