“making a way for SUSU” by ishmael ahmed

Place of grounding, of growing, of growling, safety, and saving

The fire of Leo, the pride comes together

The ancestors invoked, and made present

To celebrate life in dance and fire

To live and thrive

The future is not set, the lions arise

To be or not to be is not the question

For we are

In a place of hope, new beginnings, a place apart

What can we do with our time together, what space can we make

Where can we go together, and a part

Coddle not anger, for it is brittle and breaks

Shards piercing the soul, leaving behind scars, bind it to the pride

The community, the people

By our actions we will be known

Transformations, the alchemical process

The revelation of the gold

The return of those things lost, taken, and forgotten

Made present

Time and place are the space

Here we manifest

Adversity not to be avoided 

Should not be courted

It arises and need not be forced

Make space for Joy allowed to rise

By our actions we will be known

The night falls

The music thrums

The fire burns

The morning comes

The place is here

Making a way for Susu