The Maynard
Spring 2018

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The Path Discoverer

Originating from Native South American folklore, the tale of Chimidyue follows the experience of a young girl lost in the Amazon forest.

Chimidyue, my dear; you are walking.
       The path before you
is biting the tail of the next like a fish.
       Do not be afraid.
You are walking the path no man has walked.

Burnt-blue powder and an endless gathering of shadows;
       Soft, clawless feet trotting.
Unpeeled skin. A stone becomes a splattering of noise,
       unfiltered. A human
loses herself. But you are not lost. You only think you are.

My trees will both protect you
       and grind you
beneath their large teeth, spit you back out wet,
       let you continue.
My dear precious child, Chimudyue, Chimidyue,
       you and your split
human tendencies. Recognize this strange, familiar home.

Do not fear this love that you don’t understand.
       Walk on, walk on, brave girl.
You push past the monkeys who wear human skin
       and the toucans splitting
sorva fruit from the branches as they plop heavy
       before your hands like a severed head.

I see you wavering now. The jungle cat
       pounces on you.
His viscous darkness like a rough tongue
       spilling over.
Your pale declawed hands
       against his.

My human grandchild.
       I cannot abandon
one of my own, a creature of the forest too.
       Now, I come
with the blue-dust wings of a morpho
       to cradle you in my wildness.

I settle to a child
       who is unafraid to relearn what she has forgotten;
how nature pulses like nectar
       in human marrow. How a girl can grow wings
to pull herself up and look
       how her human world alone
is a tiny one, a stagnant kingdom.
Chimidyue, your tentative wings
keep growing & growing. Fly.