a man living in a Samburu village
must have strength and grit
a young man will be circumcised
in front of other villagers
he must hold dignity through the pain
lock every muscle
completely still
if he so much as winces
he will bring disgrace upon his family.

when a man comes of a certain age
people make it their business
to find him a wife
if the man is traveling
in a nearby village
and happens upon a delightful young woman
he must bring this news
back to his parents
who will make the decision.

if the parents agree
he will supply the young woman
with gifts of:
one camel
four or five goats
and seven or eight cows
unless the woman is special
then she might receive
two camels.

once a man is settled
with his first wife
he may find more wives
sometimes up to eight wives
or more.

each wife may bear about five children
while the children are young
the man may not know
the names of the children
or which mother they came from.

her belly is on the concrete
the sun makes her
glow
softer than the water
she is bored
she does not acknowledge
the great gift the light has given the world
by reflecting
off her body

waking up
among the painted antelope
and the wildebeests
streaming up the hillside
and the gnarled knees
of an ostrich
and the glassy yellow eyes
of a lion
is something
we should all experience.

I can't decide
whether to
cut
the splinter out
or wait
for it to
heal over.

dung beetles
are my favorite beetle
because I feel like
giggling
when I see one.

a male lion
lay motionless
in the shade.
his fashionably disheveled mane
and swollen belly
gave me comfort
until he
opened his
eyes.

I like the
deep color
of their skin
crafted
from soil
and wind.
these people are
powerful
enough to carry
the sun
inside
their bodies.

the people here
have no illusory separation
from their land

small, bare-armed boys
pause from herding goats
to glance over

the goat was completely alive
and then it was completely lifeless
if there was an in-between
I could not tell where it ended
or began.