Consecrated Offering
(for Joseph Beckles)
steel ripens into bird of paradise
April smelted from gifts in the periodic table
& sweat soaking a master drummer’s forearms
insinuating tambourine stitches single dancers
into a circle hissing with the alchemy of unlocking shackles
shivering in the friction of transformation
iron into sequin slavery into jewelry
forged from bees wax rhythm passion
haunting crossroads at Ile Ife
meaning unsheathed from metal
stunned as a cymbal consecrated by a master’s sticks & splashing sweat
reverence in paint arch in stirred pigment
stem of holiness at the unguarded root
of dangerous witness & committed living
sip from a woman’s tilted neck
blush at her curved shoulder
bow at her foot poised between heel & toe
of what elements are dancers made?
combustion concussion offering
believing hands
ripening flower smelting April
finding haven in the fusion of still movement
Peter J. Harris
9/10/05