Mackaima Poem by Nim Lee

Mackaima loping through the dark forest
Teeth gleaming white
Eyes shining red
Like a caiman in the night

Eyes that see everything
Teeth ready for anything
Moving silently
Legs avoiding every vine and thorn.

Mackaima: nobody’s friend
Feared by all
Everyone hides from you
Or they try to

But that is impossible
You see them
Wherever they creep.

But you Mackaima, you only have to stand still
Close your mouth and hide your white teeth
Shut your eyes and conceal the gleam of your eyes
And you become one shadow of many
And you vanish
Into the air
Into the trees
Into the darkness
It is as if you were never there.
No one can see you.
But you are still there.
Listening, watching, waiting