Kufra Basin: 1904

The slaves of Ez-Zurgh were used to the transition

From the punishing Saharan heat

To the shaded relief of the palms

Always careful of the clustered hives

Of the apis mellifera sahariensis

While they delivered foods and spices

To the heavily defended oasis

Franklin was the slave leader

And the only slave known to be fluent in Latin

Negotiations for return provisions were his specialty

Because he was able to impress and influence his masters

By calling the local bees apis mellifera sahariensis

As the slaves were leaving the oasis

Franklin noticed a flurry of activity near the main spring

With people diving into the water and coming up

Sputtering and desperate

When Franklin inquired, he was told a local woman

Had thrown her newborn into the small pond

And yet even though the pond was small and the water clear

The infant could not be found

Franklin led his group back out to the desert

Excited that he may be able to win his freedom

By sharing his knowledge of what was happening

Both at the oasis

And far below the clear, cool water of the Kufra Basin