to know God (know the bees)
BY TAYLAR S. ENLOW.
- pretend this is Ayiti,
remember
what your father taught
you of their melody, the way
he sang you a story
of Bondye--told you
that the buzzing was another
way to know the Spirit, that their
presence was a holy thing, that
it signified sanctity, a sacred
land, and no one could take that
away. - imagine that this is Brazil,
that you serve the hungry
spirits, they call out
in rippling waters, in the wind
clinging to your head. the first thing
you learn is that they all love
honey. the second, that you must taste
it too. you begin
with your body, and hold
balance in your hands. offer
the nectar as a gift, savor
the sweetness, and
worship from both altars
at once. - dream of Ethiopia,
and rites of 900 years.
here, they have given
you gifts, recognized
sovereignty, restored
a people and reformed
communion through combs of
honey. in Lalibela they hum
to heal, build homes inside
ancient church walls, chant
a hallowed harmony, remember
the angels, and a God who has
not forgotten.
when I learned the land of my people
BY TAYLAR S. ENLOW.
I learned another name for God
was sitting in the soil. all along, I’d been just handfuls of earth
away from reclaiming it, learned that heaven might be
a place on Earth, that lies just across
the pond and if I could shed my honey tone-d
raincoat and jump in, I might see
God’s face welcoming me, or whomever decides
to show up that day, realized that God was akin
to the blood I gave the pavement each time I scrapped my knee, or
the sweat that chased lines down my copper skin in july.
unpacking grief and trying timidly to trace the lines
of a map with a finger and makeshift hope, I found the only thing
standing between God and me was a sign
which read: no swimming.
Taylar Shirley Enlow is a Philadelphia born and based creator and storyteller. Through the mediums of poetry and lyrical prose, photography, and energy work, she draws from the inspiration of her Africana heritage to honor the experiences of Africana people through the practices of artistic alchemy and archivism. She is also the founder of the SONKU Collective, a creative and collective space for Black and POC artists, which sits at the intersections of collective based art and holistic healing. She can be found at taylarenlow.com and on Instagram @taylarshirley.