untitled poem
By Nazzy Pakpour
9.19.03
I was born into a circle of clay dust
capped with canvas
and surrounded by saplings
my arrival was welcome by a gathering of friends
old, new, and unknown
the wind spouted dusk colored clouds of red and orange
as I was tossed from one generous hug to another
somebody brought food,
another told a story,
still another took the time
to touch my shoulder gently
and say nothing
Multi-colored scarves swung from their hips
as pillows slowly acquired dust
and I found even more people
who were willing to push my swing
I grew into an adult
who grew into a child
who grew into a family
I lived by my urges
and it felt good
I slept only when my body spasmed
from its inability to shimmy, skip, or sing
I ate only when my smile began to seep from my lips
and I laughed
I laughed till I couldn't breathe
till every stomach in the dome quivered
I laughed because there was always someone willing to join me
I laughed
because I could
I struggled to see the light shining though the rainy dusty cold
sometimes it glinted from below funky colored glasses
or lay hidden beneath the collapsed fabrics of domes
sometimes it sang from the huddle heads
of those caught in the winds
and I could not help but join in.
Atop caked earth and molten mud
I learned about depths that I did not know I possessed
and maturity that I didn't think I was capable of
Below a blazing fire of maniac energy and rain
I learned to go wild the way a wilderness requires.
And when I stumbled out of my home
and into the decadent lights of plastic realities
they made me take off mud-covered shoes
and I ached for my patchwork moments
of friendship and laughter
that the playa had woven together
Reality may have forced my feet elsewhere
but no one is going to make me clean the mud off my shoes.
