for Duke Ellington
Rephrase the rain
Reshape the pain
Rewind the key
Resolve the rage
Rewire the fire
Reword the words
Restructure truth
Rebody spirit
Rebuild oneness
Reflag freedom
Reload the love
Replenish light
Rephrase the rain
Reshape the pain
Rephrase the rain
The statues say bring us down,
We’ve long forgotten the flesh
For which we now are cast,
Our hearts exposed at last.
Rude history stands accused
As well it should.
Love has opened its eyes.
It tries to breathe
Through a crack in the pedestal.
One feather, two shadows.
Two feathers, four shadows.
Three feathers, eight shadows…
This is how earth was created,
How the earth separated from itself,
How the sky learned to float,
The sun learned to be many places,
How wings multiplied,
Clouds gathered and rain began to fall.
Salvatore Ala 