Beneath the Bulbous Baobab Tree

Beneath the bulbous baobab tree, 

We lie in wait

Tethered to a cruel fate

Surrounded by one of a kind; kindred spirits

Forever linked, interlocked in an intricate web

Of a tripartite world; 

The living, the dead and the unborn

Hanging to the periphery 

As we tread ever cautiously, 

The delicate maze of life

Eyes, constantly roaming back and forth

Between several worlds

Hearts pounding

Feet trembling as we tread paths to those who seek us

Only to be wrenched back ever so viciously

By destinies not ours

By time measured and allotted to us

We are slaves, destined to obey the mystic calls

And so, however our hearts may yearn

However, heavy their hearts may bleed

However burdensome their grief may be

We must turn a blind eye

We are reapers

Sedulous souls forever bringing a harvest of tears

Bountiful and fresh

Shinny rivulets collected at the greatest moments of despair

Or perhaps at the greatest heights of love

We are changelings

We are ephemeral

We are ancient beings of the universe

A curious wonder

Shrouded in mystery

Cloaked in mysticism

Flashing shadows never taking root

Transient souls, seeking, searching, yet never steadied

Flitting shadows, flailing, floundering between several worlds

I am the terror of the night that strikes

I am the affliction that arises at the allotted hour

I am a cruel task master

Forever clawing at your heart

I am insatiable

A bottomless abyss destined to empty your storehouse

Though you may pour your countless libations

Though you may unearth my talisman

And bring diviners from the four corners of the earth

And they may lie through their teeth

Promising unachievable feats

Though you may scar, brand, and blemish me

And make me a souvenir from previous lifetimes

Though you may evoke names that bind me here

Though you may plead

And rent the night with howls and piercing screams

Your pleas fall on deaf ears

I am Abiku

Child of numerous worlds

Doomed to roam the corners of the earth

Doomed to roam from one hollow womb to another

Better yet, save your prayers and petitions for another 

For the cycle must continue.