I saw him from afar, no, I think I felt him with the strings of my soul attached to his arm
He drew nearer and my soul yearned to fly off into mountains, beyond all stares
That I may dance till my feet fails beneath me
The wind blew swiftly, lending my heart palpitations attune to his rhythms
The fibers of his drum, I was certain was the fiber of my own skin
Two by two, I take my steps, dancing towards him
He beats his drum and beats his chest, unaware of the force of gravity in his arms
I tried to stop but I couldn’t, I willed him to stop but he wouldn’t
Like the clanging cymbals, which have no power of their own, I moved
I danced like I never did before, my anklets glistening in the morning sun
My hair danced along to the rhythm of the winds
The market women cowered and stared, the young men shook their heads in disbelief
The little children laughed and some went on beating imaginary drums
But they wouldn’t understand the beat of the bata drummer…I didn’t either
For it sounded afar off, I’m sure nobody saw him holding the strings to my soul
He wouldn’t stop until dusk, and I wouldn’t either
And so, I’ll dance, and jiggle and twist
For the beat of the bata drummer are the very beats of my heart …Abike eleyinjuege,ma jo lai feseko…(Abike the beautiful one, keep dancing without missing a step)…