35th Anniversary Emanuele 12-4-2018

12th of April 1983 – 12th of April 2018

Emanuele’s death so soon after Paolo’s brought the inspiration and vision for the protection in perpetuity of Ol ari Nyiro, now despite the challenges, a lung of green, forest and thriving biodiversity amongst degraded landscapes.
The trees of Acacia Xanthophloea I planted on the graves on the day of the funeral have produced millions of seeds: millions of trees born of their bodies are growing all over Laikipia and in many other parts of the world, a symbol of survival and hope.

Thank you for being part of this quest.

Emanuele at 14 years of age with Green Grass Snakes

Emanuele at 14 years of age with Green Grass Snakes

I share what I said at the Graves in my garden at Kuti night of 12 April 1984:

In our mind tonight there is one thought:
One year already: as mind cannot accept what our heart knows well.

Yet mind exists in body, and body exists in time.

You left Time behind.

It does not matter that Your body died
if we can still love You.
Love for You has won time
as it brought us here tonight
long after You have gone
Love for us has won time
as we can feel it now

in Your hovering bodilessness.

I have searched for words to tell You, Emanuele,
and I found none, but : Thank you.

Thank you because You taught me
how to talk to You with no words
how to listen to Your wordless voice
how to communicate without the body.
Thank you because You taught me what freedom is
setting me free from any further fear
and that, as sure as we sleep after every day
we die after every life
to be born again and again
until we know enough:
perhaps You did.

Yet, in sleep we dream

A younger me plays with the boy You were
as in sleep time is meaningless
and body is left behind.
In sleep we fly togheter

we visit all the stars
we are everywhere at the same time
like You.

There is nothing in death- You taught me

but the opening of the cocoon

but the sprouting of the seed

but the hatching of the egg.

From the dried caterpillar a butterfly
from the split seed a plant
from the cracked shell a bird
from the dead body a life.
It is just another stage

as there is no life without a death
no Growth without suffering
no happiness without grief:
the opposite are one.

Thank You
because You taught me
to look at life with wonder
and at the unavoidable beauty of Death.
Thank You because living and dieing
You helped us to grow.
Even stars die
yet we still see their light.
The Cloud You were has now become the Sky.

You ARE forever.

Ciao Pep. Fly high.

Mamma

****************************************

Emanuele at 17 years of age with Spitting Cobra

Emanuele at 17 years of age with Spitting Cobra

12 Aprile 1983 – 12 Aprile 2018

Emanuele

Laikipia, 12 aprile 1984

Primo anniversario di Emanuele

Alle tombe, con gli amici

Nella nostra mente stasera c’e` un pensiero solo: gia` un anno.

Perche` la mente non puo` accettare
cio` che il nostro cuore ben sa.

Ma la mente esiste nel corpo e il corpo esiste nel tempo.
Tu hai superato il tempo.
Non importa piu’ che il Tuo corpo sia morto
se Ti possiamo ancora amare.
Il nostro amore per Te ha vinto il tempo
perche` ci ha portato qui stanotte
ben dopo che te ne sei andato.
Il tuo amore per noi ha vinto il tempo
perche` possiamo sentirlo, adesso,
nella tua presenza incorporea.

Ho cercato parole da dirti, Emanuele,
e ne ho trovato una sola: Grazie.
Grazie perche` mi hai insegnato
a parlarti senza parole
ad ascoltare la Tua voce senza suono
a comunicare senza gesti.

Grazie perche` mi hai insegnato
cos’e` la liberta`
liberandomi da ogni altra paura
e che, come dormiamo alla fine di ogni giorno
moriamo alla fine di ogni vita
per rinascere ancora e ancora
finche` non abbiamo imparato abbastanza:
forse Tu sapevi gia` tutto.

Eppure, nel sonno sognamo.
Una giovane me gioca col bambino che eri
perche` nel sonno il tempo non conta
il corpo rimane lontano.
Nel sonno voliamo insieme
Visitiamo tutte le stelle

Siamo ovunque allo stesso tempo
come sei Tu.

Non c’e` null’altro nella morte
– Tu mi hai insegnato-:
Solo l’aprirsi del bozzolo
Solo il germogliare del seme
Solo lo schiudersi dell’uovo.
Dal baco rinsecchito una farfalla
dal seme spaccato una pianta
dal guscio spezzato un uccello
dal cadavere una vita.

E` solo un altro stadio.

Perche` non c’e` vita senza morte
crescita senza sofferenza
felicita` senza dolore:
gli opposti sono uno.
Grazie perche` mi hai insegnato
a guardare la vita con meraviglia
e a riconoscere l’inevitabile bellezza della morte.
Grazie perche`vivendo e morendo
mi hai aiutata a crescere.
Anche le stelle muoiono
eppure ne vediamo ancora la luce.
La nuvola che eri e` diventata cielo.

Tu SEI, per sempre.

Ciao Pep. Vola alto.

Mamma 

E, quanto a noi, saremo amati per un poco e poi saremo dimenticati. Ma l’amore sara` stato abbastanza… C’e` una terra per i vivi e una terra per i morti, e il ponte e` l’amore, l’unica sopravvivenza, l’unico significato.”
Thornton Wilder

 

One week before he was killed Emanuele had a premonition of death and asked me to play Bolero by Ravel- His favourite music- at his anniversaries:

 

(above photo courtesy of Citizen TV)

(above photo courtesy of Citizen TV)

 

Please help us fund the rebuilding and maintaining of vital conservation infrastructure on Kuki’s Laikipia Nature Conservancy and equip the outstanding team of rangers with everything they need to continue to protect and monitor the unique Biodiversity of Ol Ari Nyiro, assist our neighbouring communities and support our re-forestation project to combat global warming by planting more indigenous trees.

With your help we can secure Kuki’s vision and legacy in perpetuity.

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