do you remember when

we first moved in together

the piano took up the living room

no, seriously though,

do you remember when i'd just arrived in Rwanda

& was having a hard time feeling settled

& one day, one of our language trainers said to me

petit a petit l'oiseau fait son nid

well,

tonight i was talking with our B&B mom in her 5 year old daughter's princess play room

& i spotted a beautiful armoire covered in pink puffy paint

but the pink puffy paint actually is in the shape of letters

& the letters actually form words

& the words are actually in french

& i kid you not, what is the first phrase my eyes take in?

petit a petit l'oiseau fait son nid

this is a phrase i'd never heard before Africa;

but these words, the strength of their ensemble;

little by little the bird makes its nest

gave me the strength to preserver.

& while I have been frustrated lately by my living situatuion,

just the unavailability of a room to call my own

(one will open up by the end of the month when one of the guys here moves to Portland)

I have just kept telling myself to be patient,

trust your instinct.

I will get the chance

to hang up my clothes

& tuck them away in a dresser

to put my stars on the ceiling

& pictures on the wall

be patient

I too will get to build my nest

ihangane

petit a petit l'oiseau fait son nid

my heart has a way of taking me in funny directions,

but the little clues like this

tell me I'm on the right track.

this is where i'm meant to be.