Poem: "Brothers, Equals"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem was inspired by a prompt from LJ user Pocketnaomi. It has been sponsored by LJ user Lone_cat. It belongs to the Danso and Family thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.


"Brothers, Equals"
-- Alcaic stanzas


You cannot name a people as ignorant
Who turn your language, basketlike, whispering,
Back running over self and substance:
Listen and learn or else fall to failure.

O Best Beloved, African history
Tells tales that Europe, envying, echoing,
Brings home to ponder weighty meanings nightly:
Honor us, join with us, brothers, equals.

* * *

NOTES:

This is a poem by  Danso, rather than about him.  One of his pet peeves is people who talk down to him because of his race, his background, and whatnot.  There's a saying, "No man can call you ignorant if you can beat him in a game of chess."  Every culture has things it respects as signs of sophistication; in America, chess is one and poetry is another.  If you can write poetry in Greek forms, you have disproven the argument that you are uneducated or unintelligent.

Alcaic stanza is a Greek form of poetry which relies on syllables.  It doesn't fit well with English, but I've made a capable effort here.

The Just-So Stories by Rudyard Kipling relate fables about why the animals are the way they are.  "The Elephant's Child" is one that explicitly mentions Africa.  "O Best Beloved" is a phrase from there.

African history is the wellspring of humanity, so pay your respects.

Comments

Re: Thank you!

[pocketnaomi]

I can see Danso getting into an assignment like that poetic forms thing, and doing *both* the extra credit versions... writing a poem in each form, including each of the exotic forms listed. :D

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Well, that's what I usually did with that type of assignment. Another type we often got in my favorite English class had a description of the form, a sample poem, and then space to write one. I'd usually make several.