Odyssey From Africa 12b
Odyssey from Africa, Chapter 12 The Fireflower (continued, b)
Finally a tired Ipiki
Flew back to his owner Matto
Hanging from his fern-frond necklace
Starting late his daytime sleeping
Matto went into the mansion
Back into their sleeping quarters
Sought a place from where Ipiki
Could hang peacefully till evening
Several children followed with him
One of them fetched from the kitchen
An old wooden water bucket
Carried by a sisal handle
This was perfect for Ipiki
As a place to hang and sleep in
So he rested there till sundown;
That night he would do no flying
After breakfast Han and Kwona
With their host and hostess, laughing
At the antics of their children
Spoke now of their visit's business
Han would share with them his knowledge
Of the craft of small boat-building
Of his reading of the ocean
And the chasing of the fish shoals
So Han walked with Tor the shipwright
By the road back to the jetties
They would spend the day inspecting
Several ships that lay at anchor
When at nightfall all the children
Came to see Ipiki's waking
Matto heard a curious buzzing
Quiet high-pitched and repeating
Noises of a laboured breathing
Something ailed the bat Ipiki
As the evening turned to nighttime
Still the creature made no stirring
Matto ran to look for Kwona
While the children of the household
Talked of where to find a healer
One who knew of cures and medicines
Thus when Kwona came with Matto
To attend the sick Ipiki
With the children stood a neighbor
Old and wise with skills of healing
Kwona and the aged healer
Looked together at Ipiki
They perceived the little creature
Suffered from a lung infection
It was likely that the crossing
Over sea had chilled Ipiki
And the playing with the children
Had cut short his daytime sleeping
After several moments pause, the
Healer spoke her words of counsel
"On our island is a tree flower
With a blaze of crimson petals
"Growing from its slender leaf-shoots
Far up in the highest branches.
It is rare here in the east, but
Can be found on certain hilltops
"Skill is needed in the gathering
Of this fragrant healing fire-flower
We send up the smallest children
Who can reach the fragile branch-tips
"When the scarlet fire-flower petals
After drying in the sunshine
Are laid down on burning embers
Then a pungent smoke arises
"And the breathing of these fire-fumes
From the smouldering of the fire-flower
Can bring respite to the breathing
And relieve a lung-borne sickness"
Copyright © Phil Salmon | Year Posted 2017
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