The Ninth Month—Ginbot/May

Light rains, spots of fresh green grass. Storks fly north. Women prepare fuel for the rainy season: deadwood, and sundried cow dung coated with mud. Caravans hurry home from Sudan. Fishing in rivers. Children sing of the country’s wellbeing to storks, men and women picnic outside, celebrating the birthday of Mary.—The Wife’s Tale

 I visited Damu Genet—a beautiful, rural village. There was false banana plants (incet) used to make kocho growing everywhere. The moonlight catching the broad leaves in the dark—in the day the red clay earth, green leaves, and blue sky. A sense of magical realism—most of the houses and shops were made of wood giving it an old western movie feel. Tiny cows. Donkeys carrying empty jerrycans on their backs, thrumming against the wooden carriers like drums as they trotted happily with their easy loads. The wind brushing through eucalyptus trees, a blue/silver leaved tree. 

I went to the market and the lady I buy vegetables from sent me to go home with another older woman for lunch. She led me down the road and then we slipped between two shops and came to an alley-way covered with sheet metal. There was a bench lined with animal skins where we sat down. I realized we were in the back of a migib bet (food house). She ordered me lunch from the restaurant and a boy came out and poured me a large glass of golden tej. While I ate she tore the spinach she bought from the market into strips, two girls did laundry, an old bird-like woman strongly fragile carried firewood. This alley way is my secret. 

Then I stopped by Hiwot’s house, her neighbor was preparing cotton and showed me how to pick out the seeds and spool/spin the cotton into thread. She gave me three seeds to plant later. Then she invited me in for some barley and kinito. 

Then her neighbor invited me for buna—we had it with milk—and injera with meat. An unexpectedly adventurous day.