Before a Common Soil
poem by Ifeanyi Menkiti
Let this then be your understanding
You sons and daughters of the ancient stars
That your home reaches beyond
The earth which is your home
May you go forth across the land
And with the movement of flutes
Celebrate the blessings
Which the gods have given you.
May you catch the shifting of the light
At the tip of the flute's tongue;
And may you ask of the darkness
That it remain with you
Lest the light lose sight
Of whence it came
Yes, I have heard song
The power of which was not of the world
Though the singer of it was in the world;
And I have called out to you,
Children of an undivided earth,
That you join your hands together
And be of one accord before a common soil--
Lest the rivers cease to water the land
Lest the voices of the singers be forever stilled.
Yes, I have heard song
The power of which was not of the world
Though the singer of it was in the world.
©Ifeanyi Menkiti
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