Palms on skins, the strings rattle
Palms on skins, feet hustle
Eight beats each in quick succession
The number of the spirit of the word
Eight palms for four tightened skins
The symbol of time, the divine’s symphony
Duum! Duum! A Bul comes to life
Duum! Duum! A pause with a twist in time.
The choir belts a tune, feathers sway in the wind
A pause between pulses as a dancer moves in line
Dust bellowing from each thunderous step
Echoing expressions of our first language
Duum! Duum! A Djembe comes to life
Duum! Duum! A pause with a twist this time
To dance to the rhythm of the earth
Is to be dressed with the voice of the universe.
This poem was published in the 11th Issue of PoeticAfrica magazine.
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More Poems:
Read – The Heat in the Hit – Nanyanzi Leticia Hope (Uganda)
Djembe – Neba Terry (Cameroon)
Hazina Ya Nina Sifia – Kimani Halima (Kenya)
