Oh, Mighty Kora Why do you tear the heart apart take soul from mind ten thousand years of culture seeps into a soul lost in time Oh, Kora taking heart into time lost, time regained what magic is this, what mystery sound set centuries ago no improvisation, no jazz myth and ritual set for infinity voices heard message to the king from the king griot sings song to the court king listens and obeys sound of kora submit or die heart music cannot lie sound of a thousand nights on the River Senegal dance of a thousand warriors holy stomp of a thousand women breasts shaking in the sun take me home,take me home I am not bound for this wilderness, this dungeon in darkness how was I taken from my holy land cast into hell with devils of the worse kind naked and devoid of my holy tongue my holy mind and soul
Now I speak the language of bastards men of ill repute pirates, kidnappers and rapists these are not men but the shell of human beings who plunder for the illusions of life there is no joy in their ritual no happiness, no peace I am weary, a stranger in a strange land take me back to the Senegal and the Niger Let me hear the Kora in the day and in the night the dance of ancient times rhythms of ancestors let me be at peace with eternity this is not my world no matter how I try I am naked in the wind take me home, take me home let the whirlwind take me home let me return to the womb of my Mother let me dwell in the peace of my Father's House. --Marvin X 6/17/10
from the forthcoming Sweet Tea/Dirty Rice poems by Marvin X, Black Bird Press, Berkeley, late 2010. www.academyofdacorner.blogspot.com
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I Cannot Hide from the Kora
ReplyDeleteOh, Mighty Kora
I Cannot Hide from the Kora
Oh, Mighty Kora
Why do you tear the heart apart
take soul from mind
ten thousand years of culture
seeps into a soul lost in time
Oh, Kora
taking heart into time lost, time regained
what magic is this, what mystery
sound set centuries ago
no improvisation, no jazz
myth and ritual set for infinity
voices heard
message to the king
from the king
griot sings song to the court
king listens and obeys sound of kora
submit or die
heart music cannot lie
sound of a thousand nights on the River Senegal
dance of a thousand warriors
holy stomp of a thousand women breasts shaking in the sun
take me home,take me home
I am not bound for this wilderness, this dungeon in darkness
how was I taken from my holy land
cast into hell with devils of the worse kind
naked and devoid of my holy tongue
my holy mind and soul
Now I speak the language of bastards
men of ill repute
pirates, kidnappers and rapists
these are not men but the shell of human beings
who plunder for the illusions of life
there is no joy in their ritual
no happiness, no peace
I am weary, a stranger in a strange land
take me back to the Senegal and the Niger
Let me hear the Kora in the day and in the night
the dance of ancient times
rhythms of ancestors
let me be at peace with eternity
this is not my world
no matter how I try
I am naked in the wind
take me home, take me home
let the whirlwind take me home
let me return to the womb of my Mother
let me dwell in the peace of my Father's House.
--Marvin X
6/17/10
from the forthcoming Sweet Tea/Dirty Rice poems by Marvin X,
Black Bird Press, Berkeley, late 2010.
www.academyofdacorner.blogspot.com