File #2272: "Starkey_Sweet Potatoes.pdf"

Sweet Potatoes
The fifth step,
with a glass of water in my left hand,
the varies of dust made a form of message(s),
circling a whisper that came from the river.
I tried following the dust,
asking them if the river was close by,
but they laughed and disappeared,
silently, taking what I knew only to seem confused.
My knees became wobbly from the questioning,
to see the river,
I must know the rhythm of the message.
The tenth step,
left to the right,
I tripped on a pile of wondering,
covered with dirt,
my glass of water spilled.
With my face to the earth,
knowing that the drums are nearby,
A sweet scent appeared, touching my left nostril,
I remember this presence on a plate.
Discovering the path,
opening my eyes to be sitting at a table,
with an empty glass beside me,
my grandmother poured the cup with water, singing:
“River rum rum rum.”
Bio
Santos Starkey is a senior psychology major at Mississippi State University from California,
by way of Meridian, Mississippi. Starkey found his love for writing through the influence of
his Mother's collection of books and his family's encouragement to be creative as an
adolescent. He enjoys reading, taking nature adventures, and listening to and studying
music in his free time.