Guess who I am.
“Guess who I am!” Totem cries,While shifting shape before my eyes:Lizard? Owl? Rabbit? Snake?Perhaps forgotten family tiesLink me to each shape it tries.Spider? Dog? Anteater? Stork?Through ocean mist and fog it fliesTo Guinea, Ghana, Benin, Kongo—Looking to lands beyond.
So, we play our games of “Tag,”“Hide and Seek,” and “Peek-a-boo!”Totem often wins the matchBy running faster than I do,Hiding longer—doding, too;But every now and then, I start,To see a shape or find a cluethat leads me, breathless,Racing to light beyond.
Reprinted with permission from Totem Games: Poems in Search of African Identity, © Yvonne Seon (Bunches of Thyme, 2007). To order a copy, contact the author at P.O. Box 467, Yellow Springs OH 45387.
Like this on Facebook
Please note: newsletter on hiatus