Before I Die (Inspired By Nicanor Parra's Poem The Poet Who Sleeps On The Chair) Poem by Maakomele Manaka

sky of many words
teach me how to listen
to a poem written by the sea
i want to learn the ways of water

teach my ears how to swim
through stale rivers
that fail to recite
the ocean's fresh air

sky of my grandmother's song
teach my voice how to hold
the storm in your dance
so I can read my way out of
this avalanche of ignorance

teach my stomach
how to be resilient
against the hunger
that consumes patience
urging my pen
to follow mediocrity

mother of many skies
teach my eyes how to listen
because I doubt we can improve
upon your blank page

teach me how to write the rain
on dry palms of your sea
because there are no more words
to hide my violent emptiness