Once
upon a time,
a young man gleaned
from an archaic continent creamed
in the light fantastic;
from the borders of history baked
before an African sun
came to this kingdom
of Babylon.
This kingdom became his home.
And as time turned its page
suit followed his age –
this now withered warrior
is whom I see before me. Read the rest
This is a poem from one of my favourite books Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales by Inua Ellams. The poem is the opening to the book which contains thirteen poems in total as the title would suggest. I’ll post some more from this book at a later date so keep an eye out.
I spun 13 fairy Negro tales that night.
Weighed them on illogic scales
that tipped the balance
and formed an alliance
with my version of the truth,
I uprooted reality and substituted it
for another that had more humanity;
thinking that if I thought hard enough
I’d make it real. Read the rest
“I am the brown-skinned blue prince to re-rinse reality outta rain puddles like forefathers before me.”
Inua Ellams is a London based poet and a member of the poet collective A Poem In Between People. He has produced a number of tracks so far, the most notable being ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’ which later went on to become a book featuring what the title would suggest. It’s worth a read if you get the chance and it’s only £4 on Amazon. This is spokenword at it’s best and it’s well worth checking out if you’re new to the genre as well as Musa Okwonga, another member of A Poem In Between People.
“I spun 13 fairy Negro tales that night.
Weighed them on illogic sales
that tipped the balance
and formed an alliance
with my version of the truth,
I uprooted reality and substituted
for another that had more humanity;
thinking that if I thought hard enough
I’d make it real.”
Indie Music Finds was started in April 2009 as a place for people to find something new. I try and keep it quite diverse so rummage around a bit and I’m sure you’ll find something you like to take away with you.