As I make my way across the world to Ethiopia once again, I invite you to take a walk with me through some of the reasons why this place is so dear to me.  Ethiopia is a land full of contradictions and wonder… and even though this will be far from a “pleasure vacation,” I look forward to the lessons this land has to teach me this time around.  Please enjoy this poem I wrote.

 

Walk with Me

Walk with me through this limitless terrain

varied with contradictions

fruitful yet desolate

colorful abundance

full of presence

even when evidence of life is hard to find.

Walk with me across the vast plains that end

only when the mountains start to rise

 

Walk with me through the cities and villages

and into the lives of the people

their eyes

soulful

have their own stories to tell

of love and loss

poverty and prosperity

Walk with me through their layers of history

rich in tradition

full in community

 

Walk with me in self-discovery

My ancestry and yours

were born in this land

where we find the questions

and we live the answers

 

Mother Africa

your journey is our own

Walk with me and we’ll create our story

as it unfolds

across Ethiopia

Walk with me