We Shall Dance

We tie our wrappers and test our anklets
We cast our cowries and say our chants
As we prepare to dance….

We shall dance till the rough soil tears our soles
And our blood runs as libation to the gods

With every stomp of our feet
We call on them to hear our pleas
With every twist of our waists
We pray that we not be laid to waste

With every breath we take, we fuel our frenzy
With every movement we make, we do supplicate

We shall dance till the rains fall
And the crops grow
Till the women give birth
And the men grow old

We shall dance till our brave sons
Come home from the war
Till our daughters have breasts
Full and ripe to devour

We shall dance to children’s laughter
We shall dance to lovers’ sighs
We shall dance to creaking old bones
We shall dance to words of old souls

We shall dance from dusk till dawn
We shall dance come storm, come sun

We shall dance as rain pelts our skin
And flowers bloom at our feet
We shall dance as the sun warms our souls
And dries our sweat and wheat

We shall dance to our heartbeats
As our pulse drives us on

We dance for we cannot help it
We dance for there’s no other way
We dance for the love of life
We dance into the afterlife