if (poem)

if i reincarnate on earth once more, 

i want culture, deep & rich. 

a history that spans millennia, generation upon generation. 

i want food that has been made by hand, sweat & labor. 

covered in jewellery, golds & natural fabrics draped on my body like my great great grandmothers. 

i want rituals. daily, weekly, yearly. 

making foods for celebrations. 

decorations for deities & festivals that last for days. 

i want tradition. 

a guided hand on how to be part of something bigger and older than me. 

i want family, large & warm & kind. 

brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts & uncles & everything in between. 

i want family dinners, birthdays, connection, support & protection. 

a shoulder to lean on & an ear to speak to. 

if i reincarnate one last time on earth, 

i want everything i longed for, ached for & prayed for in this life. 

i want to live in a close community. 

where you help your neighbours and they help you in return. 

in a town i know. have always known. 

grown up in, comfortable there. 

every street, every corner, every pet, tree & building. 

learned to walk, talk, make friends & fall in love. 

i work, relax & create there. 

never left but no desire to. 

give me this or a new planet or no planet at all. 

‘if’ 17.08.24