Song of the Nu Chwezi A poem by Joe Willrich Lutalo (~Nemesis Fixx)
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The amazing cover art is the work of inphi , called “Lost in Space”.
Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
Oh my dead Africa! How I still seek you like The lion seeks the Zebra. I feel like I would die And no, I can't lie; If you ever totally disappear I swear these villages will surely get dry. I miss the fireplace rhymes; Barbaric tales of our ancient times, As we sat and listened, Imagining and creating with our minds Vivid beasts, warriors and lands Enjoying each primitive episode, With genuine chills and smiles. I recall the trips to the well; Oh, beautiful girls without dress, Donning pots and moving with grace; Firm breasts, gorgeous curves and natural hair Oh, we've since bid them farewell.
I miss the terror Of trekking in jungles full of error, In pursuit of adventure like the storyteller. Now I only sit before these screens 2
Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
My bones growing limp from disuse And the abuse of cheap food That robs me of life, In this concrete jail I call home And where even the beasts can not survive. Oh, how we used to scream Over mountaintops and from across the stream Sometimes beating those echoing drums To communicate with the unseen. Now all we have is these keys And insipid dreams of things we've already seen. I miss the thrill of coming of age Earning my place besides the sage; By experiencing mystery and pain As we hunted for the food we ate, Learning to relate to, The living sunshine and rain.
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Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
Yes, we still do try to impress And win the hearts of the women we crave But how we've lost the drama and art And instead fallen prey To useless materialistic craze. We used to have to fight, Hunt immense beasts in the wake of night. We used to jump over cattle heads, Get circumcised without a tear in the eyes. We used to yell or Compose and sing compelling tales. We used to wait, under scorching sun or in the rain, For when we could grab the woman we crave, And declare our manly victory gained. When we would age We'd celebrate and retell our grueling tales; Share wisdom, evidenced by our scars, Balding heads and hair gone gray.
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Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
The young dames, Would get instructed about useful shame, How to feed and nurture their fragile babes, And prospering with each passing season of grain. They would master the secrets of their bed, Learning to mesmerize and keep The rib that chose to dwell in their crib. They would sing songs that entrap the soul, Serve food while it still was warm, And controlling the pace of that rhythmic flow, Would baptize with love, Any lion they dominated below. We protected our own, Even from enemies unknown; Using spears, shields and stones, And sometimes getting real bold, And using that potent, primitive magick we rolled. We were truly invincible.
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Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
The warriors would bathe in blood, The girls did have their herbs. We would drink of arcane trees, And eat of powerful beasts. The heart would grow hard, And over foreign lands, our spirit would be heard. We slept in caves, After days of endless shamanic raves. We knew we weren't slaves, But partakers in that mystic wave That sweeps through plants, animals, hills and lakes. And when time came for that eternal sleep? We would not be enraged, For we knew, there was another side to the grave. We sung to the ancient ones And never took for granted Any moons or suns. We would gaze to the heavens at night, And submit our fears and desires To those distant, but great celestial knights. But now we've lost the light, And sulk, at having lost the fight. 6
Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
To the shrubs and trees We turned when we were troubled by disease. We protected each other's dreams; The tree feeding and healing each man, As we protected and preserved Each species and shades we had. There were morals and laws Enforced by nature's own claws; If a man killed his own, He'd be weakened and would soon have to fall. If a man yielded to sloth He'd soon be weeded for being so, In a jungle where speed and skill mattered most And where beasts and savages always brawled. Fear did have its place, But to live and last long? Courage and endurance, One had to embrace. Nature taught her laws To any who would listen and watch. There were no blackboards and no walls, But from the day you stepped out of that womb, Your ability to observe and learn, Ensured you could adapt like any had. 7
Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
You would learn to walk and talk, Differentiate between the fox and dog, Love your sister, but avoid her loins, Know when to cry, and when to laugh. You would learn; To Eat the yellowish fruit, but avoid the blackening one, Know when to sit, and know when to run, Learn about valuing life, by encountering death, And developing the use one's faith, for There was always the greater unknown. Oh how I miss those days now gone, I can only dream, and live it like a song; That ancient, majestic Africa that I mourn; Whose flesh and soul have since gone, And upon whose weathered bones I now walk Since the coming of this enslaving new dawn. Surely I shall conjurer; I shall summon by those greatest arts, Awaken and animate the light; The spirit and life once gone, To one day here return. For that's how my ancient eternal African heart, Was taught to live and survive, All its future incarnations and vicious paths. 8
Song of the Nu Chwezi Joe Willrich Lutalo
And so my children, women and men, Strike your hearts to the rhythm of this song, And awaken deep in your hearts, The Spirit; Of that Great Africa, that we once were. This is your song, Africa. But this, Is for all Mankind.
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