March 20, 2019
Dear reader,
hello in passing. Take a moment to chat, and maybe stay awhile.
While you were busy, I was in Vancouver, BC,
flipping through the newspaper, reading headlines in the Globe:
“North Korea suspends nuclear arms talk”,
“Mosque Shooting in New Zealand”, and
“Remembering the Canadians who died in the Ethiopian airlines Crash“
In Addis Ababa, on Flight 302
a hundred and fifty seven souls lost.
No bodies, just remains.
The families asked permission to take soil from the crash site,
oh how they are broken,
broken in pieces too.
Logged into my school email.
News announcement appears:
“Carleton Mourns Loss of Professor Pius Adesanmi”
Still breath, sinking feeling,
no.
My mind drifts back …
Two years ago, in Ottawa, Ontario.
A snowy afternoon at Carleton University,
traveled through the tunnels, and then a vertical ascent up
up, four flight of stairs and dated walls,
for office hours in Paterson Hall.
Marking essays while waiting for student who don’t appear,
but Pius walks in, sharing the same office space.
Director and professor, brilliant, but still humble and very kind.
New opportunity to TA in summer school courses?
We part ways and say goobye.
I drift back to the present.
Searched my inbox and found an email dated april 08, 2016
Subject title “hello in passing”
“... I’m acknowledging this, I’ll have a chat with Dr. Ali”
Dear reader, don’t you see,
our lives intersect.
A million souls walking by each day.
Each one with their own story, and if we’re lucky,
they intersect, even just a hello in passing.
Giving without asking for anything in return,
makes me wonder how I’ll be remembered when I pass on too.
Wander and drift back four years ago,
a hot summer day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A pack of eighteen students at the Dreamliner Hotel,
tired but excited for new adventures,
with suitcases upon suitcases in the hotel lobby,
bright hopes for the future,
basking in the sun and knowing that there’d be even better days.
We shared the same spaces, but in different times.
We saw the same plazas that dotted the dirt roads, watching the goats pass by.
Saw the old security guards outside storefronts with a large gun slung in front,
probably haggled for overpriced taxis, and lastly,
both flew from Bole International airport too.
Snapped back to the present,
and searched for old emails:
May 07, 2015: “big hello from Ethiopia”
hope you are doing well. I’m in Ethiopia right now, it’s my first time in Africa. Anything new with you?
It’s a culture shock; everything is something different than what I’m used to. Addis Ababa is fairly safe, but we aren’t supposed to be alone. I bought avocado and mangos at a fruit stand, and have been having alot of coffee, which is their main export. I’m staying at a hotel with the rest of my group. I’ll be home May 16, 3:20 pm. The last leg of my trip will be from Seattle to Vancouver.”
Dear reader, don’t you see,
they were just. like. me.
We knew the same African skies,
stood on the very same ground,
hearts pure and true.
Just lost souls,
waiting to go home too.