Adrian Castro

I have sinned in front of mirrors But I'll say this in my defense— Too scared to face my indecency the voice with a larynx big as mangoes too— I took your voice burnt with tabaco They say you must first imitate before your tongue jagged in novice can ripen a word shape it along color before words being enough change what's before you Now squeezing the bandages of injured history when they hid your clothing from the riverbank slings of leather like slices stretched along your skin in the mood of talking drum you remember only when they tighten speak from tension after all It's time for your dissertation mirrored cool one more color on the chameleon's back Time to play forgive the rainbow your song of imperfection

Let’s not wrestle with water anymore— Enters until we flexible in its acceptance Persistent in entering through green or brown windowpanes jagged from years of sun Lights out across the street yr candle dances still or flashlight we send signals interrupted by slinging branches Tonight is O.K.— after all you walk by the window tip yr head at the orange sky blue lightning partially our rainbow People not alone in the percussive squalls (Caribbean music) Sole leaf flicked by adolescent wind gone August 25,2005

1. The candle will be our medium for dialogue We must always be on speaking terms 2. When you see the candle by the bedside burning it will be my message to you: Do Not Touch! 3. You will heal through herbs & the words I give you to spray unto the solution 4. Never dress in black I may mistake you for someone ready to die 5. As much as possible do not speak wickedly or damn anyone 6. As much as possible stay away from funerals I like to work alone Death is death’s work (Iku n’iku che) 7. Egun will be my messenger 8. You may also petition me through that white staff you know the one— with bells & snail shells You also know the chant 9. Do not be tempted by possessions & titles If you have patience I will make possible those you actually will need 10. Remember this pact & I will give you health & long life (aiku) All this was negotiated just prior to his birth. He probably kneeled before the Owner of the Sky while Iku, his patron Orisha, and many Egun sat watching with fly whisks in hand and full regalia (after all, one of their own was about to embark on his journey to the human world). The ilé aiyé. He probably placed in circular fashion inside a big calabash all his choices, probably whispered into the gourd a slow "Ashé tó iba Eshu." We say probably because one thing is for sure, El Niño does not remember the details. In fact no one does (except the deities & Iku). No one remembers the details of their creation. No one remembers the destiny, the mission they chose, their personal Orisha, and most importantly the date of their last breath. Memory & continuity. Keeping el hilo de la conversación. Never losing the wavy & fragile link that keeps you grounded to yr root. The dialogue with spirits that may tap yr left shoulder & all that. But no one remembers. No one remembers. Ésto si es trágico. In order to recall the details of what went on in the other world, to map his destiny, El Niño must be taken for divination. And even then one session won’t do it. The story will get revealed as his life turns each page & changes rhythm & the oracle is cast several more times. So they took El Niño to the diviner Edikán's house. After pouring libations & reciting the necessary ayuba prayers—greeting the creator, the ancestors, the divination, earth, wind, river, ocean, jungle, & crossroad orishas, Edikán cast the divining chain/ópele used by the babalawo. A picture began to emerge. He said the Orishas & Egun, collectively called ara orun or citizens of the other world, have given us certain verses & stories to deliver messages regarding the rhythms of our lives. He said El Niño’s patron deity is Oshun but he will always have an affinity with Ogun & Obatalá. But most prominent is his close relationship with Egun, that is, the ancestors, Iku’s messengers. He said it would be through a kinship with Egun that he would accomplish his most difficult tasks; even the arts of divination. He will be a mouthpiece for Egun. Edikán said El Niño has a predisposition to a vivid imagination. Because of this there are & will be mysterious phenomena happening to him like visions & dreams of secret songs. He will not regard them as strange. He said El Niño should be taught even at an early age the rigors of an herbalist. He should be taught at least how to recognize certain trees & plants, the healing properties of the most commonly used herbs, their harvesting times, how they mix & with what substances. All this will eventually lead to an encyclopedic knowledge not only of their healing properties but of their ability to alter the invisible rhythms that underlie most things. Edikán said there will be certain resguardos that must be prepared so as to begin bridging the gap between Orishas, Iku, Egun, & himself. Even though El Niño’s inner head/ori inu chose a good destiny in the other world, such destiny must be aligned with his physical head/ori in this world. It will be Orishas & Egun that will focus his life & help him fulfill the destiny he chose in the other world. He said beginning with the feet El Niño must be securely fastened to the earth so as to not depart too soon for the other world. (You see there is always the detail of Iku being overprotective. The relationship is like playing with a leopard—even an affectionate jab with its paw will cause a scar). The head will also have to be ritually prepared & fed with bits of white fruit among other ingredients & thus given a firm root, stability—“para que su cabeza no esté en el aire,” he said. We were witness to this event. We heard what needed to be done. There was actually a time, maybe this is still going on, when people consulted with the spirit world, the other world, on such occasions as the third month after birth. We collected the ingredients that would shape his destiny & began to assemble them. Much of them were from the river, the jungle, & of course, the cemetery. We heard what needed to be done. Ara Orun are hip to the images & subtle rhythms that stories & verses evoke. The same images & subtle rhythms running through our lives. Edikán said that barring some details of modernity, his life would follow a certain ancient story pertaining to the divination— Ofun is like this/ Ofun ni jé bé— The page continues to turn.The rhythm, the rhythm will come from dreams.

— for the members of Oshugó Àgàn At first a child rolled off a reed mat a height of no consequence Later the bald ageless vulture circles the hill the man climbs When the owners of the land arrived they brought beaded bag in their search Bag beaded big enough to house the echoes that gave birth to sketches of words on dust Bag deep enough to circle obstacles that would sprout upon birth They reached a clean house chalked walls of peace a person of peace They planted a pair of brass scepters illumined male / female short legs kneeling long torso crisscrossed by arms hands clenching some secret or just its thumbs They saw three to be balanced— Earth & us Impermanence & love water & its gourd as gorge fish & whirling water How they all seemed dependent on each other There is balance where there are three . . .

1. They make such uncomfortable clank child of earth child of fire These are your tools of the trade difficult when you use them A large trunk with children darting in all directions appears slippery in its sheen adorned with thorns There comes a day in a man's life when the machete he was given early on can cut into small inheritances place them in a large calabash set them aflame spill the ashes behind him to cover his old footsteps the one's he stepped over & over trodden tongue lashing the atlas of littered women over & over every few years 2. Remember at the end of seven days a gift of hoe & machete used at times by your grandfather then again by his son At the end of the seven days remember the whipping song as you with machete & hoe in hand wrote on the earth diagrams signatures that would sprout shelter words won't lead you to obstacle's house Remember when she had a dimpled hammock on each thigh marks from birth from years lying behind diagrams written on her history