Wahabi walked with me in Cameroon
October 28, 1981
-- Wahabi walked with me in Cameroon --
bearing my burdens, --
crooning a child song in the shadow --
of the Jade massif. --
Through many tropic noons --
we walked --
as he proclaimed cocoa and banana farm limits, --
his chatter mingled with the smell --
of fruit over-ripeness cloying the air. --
Wahabi walked with me in Cameroon, --
bearing my burdens. --
Soon, I must go, and his absence --
will be a burden I carry with me --
for he will be everywhere --
that tree talk is remembered --
and rain sounds imperil sought silence.