the yes to life
by devorah major (‘97, ‘98, ‘01)

i did
ask to be born

when i was in that universal space
between where i had been and here
when i was riding on x star in y galaxy
on the plateau where birth
meets passing on
i know
i was one who pulsed
shone sang cajoled yelled
cried and pled yes
yes i want a tongue
yes i want to breathe
yes i want to dance
i want to be born

of course, i didn't know
what i was asking for
had no idea of hunger or pain
could not conceive of the word for despair
or the thought of utter aloneness

had yet to understand
how suffer and celebration
could sleep so close together

no i didn't know
but i begged and begged
until i got what i asked for
every tongue tip mouth full
feather touch soft belly
pitted crag
breezy, gravelly
moment
out of life

i wanted it then
i want it now

Copyright © devorah major. All right reserved. Used by permission of the author

devorah major was named Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 2002. A poet, novelist, essayist, editor, and arts administrator, her first poetry publication, traveling women was a two-poet anthology with Cave Canem Fellow Opal Palmer Adisa. A second book of poetry, street smarts received a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award. Her novel, An Open Weave, was awarded the First Novelist Award from the American Library Association's Black Caucus. devorah's work has been published in several anthologies and magazines, including The Single Mother's Companion, Practicing Angels, River Styx, Calalloo and Zyzzyva. Her most recent novel is Brown Glass Windows

Copyright © 1997-2006 by Cave Canem Foundation, Inc.

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