of: Eulogies ^^
The Challenger
In memory of Daniel Basdeo Washington
In so many ways, like your sharp laughter & glistening smirk,
you have caught us off guard – in what I know is your final Puckish trick,
your final act – you have found a way to disappear into that place
only you inhabit, into that place we could only be invited into & into
that place that smelled of past decisions, burning & stale lips.
It all started in a classroom, where beyond the walls thrived a world
the five of us dreamed of & idealized – a world we thought we might
face banded together.
We were simply idealists, who had been let down & wore our hearts
on our tongues - & when we screamed, there was laughter - & when
we swore, there was 'truth' – so that in silence, there was fear.
There are handfuls of memories: scattered across them, lazy
afternoons that refused to wake, bombastic entrances & quick exits -
with rigid edges & sometimes falsified clarity, you could not be denied
a semblance of iconic style.
They might read:
Daniel B. Washington
Loved Son, Brother & Friend
But I will challenge them, as you have challenged us.
I will have them read:
Daniel Basdeo Washington
The Challenger! He read Shakespeare to his first love,
he ate unceremoniously but wore gratefulness in his eyes the way you wear your tears now,
Daniel Basdeo Washington
The Challenger! He cared not for your fantasies,
but cared to destroy where he could not create – if he remembered,
Daniel Basdeo Washington
The Challenger! He who possessed buried light,
& gods, willing or unwilling, is smiling at us now –
Daniel Basdeo Washington
The Challenger.
King of Haughty Laughter.
King of Disjointed Thoughts.
King of Serendipitous Conversation.
Daniel, the Challenger,
Another ship passing in the night.
We whisper your name, holding the word like secrets in our palms,
but I will challenge them, as you have challenged me.
I will have them scream the words:
Daniel Basdeo Washington
The Challenger
Loved, Beyond What He Knew
