African Dance

Drink at the table of men the wine Tapped from the palm tree so divine Release the ashimu inside of you Let your body vibrate to the secret rhythm of Odu Egu the gallant one in the land Vibrating furiously yet lovely as the white sand Move by the sea shore in gait Hip twisting and acting like a hunters bait The wind acknowledges his movement For a pattern of life it represents at that moment Let the owl blow his sacred trumpet That shakens the heart and weakens the knee like a trinket Let the forest come alive in the dead night The animals’ eyes guiding them like a torchlight Fire is come from beneath the earth Illuminating the trees and casting shadows like death The feeble in mind is left at home For to go you must contain only bone Hear the sound of the drums The gay shouts of the flute in forms The backing of the kacha-kacha The wonderful melody of the skirt of rafter Idu the greatest paces up and down His muscle twitching upsetting his flowing gown His toes digging the sands ready to pounce Pounce he did but in a bounce The spirits are ascended from the bowels The ryhtm have increased in tempo The shaking of sweaty skins has created wells Ground dug with foot but like a hoe Omachile the great surpasses all His steps gazelle like and his shoulder tall The earth bows to his frame And yes…. He lives with the fame