before they plucked us out of our own shit
and vomit, unhinged us from their ships
then rechained us to each other
we who survived were taught to rock
to sleep by the ocean’s juba
danced, touched other warm dark flesh

our bodies are instruments
everything, every body we touch is a drum

whispering in clicks and taps to bare shoulders,
wide or boney hips, the bottom
of hard feet, the back of a nappy heads
eyes closed, we tried to reach, to touch
a body  in the right way    to suspend      time
we pressed our fingers to the small of a back
furied our faces in some body’s neck
to chase away demons, bad dreams, hard truths.

our bodies are instruments
everything, every body we touch is a drum

when we fall into a rhythm and move slow
and together, at the right pace,  we can soften iron
biting into our own flesh, we can become
the scabs over each other’s open wounds,
we can forgive and forget, we can heal each
other’s trans  gressions, ill  tempers, dis  eases

The first slow song, the first slow dance
in America was out of love was about resistance

so dance you beautiful muthafuckas, dance slow,
get lost in the music, ’til we   be strong   again