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Memoirs of a Donkey

after Numbers 22: 28
by Margarita Engle
Imagine my astonishment
when the Angel of the Lord
showed up on the road
speaking a language
known only to humans.

The winged being opened my mouth
and suddenly I was able to ask
my master Balaam
in his own incessantly chattering tongue:
"What have I done to you
to make you beat me
these three times?"

Balaam and I both found that all it takes
is one question. No answers are needed.
It's only the spirit of wonder that matters
in moments of discovery

not a thorough understanding
of the mysterious explanations.


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