If u knew
If I showed u,
If I told u
that I was
MANIFESTATION,
ILLUSTRATION,
REINCARNATION
of a deity
in the voodoo pantheon.
Would u still support me,
would u still appreciate me,
would u still like me?

If u knew….
If u really knew
who I was
behind this pen
where I spend
days in & days out
trying to send
African women & men
a taste of my desire
to bring them into the fire,
and purge them of their ignorance
of their ancestral memory.
Would u still embrace me,
would u still face me,
would u still like me?

If u knew,
If I showed u,
If u found out
that deep within my heart
I am an ALCHEMIST
trained in the arts,
and sciences of transforming
energy from one soul
to……….a   n   o   t   h   e   r.
knowledgeable of spiritual elevation
through the region
into the ethereal mandates
of an ancient Ifa civilization,
where in spirit I
gather with ageless Immortals,
and travel with them
through the universe
from one world to another,
transcending beyond cosmic portals,
evoking the universal rhythm,
and urgency for black magic
with space bounded talking drums,
non translatable Ibo & Yoruba tongues,
and magnetism.

If u knew,
would u still support me,
would u still like me,
would u still love me,
If u knew?

© Shango Olufemi, 2003

This poem appears in a new book by the author
titled "A Poet's Tree" scheduled to be released July 2003