Where I Belonged

Viewing Rafaello’s “ School of Athens’ fresco, at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan, Italy.

I belonged in the aisles of libraries and bookshops,

In their quiet corners surrounded by books.

Scouring through pages with tales for the ages,

I belonged, crouched down in their nooks.

I belonged on the halls of art exhibition walls,

With pictures and figures and paintings that showed

The mind of an artist and visions they bore.

In reverent silence and deep meditation,

I paid full attention.

Oh, to be privy to another’s imagination.

I belonged in museums and archives,

In spaces that preserved what was forgotten.

They echoed the stories of who we used to be,

And how we used to think,

And how we did our things

And how we look the same…

But different.

I belonged among the trees,

In the forest or on the streets.

The trees saw me and I saw them,

And we wished each other only well.

I belonged in the spaces that opened up to meadows,

To the little paths that trailed and shadowed,

Around me was movement, and stillness,

Some watching and waiting but never expecting.

I belonged by the beach,

Cheeks softly grazed by a gentle breeze

While my feet dug in the soft white sand that sank in to capture my imprint.

Reminding me that I have been here, and I have been taken in.

The sand, a mirror of things that stepped into it.

I belonged as I let the waves washed over my feet and pull me in,

Beckoning me into deeper waters.

I belonged even if I dived in, or walked away from it.

I belonged on journeys,

On the streets that I walked in,

When a stranger smiled warmly.

I belonged mid air, flying Rwandair,

As I handed my crying baby to the kind lady,

Who saw me struggle and cooed her gently

I let her help me.

I belonged in the new places I saw in my travels,

We observed each other with a curious interest,

Waiting for what would unfold from our crossing.

There are many places where I have belonged,

Even if for a moment.