Ceremony
Jazmine Wilcox
About the Author:
Jazmine Wilcox is a writer/author and educator hailing from Atlanta, Georgia. An avid reader from a young age, Jazmine has always had an affection for literature and words as an art form. Poetry was her first love and medium. From there her writing blossomed to include short stories, scripts, and fiction. Heavily influenced by her southern roots, Jazmine is drawn to the traditions of our ancestors and carrying on their legacy through her writing. You can find her everyday musings on X & Instagram (both @ohheyitsjaz) and other essays on her Substack - Thoughts Un-Niched (https://thoughtsunniched.substack.com/).
Ceremony
Cool water trickles from fingertips
The earth awakens with a gentle hum
We kneel to honor the ancestor
We pay homage to those who paved the way
Although we announce ourselves
This is not an introduction
Palm oil the color of blood, of power
Pools in clay anticipating the flame’s embrace
The sacred lamp holds in the center
Kissed by the rain and warmed by the sun
It stands rooted in the soft earth
The air begins to vibrate
Seasoned hands weave asé from the drums
Playing rhythms created before the elders had elders
The confidence of repetition guides their hands
The ground pulses with the heels of devoted feet
Circling the flames inviting embers into the dance
We lift our voices to invite the divine down
Becoming empty vessels hoping to be filled
A shriek is heard, a body falls
They’ve arrived.
We move with vigor
Perfectly in tune with the flow of energy
Inexplicable tears wet our faces
But no sorrow is felt
They are the blessings we prayed for