A PRAYER FOR THE SIXTH OF FEBRUARY

natural mystic,
nyabinghi,
radical?... rootical!

ras tafari poetical,
wailin' prophet,
song on his tongue.

guitar in his hands,
a talisman accompanying psalms
of africa in his blood,
of fury and love,
of redemption,
of unity
and of free I (freedom!)

messenger of wordsoundpower
g'won fe walk about de earth
from trenchtown to your ghetto town
with visions of a conquering lion
and of his own ascent.

under guise of melody
were coded messages of rage,
of riot,
of ambush,
of downpression and cries to
GET UP STAND UP,
wake up and live.

enraptured audiences witnessed not concerts
but reasonings,
revivals,
groundations of the Most High
and recordings
whose lyric read like sacred scrolls

like any human, he took
but he learned to give
and gave and shared

an herbsman who's own seed still bears fruit,
concrete jungle cat wit de natty mane
deliverer of rebel consciousness
from righteous conscience

berhane
sellasie
robert
nesta
marley

natural mystic,
nyabinghi,
radical?... rootical!

wailin' prophet,
devine worrior,
with open hands signifying peace
or clinched fists scarred with war,
in your honor I&I uprise
and chant...
down...
babylon!