Raft

A drifting night, and the worlds a sleeping companion opens.

Raft — a poem by Pemba Umoja

On this raft I lie

with you by my side

nestled warmly within the down.

On top of what worlds

I float.

Through

skies of glistening

stars

Down slopes of

fresh laden snow.

Into valleys of yellow flowers.

An ambrosial scent pervades.

Silk worms in bursts of

white stardom

turn

to butterflies

and greet us

on our way.

Their colors

of a spectrum

I’ve never seen.

They swirl and dance,

guiding us

through

these magical skies.

To a placid lake

on which to rest.

Beams of light

on a bed of leaves

glisten as gold.

You sleep before me.

Eyelids fluttering

like the wings of butterflies

In what worlds do you dream?

Are they as beautiful as the

ones to which you have taken me?

A poem by Pemba Umoja