“As the sun set amid the haze, we called it a night. It was a good time for all of us.”
On Thursday, July 22, Hope to Thrive launched a new program for youth, led by master drummer Vernon Sharpe and master dancer Joy Williams. I participated along with three girls.
We lit the grill and put on some sweet corn to roast, and we learned something of the West African beats and dance steps, along with accompanying spiritual teaching in which we thanked, in turn, the earth and the ancestors, the people and the world around us in the present, and finally, the heavens above us. And we sang the refrain to the great spiritual Wade in the water until we fell nearly into a trance.
By then the corn was nearly ready, so we put the hot dogs on to cook and we had a nice supper together. I got to sit with Mr Sharpe and hear him tell of his work in music and his travels in Zimbabwe, Cuba, and East Germany, and his impressions of those countries. I talked of our work in starting an urban farm.
As the sun set amid the haze, we called it a night. It was a good time for all of us. Our plan is to hold this meeting again every week. I hope that more will join.
By: Ed Lyons, a writer, poet, and currently serving as the Compost Manager for Hope To Thrive.
