Long Black african amergrandmother Poems

I Sing Africa

All's not about Darfur
I've seen it, eerie winds
Moonlight through our thatch

We kissed round, one *palmie gourd
Kigali was but a miss
Waist-beads - beats to love

Have you heard the talk-drum,
*Fela's horns of brass,
Or the *Aladuras' joy of Alleluia?

My grandmother still walks miles
Just because her forbears did,
And shame on malaria

For the dearth of men
Oh, on Mandela's earth
Of Soyinka's nobel ideas

Africa - a big breast,
the good, the bad, the ugly. . .
all, as sucklings!


*palmie - palm wine
*Fela - Celebrated afrobeat musician
*Aladura - a popular african instituted christian sect noted for heavy prayers