jungle

the jungle is the jungle.
i try to step here,
in my hands
a machete

to cut lianas.
this green damp
dark place,
sweat and sores.

here it is hard
to trust and sleep,
strange sounds
and unsafe ground.

to be aware of danger
but curious as a cat,
i walk on,
tired but firm.

you are
at the other side.
your hand cannot
reach through.

i have found
the voice
of your soul
to bear to you

in silence.
even here
i don't stop
listening.

i hear you
in the rain,
it pours down,
a blinding noise

in this nowhere
i am nothing but will
and soul and ears
moving through mud

now i am,
i change,
i ripen like fruit
to my own sweetness

in the pure strength
of my heart.
i will say love
in the innocence

i found in birds
and snakes
and lizards
and flowers,

i will say love
with my breath
and my ears,
not in the language

i learned
nor in words
i used before.
i listen.