Tucsonan Anne Lowe created “Miriam Dancing With Her Timbrel” for the AJP, illustrating a poem she wrote some years ago.
Miriam’s Music© by Anne Lowe
Miriam.
Mere I am.
A young girl who set her baby brother afloat.
A woman who sees him now as the right hand of the Lord.
Miriam.
Mere I am.
Once a slave who still smells the algae and mud of the sea.
But stands here dry and liberated and alive.
Miriam.
Mere I am.
A human who tries not to shout with extreme exultation of victory.
While others drown in the sea of their affliction.
Miriam.
Mere I am.
Lightning has pierced the sole of my foot from the center of the world.
I tingle and shiver and my arm reaches skyward, my timbrel quivering.
Miriam.
Mere I am.
From my throat, a keening for the dead Egyptians erupts.
From my soul, a dance for my people explodes.
Miriam.
Mere I am.
Just a woman who has experienced miracles
With a tangle of notes that praise the Lord.
Miriam.
Here I am.
Molecules of sinew, blood, and flesh.
Playing the music for a million steps toward freedom.
