I DREAM OF AFRICA (homebound)

I dream of Africa

Gold dust carried

By winds with

Ancient secrets

Against my skin

Nubian heat

Darkens my neck

In a land of legendary Queens

And skyscrapers made

Of the same dust

Beneath my sandaled feet

I dream of Africa

Riding on a camel’s back

Me in a shawl

A man in turban

Handsome as the desert

My companion

In a never ending

Journey on sand

I dream of

Places like Zanzibar

A land as beautiful

As its name

Where black men and women

Stand tall and lean

Unlike in other places

I’ve been

Except maybe Ethiopia

And Burundi

The best names are in Africa

I dream of

Crowded spaces

And bargaining customers

Market women

And area-boys

Places where inscriptions

On buses are common

A typical west-side story

In my dreams

I am in a South African

Safari

And the animals are with me

There is no invasion

Of territory

For here

Human and beast

Is evolved in unity

When I envision

A dream-a goal-a destination

I end up in Africa