Awash

You took me to the beginning place but you

didn’t know it was the beginning

the river tugging at our ankles

drawing us in

to where the brown murky water

blended with the blood and fluids

of our mother’s womb.

We laughed and slept

heat melting our minds

currents tangling our limbs.

Later, you found some akee at the river’s lip

poisonous heart-shaped fruit

reminding me of our grandmothers

and their warnings.

When our love overflowed

seeping into the damp soil

I could feel it bearing down

pulling towards the river’s froth

suspended, swirling, like sediment looking for a hold

where it would later settle,

conjugate,

propagate,

generate roots

and join the earth of our forebears.