A soul's passion


*took my glasses off for this one*
a very close friend of mine told me
"you know, sometimes i wonder...what if i wasn't the young man you know today? what if
i was just some savage man in Africa. What if
the only way i could communicate was by using
my drum?"
of course, i put some thought into that
i put myself in his shoes, closed my eyes...and waited
silence
nothing...nothing
then, all at once
a series of sounds floods in
children yellingadults yelling
i feel my hands moving
i hear the rhythm they form
Between beats there ismy heartbeat
slow...steady...increasing by the second
as i slowly open my eyese i see
movement all around and i am drawn in
no words can explain
well, no words, by me, can be expressed
everyone speaks but i
i speak not. my drum speaks for me
what is it saying, u ask
it is saying
I am strong, I am strong
I am
strong
I am a king (remember its for him)
I am life
I am...life
I...am...life (fades)
through the words that i speak
I lead a young child into victory
I make dreams and live mine
it is what i know that got me
here
and my word...spoken through my drum
come from here (placing hand over heart)
(back to present)
An African's trade has made its way
past generations and into his hands
into his drum
his words are spoken through his passion
and he is making...
dreams

My Reflection

when i look in the mirror, my reflection speaks to me in languages i
can barely hear
words that i dont understand, but those words are thrown at me
at each glance of my image
This is the languate of those before my generation
before my mother's generation
before my grandmother's generation
maybe even before my great grandmother's generation
and it is a shame that i dont understand a word
we were brought here and i heard a poet note that
we were taught to forget our true culture
when we look in the mirror...
WE ARE NOT WHITE
our skin is just dark, as as we sit as the minority here
where we are
those before us sat and ruled their kingdoms
black kings and black queens
while here we are, still seen as dirt
another race to stereotype
another generation to turn away from the truth
another child's true heritage...stattered
another dream unknown
i dont know how i ended up looking back
opposed to what they want
i seek to know the truth
to bury the lies
because it is realizing what i have become that i despise
i wish to know the truth
i seek to know the truth
i will know the truth, and dare one to try and mislead me
as they have over the last 400 years
if they dont want me to look back
i'd advise them to continue looking forward
the only thing i would look forward to
is the day we gradually look back
and find out who we really are
we are African American
and besides our skin
we see and we hear no trace of Africa
all we hear is English
American slander
the white man's language
when that is not what we began with
i wish to know the truth of my reflection
i seek to know the truth of my reflection
i will know the truth of my reflection

Mia