When the sun goes down and the moon comes up
And the stars wink at us from their lofty perch
We huddle around the fire and lend an ear
To the sound of Ekoi drums, as we sip our beer.
They bang and throb with vigour and verve
They tell us tales of our glorious birth
They urge us to dance and make merry
They fill our souls with bliss and cheer.
We join the ring and shake our legs
We feel the ground quake and shudder
We twist our waists and slap our palms
We chant along to the drummers’ blabber.
We perspire and grin and forget ourselves
In the rapture of the instant
We commune with our forefathers’ ghosts
And praise their deeds and substance.
We fuse with the melody and the night
We rise above our troubles and our plight
We grasp the lesson of the Ekoi prance
That mocks us with its brilliance.
This poem was published in the 11th Issue of PoeticAfrica magazine.
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More Poems:
The Heartbeat of Africa – Shely Lakeh (Cameroon)
