Come Kwanzaa with me
together we’ll examine the history
of an African people struggling to be free
from colonialism, apartheid and slavery.
Come Kwanzaa with me
come experience the wonders of an odyssey
rife with the riches of a legacy
embroidered in love, crocheted in dignity.
Come Kwanzaa with me
come enjoy a cultural safari
rediscover the grandeur of the African race
come Kwanzaa with me at the Sphinx,
Great Zimbabwe or the Step Pyramid’s base.
Come Kwanzaa with me
come taste a “First Fruits” delicacy
come pour the libation that is meant to be
both tribute and salute to our ancestry.
Let us commune with the legends of our legacy
Hannibal, Shaka, Nkrumah, Biko, Karenga,
King, Truth, Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey.
Let us honor our national treasures
ourselves, our children, our elders.
Come Kwanzaa with me
come listen to a tom-tom rhapsody
to a mbira and a dun-dun symphony
feel our rhythms, see our vibrancy
an African people in ecstasy !
Come Kwanzaa with me
together we’ll create a memory
as rich as a kente-cloth tapestry
listen to the drum! Come….
Copyright Johnnie Renee Nia Nelson