Here stands the Forest, Ituri,
     Unsullied
          and wildly beautiful!
     Rich in gauzy orchids,
          velvet poinsettias
               and maidenhair ferns.
Fields of moist shade,
     trembling shadows
          and shafts of golden sunlight
               peering through tangled vines
                    and gnarled trees.
A vast garden, an Edenic land,
     Free to stand,
          to bless,
               to shelter.
     Free from screeching sounds,
          no hot sidewalks and dusty streets
     But friendly trees stand
          with open arms,
               faithful,
                    loyal.
     A solemn mystery, enduring strength.
          Like God Himself, they stand,
               timeless,
                    endless.
This is home for my Pygmy friends.

There are no cathedrals,
     plush carpets
          golden alters, nor
               mammoth organs and choirs.
Worship ascends from
     greening, moss carpeted aisles
          of tender, lace-like foliage.
     There is no book
          but Nature's Holy writ,
               no score to follow
     But with grace and poise
          the Harpist strums his prayer.

I have shared with them their song of life,
     their laughter
          and their tears.
We have philosophized
     in the splendor of the night
          and nestled by the soft warm fire
               to count the stars
                    together.
I've rejoiced
     in their blessings
          of a brand new life
               and heard a lullaby.
I have sorrowed as
     I covered
          tenderly,
               with warm brown earth,
                    a beloved
               and shared a broken heart.
          An old man stood alone.
               We wept.
          God was there.
          I felt a bond,
               a mystic bond,
                    stronger than blood itself.
I have carried them in my arms
          and loved them.
     I became to them as one
          who eases the yoke.
And I have learned
     as from Solomon
          or Confucius,
     Great wisdom
          and gained a view,
               an extraordinary view,
     of the depth,
          the height
               and breadth of Osani,
                    the Pygmy word for
                         Love.