The Spiral – Calling in magic
I started laying the spiral in the clean white sand in the early morning
Flat, damp, rust-coloured, woody pods
from the Miombo woodland floor
‘Mmmm, so Munondo pods are flat and Musasa pods curl’
(deduction)
When I returned at mid morning, something had happened that I had never understood before
(after many, many years of thinking I was watching)
the pods had all curled back to their well-know, spiral-shape in the drying sun
(of course)
Sonia didn’t sleep that night
at 5 the next morning she went out in the first slanting rays of dawn
to lay the spiral
collecting flat, damp, rust-coloured, woody pods
from the newly wet Miombo woodland floor
someone else came by later
and laid a circle of small Munondo seeds in the centre
Future Trees of Life
Jane passed by at mid morning
and paused in astonishment
there, in the centre of the circle of seeds
in the centre of the spiral of pods
was a small chongololo
curled in a perfect spiral.
She calls us all to come and look,
and as we arrive,
another chongololo trundles up
‘is he attacking her?’ Jane asks worriedly
‘no – they are mating’
at least they think there is a future to take care of!
‘the pods have curled’ noted Sonia
later that day we sit around the spiral
12 ordinary people
and speak of our vision for the future
Qalani walks to the centre
and he lays Nyamaropa seeds
around the Munondo seeds
marking the agreements that hold us together
‘this is the yolk’ he says pointing to the middle
‘the yellow stuff at the centre of an egg
It is held in place by the agreements
respect, love, truth speaking, deep listening…
the albumen which feeds the yolk
and around it is the shell
us
guardians, protecting the birthing of this new life
but one day soon
this egg will hatch
for it is time for the bird to fly’
silently, we walk the spiral
placing our vision in the centre
12 ordinary people
who have the audacity to hope