On Being Brought from Africa to America

(4) Base Camp

This is a short climb—eight lines—and the landscape rhymes. Alright, enough of that, but this short poem packs a lot of beauty and technical reading-between-the-lines skills that may need you to slow down and take it all in. Words like "benighted" and "sable" might look like exotic species of something you've never seen before, but it's worth the time to savor their sound and meaning so you can enjoy the bits and pieces that make up this poetic journey. Safe travels.