Sharrif Simmons
You can´t take my fingers
You can´t take my fingers
for Omari Jazz Addae
In his eyes is where you see it:
a wealth of lifetimes
burning like tiger stripes
Little thunder
bouncing through pulses of light
floating on rivers that cut through mountains
forging new ways of seeing time
This one is an original!
returned with a clear sense of purpose
reaching for what has yet to be attained
Give me those drumsticks!
taken away with rude surprise
You can´t take my fingers!,
he replied
It´s in his eyes
shaped like crescent moons
piercing like the eagle
a spirit holding two sharpened axes
a child with a heart like a brilliant sun
so young and willing to face his wishes
sometimes stubborn
sometimes willing to help clean dishes
born a twin to rhythm, rhymes and music
He told us:
Turn from the TV
Crash
Look into the light
We heard his little mouth speak
with a big voice
screaming:
I´m a poet
playing double time
drumbeats and rim shots
impulsively creating
like Pisces do
The who what where why
and the how of you
is too much to contemplate
it would be easier to meditate
on the end of infinite space
than to imagine the meaning of
your purpose on earth
Dreaded Angel
feared from the day of your birth
He´s going to be a trouble maker,
said the nurse
knowing you will burst
under the pressure
of her world
that lonely woman
who felt your radiance run through her
like Hannibal´s sword
He´s going to be a trouble maker,
her whisper was a warning
that some day you will lead the charge
pushing forward through the
cosmos with abstract speeches
You can´t take my fingers
was his defiant reply
The open sky
inviting you to watch is as it weeps
“Why does it rain?”
you asked before you could even speak
It´s a sunny day!
you now say
as the seasons change
and you along with them
Little thunder
with mean streaks
and the will to fight
the drum is your heart beat
crashing symbols and high hats
wanting what can´t be seen
surviving through losses
in ways your elders couldn´t do
determined to live, love and laugh
to the fullest
Give me those drumsticks!
Taken away with rude surprise
you can´t take my fingers,
he replied.