The sticky sweet days of the jungle
summer have arrived
Plump insects gorge on the nectar
of rotting forest fruits
Lazy flies buzz the sky sucking the moisture
from the pools of water covering my body
These are the hours of my youth,
of my innocence and of my love
She was my truth, her dark skin gleamed
the purest black in this early morning light
Inside those elaborate tattoos her beautiful face
told a message known only to
them that live among us
As children we would run the packed dirt road
that led from the streams to the village we called home
For it was all we had ever known
As we grew along with the flowers of Africa
so did our hearts grow for each other
At night the beat of the drums seemed to sway
in rhythm to the stars
The fire in the center of our thatch
huts reached the heavens and called
out to our gods
We sat on the edges and watched in awe
as the elders danced around the yellow heat
Their painted faces sang
and their carved poles pounded the earth
But the times of peace and freedom would not last
For there began that summer whispers of ghosts
with skin so pale that they glowed
under the moon light
It was said they came under the cover of darkness
and stole people away into their world
But covered by the giant trees of our woods,
and soothed by the flowing waters of our beloved rivers,
we soon forgot the horrid stories that filtered through the tribes
My people planted and hunted and I stole moments under
jutting rocks with my dark shining beauty
Our village had life and glory
Little did we know that the ghosts were coming,
leading the children of our land in chains