To Rene and Elhaj Shabazz Mustapha faye
   
  Better late than never !
   
  This is the Poem ! Funny but REAL.
   
  WHEN NAWEET COMES
   
  When natweet comes It is wild-life times for the youths
  We go out hunting exotic birds and rear reptiles, Barr and Santo kerteng at K.R.A
  K.R.A, Kombo Rural Area was Serekunda, Bakau-kunku including Dippa kunda sacred pond
  We all would know the name of each bird and each fruit, 
  And each sacred place visited by saints like the one near Saro called Pa Tormi-ndoye
  Where we go out to havest coconut leaves for our summer club mbarrs and Njulie mbarr
  Here we drink fresh juice from from baby coconuts while avoiding Mbotti-KoKo as we climb
  We sing songs of Naweet on every occation
  When Naweet comes!
   
  Each TABA tree is a spiritual fort for dwelling like Kanurang taba in Dasemali-Jokadu
  When I would spend my holidays sometimes with Duto Fofana and Abou Demba and 
  in Aldreda where Kawsu Jatta and Jalamang and Kebba Jatta tought me 
  to wrestle, to hunt, to find bee wax and to know the treasures of the forest
  When Naweet comes most boys in Banjul would go up country for family values.
  When Naweet comes!.
   
  Each tabanani was untouched, each big tree has a living monster legend tale
  The worrior youths would climb the top of these and share the harvest to the brave
  Yapats don't go to this, we fish, we farm and we play, no solimas are allowed
  When naweet comes we live on greens, fruits, vegetables, there is plenty for all
  When Naweet comes!
   
  When naweet comes my brother Pindo 
  makes the best catapolts and bird traps for catching canaries and kumba ting-ting birds
  at bushy half-die park filled with lenge-arte, and guarded by PA YIRIM K.B.
  We would make the the best hunting tools for naweet, 
  The best catapolts from the finest hibiscus flower plants from 
  Beautifully flowered christian homes like the house of Teacher Chuch of Leman
  and at Oumadi Jara's compound where Mrs Chapma's lkived at Dingare, Hagan street
  When Naweet comes!
   
   
  When naweet comes and on wiss wi-sal mornings eating my porrage
  I would hear the thunder and the lighting penerates my moms cracked wooden window 
  I would hear the voice of Foday-Ba 
  singing:
  "Bakari-Sai Bata
  Min do ni sera shi"
   
  My brother would make me a Fita because of my minor age of 10 years old
  I would use the red or black elastic string tied around my fingers to strike on anything
  My elastic fitas were made of bicycle tire schreeds
  My bullets were orange peels and green flocx mango peels 
  My brother used metal bulong bullets for killing birds and reptiles accompanied with the best whistling tunes from the famous indian films of Mangala, Ziele and Albe-la
  When Naweet comes!
   
  When naweet comes we would go out catching Kiling-KorK birds of Naweet
  Kiling-kork only come out during Naweet, never in the dry season.
  we would be initiated into naweet by the singing a song to the prayer bird Nyama-flo
  we would sing with deep passion these few words 
   
  "Nyama.flo-Nyama-flo
  Bindal ma chi sa tere bi",
   
  And in a flick of the eye 
  words are written on your finger nails with vanila white.text in sacred symbols
   
  We can now go to the fields and to Tan -ba, swamps at half die salty lakes
  Not fearing of any MANKA-NE, ripping cornfields, sweet potato farms and catching mudfish like nyama-tong tong and helping helping fishermen to unload thier catch for tips
   
  When naweet comes- it is around circumcision time 
  It is thew time that all the good singers come out in the Mbarr ri njulies
  Singing songd\s like
  1.Batcha Ni Mbarr
  2.Lambo-Njie
  3.Nak Yi Nyule yeah Joala,Tey ngen nan and 
  4.Kanarra gui ngengal, etc and Tara rass nyarass !
   famous singers like Koto Ebou conteh, Mbye Sarr Hagan, Ousman Saine Hill Street,
  Charlie Boy, Churchill Ngom, Kaliba joof and Koto Sawalo Faal.
   
  We are formed in groups, telling tales of wonder and sacred stories
  with each story told in presence of solimas is unfriendly to spirit of Burreh and Mam.
  When Naweet comes!
   
  When Naweet comes from the Darra to the Njulie Lale'
  We take oath to tell daytimes folk tales and stories to the gods and spirits
  Before sories are told about secret societies One need to make an oath
  We take the oath that these sacred story are not for my living mother and not for my father,
  But for the wild dogs that dwell in the deep forest where the sun set in red
  The day is dark and the night is roaring with nawet thunder
  When Naweet comes!
   
  When nawet comes the Serere tribe would come down to banjul for six moons
  we would fight the serers in the streeets and learn to wrestle with them
  The Jolas would return to Foni, Cassamace and Bissau
  The almoudis are back to Futa, Street free life is swallowed by naweet
  When Naweet comes !
   
  With the Sereres bringing kordo-mata, mati-mangi for firewood, dry fish, wrestlers, snails,
  baobad seeds and Dakandeh, the also brougt jujus for school, Tare Baireh and love potions,
  the Serere would sample for us tents and also sample the cats fish, chereh and Neni-ngunja
  This was for adults but for us kids we would play in pond with todds and tadpoles.
  With their boats and colouful rows the Serers presence was a symbol of Naweet
  When Naweet comes you can see koto Babou Chebu and Cherno Wadda 
  at Half die with new arrivals dancing Ndolim and mbollor trans dances, Njamm and Ndupa.
  When Naweet comes!
   
  When nawet comes we celebrate mango season
  when mangoes becomes a basket for Nyari- Koparr
  chelewerr dust and storm would split the eveing gatherings as rain pour on naked heads
  At meirel & Prom waterfall,runnuig pass Hah-Toh Solo and YoYo "Sahat Banku" for fun
  kids come in numbers to celebrate the rain, boys and girls play apart
  Girls play Padi-Nyedi, and the boys play football and Jal bi jalan
   
   
  When Naweet comes to end the birds would mirgate to dry lands sand we sing for then when they leave us graciously
  And we sing this song for them " Picha ya nga noraani, noorani"
   
  And they fade away Majestically into the sky of heaven to far distant lands
   
  When Naweet comes!
   
  Oko Drammeh
  Cultural Poetry
   
   
   
   
   
  P/S Please excuse the typos,just incase !
  
 

       
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