Drums of Se (Earth, contradiction, soul, attending, experience)

[Hope]

Feel the drums
Each beat beneath my feet
Makes the earth shake
Like an earthen-quake
Pounding, sounding,
Resounding, founding
A chance, a dance
Senses to enhance
A whisper in the soul
Of a deep romance
Rolling ever faster
Cadence ever master
Flood me, fill me
Let the rhythm still me
A contradiction
Of joy addiction
It makes the feet fly
But the soul to sigh
Keen and sweet
On a feast replete
While my body blithe
Stands, stoops
Twirls, whirls
Feet are shaking
Music making
While hand clasps hand
And stomps and stamps
Inward, outward, stand
Fly, wood, fly
Strike the canvas low
Strike the canvas high
Feel the hill tremble
Beneath that starry sky
Onward in my soul
Those drums will beat
With the drumming of my heart
And dancing feet

[Scarlett Wampus]

That was very good! What is 'Se'?

[Hope]

I wrote this poem about an experience I had in Brazil last year. I stayed in this little colonial city called Olinda, and its very center sat atop a big hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This hill was/is called Alto da Se. Every Sunday evening they have a big street party on this hill, with music, food, dancing, capoeira, and a native type of drumming called maracatu. This poem is about the maracatu drumming, and the wonderful dancing that accompanied it. It was an exquisite, sensual experience, dancing to those drums atop this hill, underneath a starry sky....I simply tried to capture the essence of it in this poem.

[robtex]

April I knew immediatly upon reading it you were talking about brazilian drum music. That is a great poetic description. I love how you captured the idea the drums define your existance, the pace and tempo of it as if you are part of the drummers world.

Down here in Austin a small brazilian population exists of students attending the University of Texas. They have their drum circles (and some stringed instruments) and practice capoeira (and sometimes later brazilian jujitsu) while singing and speaking in portuguese. They seem to have such a free and open culture between themselves. I feel like your poem captured that atmosphere. Very beautiful worlds. Hopefully you will share it over the net with your friends in Brazil.