Hearing drums as I pass through an ancient man-made hell
A slave ship, sounds bouncing off the darkened exhibit
Crude depictions, ancestors who speak
Simulated piercing sunlight overhead
I can smell the salt, fear and death lingers over me
Fleeting through 400 years, the connection broken
Sinking to my knees
Blackness
Standing on an empty bench, looking out over the Point
The waning days of September, glancing out onto Lake Michigan
My vision only carries me as far as battle-worn Detriot,
Yearing for the open ocean
When shall my travels lead me to the Motherland
To stand on shores where my ancestors, roamed, hunted,
Worshipped the Creator and fed the Spirits
The waves mesmerizing, calling to my noble blood
The statement remains, Many tribes call him different names.
Yet what is the difference between praying to Catholic Saints and
Calling the Lwa?
Hands waving cardboard fans, as resilient as their Faith
Choosing not to stand upon broad shoulders, mocking their own
My dreams are disturning swirling the smell of rum
As a faceless mann walks through my living room
The spirits rest under the shade of a willow tree,
The gateway is open. The Baron greets us.
The beat quickens, the drums follow, the masses as we sing, sing
Down to my roots, down to the Gulf and up through the Bayou
My voice calls in happiness this night,
Dancing through the cemetery
In Creole and French, in English and ancient Tongues
Greeting Maman Brigit at the gates
Sweeping my broom, sweeping my broom
Chanting, welcoming Rada and Gede
The dust kicks up in anger and warning
Respecy to those before us, respect for their toil
The tears that our souls are all connected to
Remembering the land that birthed a mighty people
Now her children wander lost, ashamed, confused, bewildered
Swathed in white as she spins, pouring the rum out
Splashing the intricate designs in the ddust
From whence my ancestors came with open arms
Strong women like Oya, the thunder
Dantor, twin daggers in her hands.
The gift of the Lwa, the fierceness that shall never die,
The gift to open my infant People’s minds.
