A Baobab Shout

Today, I was walking down 19th st in the Mission, and I saw just in front of me a large tree shaking its branches of knowledge. My curiosity was growing when suddenly I thought that I heard behind me a huge elephant trumping it' s happiness. It was about three in the afternoon and the sun was spreading it s magnificence all over the field.
Was it my imagination that started to trick me again, or was I really back in Joal the village of my ancestors in West Africa. This vision was exactly the same that I always had from the front porch of our summer mansard. It was a little wooden house we used to own near the river in Sine Saloum (Senegal)

The Baobab is so large that it can be surrounded by more than one hundred persons holding arms together. It was also used as a cemetery for generations. Indeed we used to bury family members inside the trunk; therefore, it is known to hold the spirit of our ancestors, and this is why we call it the tree of knowledge. How many times I remember my family during hardship gathering under the umbrella of its branches in order to get enlightened. Some very friendly characters named Golo or monkeys have colonized our tree house for its delicious fruits, named monkeybreads. And if you try to frighten them away, don't be surprise to receive in your face a sweet and sour Baobab fruit.

I was definitely dreaming this afternoon, and was disappointed to realize that the elephant behind me was in fact just the engine of the 14 Mission bus that re-created the same wild vibration. Well, I was emotionally very sad to see how much my mind could have drifted so far today. However, I was pleased to rediscover my dear childhood for a few minutes. Moreover, the Baobab tree appeared to be true on the sign of the Senegalese Restaurant on 19th st at the corner on Mission st.

I just hope that the spirit of  the ancestors will bless us all in the neighborhood.

Jerejef, Thank you for your time