the Banqueting house
Let us pray and Say Grace
Let Our Words Be Seasoned With Salt
Let God call to remembrance thy first feast
When they celebrated the opening of her vault
Let God call to remembrance thy first Sunday
When you first smelled the abundance of flavor
When she took her finger and dipped it in the bowl
And gave thee a taste, so you too can savor
Let God call to remembrance that Monday
When you still saw the beans from last night
Wondering: how do they get cooked?
When thy wisdom was far from the light
Let God call to remembrance Companies
When the grease first defiled your skin
When you first caught the traditions
When you first learned to lust & sin
Let God call to remembrance the sorrows
When blood came pouring in
For the blood that has poured out
And you learned to serve with a grin
Let God call to remembrance that love
The girl who made you languish
Who showed you the fruits of her garden
And learned that food is y’all’s language
Let God call to remembrance That Day
When blood fell down from heaven
When you became a better person
When you forsook that little leaven
Let God call to remembrance those feasts
From your birth & days as a pagan
From solemn days and fellowships
Remember those feasts...Amen.
Reginald Page
Reginald Paige was born & raised in the Creole community of Los Angeles, California. He works as an independent filmmaker, writer of poetry, stories, & essays, and an English teacher. He obtained his BA in Communication Arts & Media from Johnson C. Smith University and obtained his MFA in Film, TV, & New Media from Mount Saint Mary’s University. He is also fluent in Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, and is learning Kouri-Vini in hopes to preserve the language of his family’s heritage.
