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1. |
Forty of us
01:01
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The human cargo received a brand on their hands, then
every woman and man was packaged into ships
resembling sardine cans.
On the ship they were fed bits and bled when they felt whips,
making this more of a head trip.
The scales tipped.
On the waves, some lost weight in their waist,
while many wasted in their wait.
Once the ship arrived,
the contents were sorted into dead and living,
from four hundred to forty, for giving.
Mosnar was already skinny
so by the end of the journey he looked even more
scrawny. Wunda and Ybab were built more brawny,
but his branding was different from the brothers
so he got separated from the others.
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2. |
Bird Island
01:45
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The great earthquakes that rumbled under blue shining rhythm and vibing was not only violent but invited magma arriving from geothermal risings and finally forming a volcanic Island.
The mountain terrain contained thousands of caves inside it. By now there were no towns in this state, only mining camps housing slaves guarded by big birds of prey and a surrounding barbed wire gate.
From many places there were faces
from cry babies to courageous,
crammed and cramped behind bamboo cages.
Nearby hot springs bubbled with a sulfur fragrance.
Above the valley, the patrolling vultures hanging
were just as armed and dangerous.
This all gives culture to cages with muscles
that hold escape discussions from shaping into runners.
Slaves were brought from far and wide to work in all is Mines.
Digging for precious gems and metals all the time.
Wolframite, magnetite, and hematite
were handled light, mostly by women but larger loads,
heavy lifting and digging required man alike.
Minimum flora littered the floor.
Black sand topping land and more,
or even ore deposits hid rubies,
sapphire and diamonds behind rock doors
unlocking mineral stores.
Slave mining for profit
padded pockets in closets,
funding Celph sustained projects.
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3. |
Living dead
02:14
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Wunda couldn't decide what he hated more.
These daily chores or the Conquistadors
who raided his world?
He wished he never knew this nightmare.
He wished he woke up way before the flames roared.
He wished he never woke up at all.
He blamed himself for how their bodies burned in the blaze
because he was too lazy to wake up and save them.
He even blamed them.
He went on edge for some time
wedged between revenge and regression.
Regret and depression.
A living dead man, with no direction.
There were bamboo holding pens for only men,
and seperate prisons for the women.
Everybody sleeps on the earth,
ankle to shoulder.
In the mornings they are fed porridge,
but in the evenings sometimes, they eat dead rodents.
After many moons separate from the brethren,
Wunda sees a familiar face being threatened
By friends that flock together in their feathering.
Mosnar was accused of rewarding himself
with a huge diamond from a river finding
by another slave mining Mosnar’s business license.
“That's a lie!” He claimed.
The Bird seer's quarantined him for three days
in a small cage under careful eye.
After he finally passed a bowel movement, they examine his stool and traced diamonds and rubies in his waste line. Once the hiding was proved, the Bird seer's didn't waste time having his left hand removed.
Next they tied him to a stake in the open space and let the vultures have their take. After two days of hanging in the same somber state, carnivorous beaks dipped and ripped big chunks of flesh from his chest plate, causing tremendous ache. He was still alive when they picked his eyes from his face.
His skeletal remains still hang,
as a warning to all sticky fingers in the game
that the loss is greater than the gain.
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4. |
Lives at stake
00:42
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Mosnar’s youngest brother Ybab
was now a part of a gang
that had very little range,
being attached to a chain.
He told Wunda his plan to dig under the gate
but it sounded more like a suicide escape.
Since that day, Wunda never saw his face again.
Before the new moon, another life was at stake.
Some of the slaves joined the ranks of the Conquistadors to avoid life in chains. This means another soul gets sold to Celph, in the name of Oge. Wunda resisted the urge to go rogue, but he even wonders how long he could hold?
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5. |
All Mines
02:16
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Underground mining was gruesome.
Room and pillar mining was more work than usual,
but it was cooler working below the surface
so the drudgery was doable in conditions unsuitable.
Three more people died beneath when a whole room collapsed. This is called a live funeral because the ones who get buried alive may die days later, the whole time possibly hearing other miners trying to save them from the cave in.
Down in these caves
Wunda remembers the games played
with his friends and younger brother.
Crazy adventures and unlimited fun with his buddies.
Sometimes he even heard the voice of his grandmother.
Yasny said, "Whatever don't kill you, will make you stronger."
He wished she spoke longer,
but a couple words is all she had to offer.
The rigorous repetition of breaking rocks into rubble
strengthened his mental muscle.
In all is Mines,
the gems he mined were the ones in his mind.
Some time passed in this maze and puzzle
while Wunda slaved in the bitter struggle.
There is a woman who prays, also seemingly seized in one of the raids, but not screaming or even being afraid. What she whispers to Wunda, is that she's an undercover Kushite soldier really sent to sneak and secretly orchestrate Wunda's escape from captivity and then taken back to Kush to learn some of its history and prophecy that awaits.
Her knowledge of the culture and language mandates what she translates. It's important that she convinces Wunda that he is the chosen One Man Army after the exploded sun. The journey is long and cumbersome but it's only just begun.
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6. |
Subterraneous
02:39
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“Who is she and where did she come from?”
In the year he spent here,
those who attempted escape never made it out
so Wunda had every reason to doubt.
"What was different about her route?"
That night he thought:
"How is escape possible under the Bird Seer's watch?
Where will we run on this volcanic rock?
How will we cross the water without getting lost?”
So many questions tossed in for the cause.
The next few days, he sought her face but it was for naught.
“Maybe she attempted escape and got caught?”
There was nothing else to say,
so in all is Mines he continued to work away.
On the third day it was her from an alien space
who spoke to Wunda with a veil on her face.
The next day came around without making sounds,
so she slipped down into the room and pillar mine and showed him the way.
A new hole in a particular place
introduced a whole different cave.
They could both enter through the hole,
filling a boulder in its place leaving no trace,
or better yet they could just collapse the hole, entire space.
Wunda made sure the pillars were loose,
so the next day when it was time to make moves,
the room would vacuum burying the actual clues.
There was much to lose, but the plan was hard to refuse.
It made just enough sense to attempt the dangerous escape
via subterraneous tubes.
These tunnels and caves
funneled into subways that run into trains under the waves.
Ee'ti knew of these paths like she studied them in earlier grades. These trails lead all the way back to the land of Kush,
where the Kingdom once stood tall behind walls
built by her ancestors hands.
Wunda took it all in,
but this was part of the grand plan as they ran.
As they approached the land of Sand
she saluted the Chief in Command,
“Tihir! General Sablimino!”
The old man replied,
“Tihir! Whenever I'm here.”
He looked at Wunda and said, “I never spare the spear in my hand unless the spirit of man is at war with the spirit of my clan.”
He smiled as he reached for his hand, exposing the brand.
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7. |
This is how I represent
01:31
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The sun tanned people of the Sand
once a green clan
greeted Wunda with clean
arm, leg, leg, arm, head, feet and hands
and traditional meal plans on a feeding mat.
He studied supreme math
and science from scenes past,
and quickly learned basic speech patterns.
“In our traditional language,” Ee’ti explained, “We say Tihir!”
“What does it mean?” He asked.
“It's a slang greeting, but it's more about how you present your intent.”
Wrinkles on Wunda’s forehead weighed on his eyelids
when he wanted to know,
“As in, friend or foe?”
“As in, I not only offer myself, but my best, best self.”
While she patted her chest convinced, and winced.
“That's like, one hundred and ten percent” He lent.
“Exaaaactly!” She told him, simultaneously slapping his shoulder.
They laughed in motions fanning the bonfire more golden.
For Wunda, a rare intimate moment.
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8. |
Awakenings
01:45
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That night Wunda laid like blades in a truce.
This marks the first time he slept all the way through
since the flames introduced so many vulnerabilities in one poof.
This day was a proof that change could be true.
To save some abuse and self hatred produced
he decided to let his shame hang in a noose.
Forever.
Wunda had a vision and awakening too.
In his sleep, he revisited the dreams he had in his youth as proof
While the room in between moons, he learned more truth
and that his family were descendents of the Spooks
who migrated from Kush roots
long before Conquistador troops.
Sablimino picked his brain too.
Wunda explained where he came from
and everything he went through.
When Ee'ti wasn't around he asked questions about her too.
He assumed Sablimino knew so he asked,
“What's her story?”
Wunda waited.
Sablimino smiled and said,
“The child grew up without parents. Her father disappeared in the shadows, and her mother disappeared with her brothers shortly after.”
“Abandoned?” Wunda asked, undecided. “Maybe she thought the boys had a better chance of surviving.”
Sablimino prided, “She's my favorite soldier. I trained her myself.”
They both laughed and Wunda knew why.
He wasn't the best spy.
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9. |
Prophecy
01:27
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Behind a strange door, the days of yore
were depicted on ancient Trackezoid walls
way before the Blue Sun reigned no more.
The legend pictures a sword
being forged from the tongue of a Dragon lord.
A great Warrior uses the blade to kill a Mighty roar
in the height of war.
Therefore a Giant bird must soar,
while the Dragon stores behind a dark door
with a hole in the floor of the core.
SLANGLAVA
The precious metal known as Slanglava, is produced when Dragon vomit (magma) is cooled by water. Once Slanglava is formed, no metal is harder.
The Phoenix once conceived by a magical author, is the only flame that can impact it's armor. There's only one way to harness Slanglava, and the Phoenix must be a partner.
Wunda couldn't ignore as Ee'ti explained more about history and how he was the missing key sent to be from the same core and lineage of the Pharaohs family tree and more mystery. His escape from Bird Island was a small chore in comparison to the mission called for. Slanglava is an ore, unknown to most but it can be found in store, only with one whose knowledge is sure and who's Kush blood is pure.
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10. |
Tuwosiks
05:49
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Ee'ti was sent to inform the One Man Army who was born Wunda to identify his true uniform and perform the making of the sword. The risk is much to afford, but what is at stake is the entire world.
SUBTERRANEOUS
The Subterraneous tunnels are a series of roads
that lead to many places.
Since the days of ancient,
these roads helped Kush traders avoid caravan raiders.
Over the years, the tunnels helped many migrations and evacuations from invasions.
Wunda and Ee'ti travel west of Kush,
headed in the direction of Tuwosiks.
The first migrations were settled here,
along with ancient traditions and secrets
no outsiders eyes and ears
can see or hear
before time was years
with the pioneers.
Clouds constantly hover the continent of Tuwosiks often tumbling rain and thunder. Tall trees barked with long perky tails highly held in the birds eye where even monkeys take turns to fly. Under the canopy of flora and bug life, the mud life motivated no fun guy, unless he were fungi. Occasionally a fallen tree breached the bright sky but for the most part, Ee'ti and Wunda navigated dense undergrowth and shrub life in dim sunlight.
The faculties of hearing and sight could very well cost life, if not paying close attention during day and night.
Large leaves leap out from left and right.
Vines hold on tight, but if you look and listen,
even mushrooms mention monologue log positions
in decomposition competitions.
On the ground level the chorus of insects, frogs and foul feathers sang aloud perpetually like a year round festival.
Lizards and snakes were small on the scale in comparison to ferocious fauna felines with long furry tails. Panthers and Jaguars preyed on selected trails, waiting to exhale.
Every night the nets fell. They caught fish and camped next to a fire kindled by the river to ward off critters, snakes and lizards including anything bigger.
The rainforest that covers Tuwosiks have many areas that are still undiscovered and many clans live in complete isolation and barriers from outsiders and colonial marriages.
The Luzu clan was a hunter tribe
whose enormous diet thrived on the rainforest abundant life including tortoise, bats and mice.
One night, rolling thunder rumbled the jumbo jungle and a musical monsoon mumbled til the morning mud and puddles crossed Wunda and Ee'ti paths with a band of hunters who huddled in the shrubs.
Clearly outnumbered, Wunda calmly reached in his bucket soon making his fish offering public but suddenly, a spotted leopard caught him off guard, plunging from the shrubbery and landing ten meters in front of him.
Wunda stood frozen, holding the fish.
Thinking quick, he tossed it at the Leopards left paw
but the predator tilted it's head
and intercepted the fish in its jaws.
Two of the hunters launched
from the left and right leaves at large,
Springing surprise spear attacks
speeding towards the leopards jugular vein and heart,
sparing the other parts
Like true masters of the martial arts.
After those two hits, it died quick.
The leopard was being tracked for the last 3 days prior to this,
and now Wunda just happened to stumbled across the line of fire. Good thing they didn't miss.
When he approached the Spears for hire
he noticed they were weird and quiet.
In the dim environment he couldn't see right away
that they were primates.
Being isolated under the Rainforest landscape undisturbed, they developed into an advanced race. They communicated to each other with grunts and hand gestures.
Eight hunter apes escorted Ee'ti and Wunda not far away.
Further into the rainforest reveals
a Massive colony situated high in the Beak in Hills.
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11. |
Maseeva Monks
03:13
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Once they reach the herbs that heal
and a holy ground birthed with persons
paying ritual gratitude service
to the fertile surface,
Ee'ti knew they had found their purpose.
They looked up and saw hidden tree houses perched in all the trees,
blending with the tropical birds chirping
and insect interpreters.
A monk greeted them first,
“Peace and Light!”
“Throughout the universe!” Responded Ee'ti.
“I see you have already met Robal and Obo. And my name is Tot.” As he placed his right hand over his heart.
“Sablimino and the Sand people send greetings as well. I am Ee'ti.” She said.
“Wunda!” Is how he introduced himself, reaching for a handshake.
“These monkeys are incredible!” Wunda yelped.
“Close enough,” Tot detailed, “We don't exactly call them monkeys. They are more like Monk Keys.”
“Monk Keys?” Ee'ti repeated.
“Yes, the Monk Keys are like our keys when it comes to accessing the rainforest. They are jungle diplomats in fact.” Tot explained.
The Monkeys and Gorillas mirrored the Monks mannerisms almost perfect. Wunda was extremely nervous, but through acts of worship, the Monks communicated with Ee'ti in ancient tongues, reciting scroll verses.
Ee'ti was determined to learn from the hermits what Trackezoid walls asserted. This group migrated long ago, in order to preserve their beliefs, rituals and traditions from being compromised. They rejected the magic that was being practiced in Kush, but they did have modern day knowledge of all the strange problems, including Slanglava. The Monks protected this secret from the common lot. For thousands of years, there is an ancient rock, small enough to carry away in a box.
Locked.
The abbot was an elder name Sutef. He presented the box inscribed with symbols and serpents and then he beckoned them to come closer.
Sutef said,
“Lesson number one! If you want the Dragon to serve, Do not forget these special words.”
Sutef continued,
“The secret name of the Dragon is Margonos.”
Then he added,
“And when you see Margonos, remember to say, Emic G’sota!”
Sutef concluded, “Send Sablimino my best greeting. Peace and Light throughout the Universe!”
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One Be Lo Pontiac, Michigan
One Be Lo is a HipHop writer/emcee/producer from Pontiac Michigan, currently living in Cairo, Egypt.
Contact One Be Lo if interested writing, production, performances, book readings or workshops.
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