lenten journal: april fool
the prank pressed
deepest in my memory
is my frantic father
wrecking our breakfast
with warnings of an
elephant stampede
(it helped that we lived
in Africa at the time)
I could picture the
pachyderms pounding
their way to Lusaka
and was beginning
to feel the tremble
in the floor when
he smiled with his eyes
followed by a full-fledged
laugh that let the
elephants evaporate
into the vapor of
myth and memory
that april fool’s day
was the closest
they ever got to town
I have listened every
year since, thankful
my dad keeps laughing
Peace,
Milton
1 comment:
Wow. When were you in Zambia, Milton? My husband and I lived and worked in Choma for two years in the 60's and loved the country and the people. We had no elephants nearby in the southern province, living on the line of rail. But snakes and small antelope were around much of the time. What a beautiful place. Thanks for reminding me of that stretch of time and that part of the world.
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