photo by Alex Lear

We are all amphibians

breathing beneath

water, initially encased

in a placenta

contained

within maternal

flesh until

we outgrew

the pond

and dove to birth

to walk upright

on earth

no matter our solidity

the moon maintains

its pull on us

and we all long

at various

levels of awareness

to float in the tranquility

of a human sea

land is cool

but after all

there is an undertow

we can never escape

it is our nature

we are all amphibians

—kalamu ya salaam