Like Fingers
03/20/2008
Like Fingers
They
were all born in the same village named Benn*
A rural place in East Africa in perfect harmony with nature
The birds would sing and the lions would roar
Women all around Benn would answer to the daily call
The noble call of groundnuts, rice, mboxx*, dugub* and cassava
They would wake up at dawn armed with wooden pounders
Bathing in their sweat and spreading the dust with their feet
The dust would embrace their sweat and give them a darker skin
On the back of these Yaayboys* were the sons and daughters
The hope and future of an entire village and an entire world
The ones on whom the elders relied to fill up the belly of the lofts
The elders were ready to leave and make room to the newly born
The Earth was calling for the great old bones, the pylons of Benn
Years later, in the secrecy of the night, sitting in the shades of palm-trees
The old libraries were talking to their recently born sons and daughters
The five little boys and girls were all from the same extended family
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius and Polex
Were carefully lending ears to the lessons of the night
they were sitting on the dust while the elders were kingly on leaf rugs
The wise old men were teaching them about Ngor, Jom and Benn-oo*
The elders eyes were yellowish and dry and the flesh on the lids wrinkled
The youngsters eyes were like stars and moon with lightening beams
Despite the noise from the surrounding nature, they were undisturbed
Though young they all knew that the words of elders are diamonds
When wise men speak, the youth better be dumb yet alert
Elders though sitting can see what the standing youth can't see
So the invaluable old men were also warning their young sibblings
As in the African tradition they called their Future three times:
“Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex”
“Oh! Great Elders, we are listening” they responded all five
The elders insisted on benn-oo* as part of the nightly lesson
They asked the children to always be together like fingers
To eat properly in Africa one needs Juroom-i-baaraam*
To clap one also needs a pair of Juroom-i- baaraam
To beat Jeembe one also needs a pair of Juroom-i-baaraam
The mag ak rakk* held themselves tight to show they understood
The elders smiled though worried about the future of the village
They cracked open the cola nuts and shared them with the chil'ren
They poured libation and invoked the spirits to guide the chil'ren
Daanaka lu manul nakk faw mu am* the elders passed away
The chil'ren now grown up decided to go beyond the borders
They seperated, Auricularis and Impudicus went together
They went by Suez and discovered Palestine and Oceania
Whereas Annularis, Demonstratorius and Polex went by Gibraltar
They discovered Europe, France and Spain and later America
Under the hardship of the cold climate, they lost they pigmentation
Yep! They were no longer Black at least not physically
The melanine was no longer useful in those cold areas
They became White to survive, like Blacks below the Equator
Generations later, the descendents of the chil'ren of Benno-oo
Now believe they have nothing in common, they keep separated
They look at their skin colors—Black, White, Yellow, Red—
And behave like in front of strangers despite their common ancestry
Maybe they will one day retrace their heritage back to Benn-oo
And regard themselves as the brothers and sisters they are
A rural place in East Africa in perfect harmony with nature
The birds would sing and the lions would roar
Women all around Benn would answer to the daily call
The noble call of groundnuts, rice, mboxx*, dugub* and cassava
They would wake up at dawn armed with wooden pounders
Bathing in their sweat and spreading the dust with their feet
The dust would embrace their sweat and give them a darker skin
On the back of these Yaayboys* were the sons and daughters
The hope and future of an entire village and an entire world
The ones on whom the elders relied to fill up the belly of the lofts
The elders were ready to leave and make room to the newly born
The Earth was calling for the great old bones, the pylons of Benn
Years later, in the secrecy of the night, sitting in the shades of palm-trees
The old libraries were talking to their recently born sons and daughters
The five little boys and girls were all from the same extended family
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius and Polex
Were carefully lending ears to the lessons of the night
they were sitting on the dust while the elders were kingly on leaf rugs
The wise old men were teaching them about Ngor, Jom and Benn-oo*
The elders eyes were yellowish and dry and the flesh on the lids wrinkled
The youngsters eyes were like stars and moon with lightening beams
Despite the noise from the surrounding nature, they were undisturbed
Though young they all knew that the words of elders are diamonds
When wise men speak, the youth better be dumb yet alert
Elders though sitting can see what the standing youth can't see
So the invaluable old men were also warning their young sibblings
As in the African tradition they called their Future three times:
“Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex
Auricularis, Annularis, Impudicus, Demonstratorius, Polex”
“Oh! Great Elders, we are listening” they responded all five
The elders insisted on benn-oo* as part of the nightly lesson
They asked the children to always be together like fingers
To eat properly in Africa one needs Juroom-i-baaraam*
To clap one also needs a pair of Juroom-i- baaraam
To beat Jeembe one also needs a pair of Juroom-i-baaraam
The mag ak rakk* held themselves tight to show they understood
The elders smiled though worried about the future of the village
They cracked open the cola nuts and shared them with the chil'ren
They poured libation and invoked the spirits to guide the chil'ren
Daanaka lu manul nakk faw mu am* the elders passed away
The chil'ren now grown up decided to go beyond the borders
They seperated, Auricularis and Impudicus went together
They went by Suez and discovered Palestine and Oceania
Whereas Annularis, Demonstratorius and Polex went by Gibraltar
They discovered Europe, France and Spain and later America
Under the hardship of the cold climate, they lost they pigmentation
Yep! They were no longer Black at least not physically
The melanine was no longer useful in those cold areas
They became White to survive, like Blacks below the Equator
Generations later, the descendents of the chil'ren of Benno-oo
Now believe they have nothing in common, they keep separated
They look at their skin colors—Black, White, Yellow, Red—
And behave like in front of strangers despite their common ancestry
Maybe they will one day retrace their heritage back to Benn-oo
And regard themselves as the brothers and sisters they are
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