After a few hours with the sun at its peak, Bodhi looks into the distance and sees an ancient Baobab tree standing near a mud hut surrounded by a field of maize. Approaching, he beholds an old man sitting on a protruding root. Bodhi walks closer, reverently.
As their eyes meet, the old man springs up, towering with a thin frame, narrow face, and beatific smile that displays several missing teeth. He warmly embraces Bodhi and leads him to the Baobab’s large protruding root upon which they sit. The old man says:
greetings my son
if you please, take a seat
and a glass of water
and something to eat
The old man hands Bodhi a cup and a piece of bread. As Bodhi eats and drinks, the old man continues:
this tree is from god
nature’s sacred shrine
beloved home of the dead
where quiet souls shine
i am father of the goats
priest of the earth
what can i offer you
of truth and its birth
Bodhi responds:
thank you so much
for agreeing to meet
to have this privilege
where the elders greet
i am bodhi and here today
to ask what you believe
about god and truth
how wisdom to conceive
The Priest of the Earth sits back against the tree. Bodhi continues:
as a boy i felt love
from within the hills
messengers of god
with subtle wills
but then came doubt
even this unsure
with nothing to hold
no path felt secure
by candlelight i read
what others call divine
yet each voice i follow
draws a different line
i want to believe in god
but judging makes him small
so i come to you now
to ask what holds it all
The Priest of the Earth responds compassionately:
my dearest bodhi
most blessed son
an amazing story
you have spun
i am a simple man
beneath this old tree
what could i possibly know
to set you free
Both men rest in silence, and then Bodhi responds:
how do you think
all we see began
is there an absolute god
what of origins of man
The Priest of the Earth answers:
it all started
when god of the sun
placed a great egg here
the first of us begun
it hatched
ancestors emerged
one rose among us
devotion he urged
when danger came
he climbed this tree
horse and man together
rose to divinity
souls of ancestors
live in the baobab trees
protecting from evil spirits
who arrive with the breeze
Bodhi responds with a question:
what of the animals
birds and the bees
from where do they come
tell me if you please
The Priest of the Earth answers:
one of our ancestors
was harvesting maize
with his many children
laziness filled their days
at the end of the day
land had not been cleared
father told them to return
more work they feared
they escaped into the trees
ate the fruits of shame
by morning they changed
monkeys they became
The Priest of the Earth pauses and then asks:
what do you think
how we came to be
what of apes and men
from land to the sea
Bodhi responds:
well science tells us
that humans evolved
from fish and monkeys
the question now resolved
The Priest of the Earth guffaws and shakes his head from side-to-side. Smiling from tooth to tooth, he says:
that’s the strangest story
i have ever heard
blurs the line between
earth and heaven’s word
The Priest of the Earth then leans in closer to Bodhi and whispers:
but your questions
are a journey into the dark
where the devil whispers
leaving a scar as his mark
fear is the root
of stories we weave
it leads to doubt
about what to believe
Both men are silent, and then Bodhi asks:
have you heard of jesus
christ the lord
sent by god to redeem
and shield us from the horde
The Priest of the Earth responds:
yes i have
mother does speak
a holy man
light to the bleak
yet i do not accept
her judging divine
saving souls for him
or in her case, mine
Bodhi responds with another question:
what about the school
and hospital care
are these things not good
to go along with prayer
The Priest of the Earth answers:
yes villagers visit
to help meet needs
but she seeks control
based on belief, not deeds
this confuses our young
they question our culture
why must they bow down
to a distant power
going through the motions
praying when they must
then home they return
to sit on earth’s dust
After several minutes of silence, the Priest of the Earth stands, gently bows to Bodhi, and says:
i am growing tired
will return to my abode
stay as long as you like
before hitting the road
The old man smiles, with the questions themselves enough. He enters his mud hut, and Bodhi remains seated on the great root gently meditating until the arrival of a family of goats breaks his trance.
As the goats skip by, the last, a baby, turns around and walks in front of Bodhi, staring into his eyes. Bodhi smiles at him and says:
hi there little one
what are you doing here
shouldn’t you run ahead
have you no fear
Bodhi returns its deep gaze as his smile fades, pulse rises, and breathing quickens. Bodhi tries to shift his sight away but cannot. Panicked, he trembles:
what is happening,
the fear is back
it haunts me still
the abyss, still black
i felt it earlier in the mirror
staring through my disguise
i recoiled then in terror
from the truth in my eyes
confused about meaning
unsure what to grieve
who i have been
what i still believe
what is illusion
what is real
what must break
so i can heal
and why can’t i just rest
a husband, a dad
what is missing
why does joy turn sad
these questions and more
have circled for years
i fled from their shadows
and buried my fears
As Bodhi focuses on the goat’s unblinking eyes, the sun dims behind the moon. For a moment, the world softens into shadow. The gaze does not break as Bodhi declares to the world:
but this time
i will not retreat
i can no longer stand
where self and silence meet
into my mind i must go
no prayer, no deceit
i must enter the void
and face what i meet