What's Rankin been thinking about lately?

For my inaugural blog entry and since so many of you have asked about my engagement,
here's how it happened. This is from the blog of my fiancée, Morgen Kleinknecht.

were you to visit,we would walk down the road where i live.
people sitting outside shacks with tin roofs,
children clamoring, "I want you for padi!"
and the smell of stagnant muddy water,
mosquitoes
padi means friend
it's so hot your clothes stick to your skin

Someone visits me
someone i love and so i try to see this world through his eyes
and in his speechlessness, i am reminded
how utterly impossible it is, even with pictures, to recapture
but here's how it happened

an afternoon picnic at Charlotte Falls,
like a 19th century british novel
complete with an entourage of no less than 7 children.

afterward, we made our way to Lumley beach about dusk,
strolled and navigated our way between
hypodermic needles and scores of old shoes washed up on the shore.
our path interrupted by three dogs fighting.
"did you get a rabies shot?" i casually inquired.
he said, "let's walk in the other direction."

we settled by Democracy, a beached old fishing boat,
green, white and yellow
with the words United We Stand
painted beside the words, Manchester United

he pulled a letter out of his side satchel.
and except for the ocean at sunset, it was not typical.

normally poised, articulate, confident,
he stammered some words out, mostly fragments,
scrupulously avoiding eye contact
and kept repeating, "well, here we go."

i'd never seen him like this, and found it quite endearing.
he read parts of the letter he'd written and then paused
"well, here we go."

the big moment.

except right about now two young boys, probably about ten years old,
approached,
"you want buy cigarettes."
"no thank you."
"please sir, give me small money."
"no"
"please sir, if you give me small money, God will give you plenty in
return."
i started laughing which strengthened his resolve.
"please ma, give me small money. need money for eat. need money for school."
i said, "not today!" but my insistence was betrayed by my laughter.
he said, almost smiling now,
"If you give me small money today, I won't ask you again tomorrow."
we took five steps to the left. and resumed.

then long enough to say he'd done it
but quickly enough to puzzle anyone looking on from a distance,
he dropped to one knee and spit out quickly, "will you marry me?"
"Yes." i said, and as he stood up, returned, "will you marry me?"

he kissed me,
reached in his bag, pulled out a wooden case
and opened it to a most unusual ring,
a gold band, carved much like a small branch,
giving it a rather natural look,
with a ruby in the center, very appropriate for sierra leone and for me.

people write blogs to tell others
either those who care about them or complete strangers
this is where i am and this is what is happening
we want to be understood.

but just as i can't take you to the streets of sierra leone
and have you understand this is where i live
neither can i take you to Lumley beach and have you understand
this is what is happening.

and so, we settle for words.

Well, here we go.