Savannah Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

I gaze over the ancient plains
And feel myself carried away
To another life in another time
When I came this way in search of prey.

I feel the weight of my weapons on my back.
I remember how it feels to follow the tracks
Of a gazelle I have wounded but not killed.
I remember the need to find it and finish it off
And carry it home before the sun set and I was beset
By the jackals I could hear barking at my back.

I remember this rock.
I remember that river.
I remember these smells.
I remember these sounds.

The same birds flew.
The same ferns grew.
The same sky spoke to me at night
When I made camp under these stars.

Each day that I stay in this valley
Takes me back with greater conviction
To a time when these rocks seemed alive
And these hills seemed to breathe
And the river seemed to sing
Because I was a part of it
Instead of just a witness.

For the moment, I will shut my eyes
And blot out this life
And let my memory regress
To a more primal time
When all felt right
Because I was aligned
With the perfect design
That we lost sight of
As we became civilized.

Let the present come rushing in when it must
But for now let me melt into the eternal
And be as timeless as the universe
And remember who I really am:
Nothing and everything.