WHY WERE YOU NOT ZUSYA OF HANIPOLI

In the world to come

They will not ask me

Why were you not

Rabbi Zusya of Hanipoli

They will ask me

Why were you not

Sheikh Togane of Shabele River?

They will not ask me

Why were you not

Hadrawi

The Issaq poet of the Somali people?

They will ask me

Why were you not

Togane

The Americanized Abgal poet of the Somali people?

In the world to come

They will not ask me

Why were you not

Lucille Marr

Gracefully

Preaching

The Amazing Grace of God

They will ask me

Why were you not

Togane?

They will not ask me

Why were you not

Jean-Jacques Goulet

A living illustration

In Technicolor

Of what Billy Blake must have meant

When he preached

Exuberance is beauty

Energy is eternal delight

They will ask me

Why were not

Togane?

In the world to come

They won’t ask me

Why were you not

Duncan Schellenberg

Who is

A polyglot

A polymath

A healer of the body

A soothing singer of the soul

A man of letters

A mesmerizing spellbinder

&

The greatest maker of café cappuccino

This side of Paradise

In the world to come

I am cocksure

They will ask me

Why were you not

Togane?

That is why I dig

My stick

My shtick of being

Mr. T.

That is why I fight

Beings

Powers

Principalities

Bastards

Day & night

Just to be me

Just to be Togane

For in the world to come

They will be sure to ask me

Why were you not

Sheikh Togane of the Shabelle River?