“Summons” by Aurora Levins Morales

Credit: Rajib Ahmed

Last night I dreamed
ten thousand grandmothers
from the twelve hundred corners of the earth
walked out into the gap
one breath deep
between the bullet and the flesh
between the bomb and the family.

They told me we cannot wait for governments.
There are no peacekeepers boarding planes.
There are no leaders who dare to say
every life is precious, so it will have to be us.

They said we will cup our hands around each heart.
We will sing the earth’s song, the song of water,
a song so beautiful that vengeance will turn to weeping,
the mourners will embrace, and grief replace
every impulse toward harm.

Ten thousand is not enough, they said,
so, we have sent this dream, like a flock of doves
into the sleep of the world. Wake up. Put on your shoes.

You who are reading this, I am bringing bandages
and a bag of scented guavas from my trees. I think
I remember the tune. Meet me at the corner.
Let’s go.

In “Summons,” poet and activist Aurora Levins Morales offers a counter-cultural approach to war, domination and other forms of harm. Rather than embrace violence, she calls on grandmothers across the globe – those known for their wise and mature ability to care, to nurture, to heal – to come together and offer medicine to a struggling world. Morales suggests that their songs of earth and water can transmute vengeance into weeping; opening the way for all of us to mourn the sufferings we have experienced, as well as those we have inflicted upon others, and the earth.

A portrait of the author by Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez
Credit:auroralevinsmorales.com

“Summons” offers a balm to those feeling overwhelmed by conflicts or grieving life circumstances, both at home and abroad. Morales’s words remind us: Your experience is wisdom, and your wisdom will tell you what to do. Gather in community. It’s healthy to cry. Nourish yourselves with good fruit. Offer kindness to others. Remember your ancestral songs.

Morales, who is Jewish and Puerto Rican, and has dealt with a lifetime of chronic health challenges, describes herself on her website as “a writer and artist, a historian, a teacher and a mentor.” She notes, “I’m also an activist, a healer, a revolutionary. I tell stories with medicinal powers.” That power is clear in “Summons,” which soothes the reader’s fear and anxiety while acknowledging the need to collectively mourn and take action.

Morales’s latest book, “The Story of What is Broken is Whole,” was published by Duke University Press in November 2024.