https://digitallis.isg.siue.edu/files/original/bfb75894c8114ba03872010752d62c0e.pdf b80a7c78d3404af2dfa4c921e6026866 PDF Text Text I DRUMVOICES: THE MISSION OF AFRO-AMERICAN POETRY* A Readers Theatre/Ritual Drama By Eugene B. Redmond * Script Adaptation of DRUMVOICES: THE MISSION OF AFRO-AMERICAN POETRY (a critical history), by Eugene B. Re.dmond: Doubleday, 1976. Script copyright© 1977 by Eugene B. Redmond �Note to Directors & Players * DRUMVOICES, as a theatrical., follows ~ 1~tradition of ritual theater or the "ri tuali zing 11 of an event . Ideally, for Readers Theater, th'$ ::.stage ·are . snould have :,.to'Qm ,,fox-, c: ti.ro ·--sets .~r,·.:m~l:f:A r~~ds and ·a danchfr ' :re-a 0 ~ince ritual theater is conceptually and practically adaptable to as few or as many players as are desire4, directo r s / stagers should proceed accordingly. Ritual drama is also qualitative in terms of depth and meaning--that is it can be as deep or as light as one wants it. Hence, in preparing DRUMVOICES for the stage, directors should take pains to determine the levels of intensity or message-del i v ery that tbe"y · w~t·. These levels can be ·achieved and/or modified .from perfonna.nce to performance by shifting (heightening or lesseni ng) tone and thrust. Ideally, for DRUI1VOICES, one drummer and one horn -player should make up the cast, along with at least one male and one female dancer. At the same,time, owing to the flexibility and adaptability of ritual theater, directors may use as many dancers or musicians as are desired . The speaking cast should(preferably ) consist of a three-member core-chorus. The core-chorus provides unison, harmony and call-and-response while at the same time supplying the main individual voices . Set apart from the core-chorus is th e n arrator, who is atmospherically removed, somewhat dispassionate but omnipresent aa a vast-voice image . Another voice , some distance to the other side of the core-chorus is khown as a relief-voice . This character/ player can be made the focus of attention or go unnoticed while he/she slips into the audience , disappears to change clothes , or prepares for some sudden and surprise shift in the action o f the drama . �1 Part I: Music & I The stage is bear except for music stands, a podium and the musicians' instruments. A log~ dancer appears, walks upstage and lmeels in preparation for the opeti~~ance-poem. 'r he first sounds are heard off stage at which time the drummer and horn player come on stage and situate themselves at their instruments. The dancer begins to dance when the musicians are assembled. Voices(off-stage) Music and I--Listenl--Yail Yail~ ,, Listen to the sound of my horn~ Music and I--Listenl--Yail Yail ~ Listen to the sound of my horn l ~,vv-- Music and I--Listenl--Yail Yail ~ Voictfoff-atage as dance begins) Listen to the sound of my horn ••• ~ This note you have longed to hear! \ Voicef2 Listen .to the sound of ~Y song, Fo'r :.. ·the music you have hummed by ear. Voice#3 I sound the time to rise for the fields. I moan the rhythm as the congregation lmeels . Voice#4 For I am the note of air, the catcher of your despair. Voice 5 I cry long nights for you my people . I rise early with my clayed cotton coat. I tote water to sun-baked lips, VoiceJl And I sing awa'f pain from your chain-whipped hips . (oveiJ ) �2 Voicet/2 But now, my people, I've grown a new song • .,..5.~~ Listen, all ye Americans I Lis t en with your ear: Voice#3(walking upstate to position) , I Now the congregation rises-Voice#4(walking upsta ge to position ) Now the new corn sprouts-Voice#5 (walking upstage to position) Now the air breathes fresh- - ---- Voice#l(walking upsta ge to position ) Now the trodden land sings-VoiceJ2 ( walking upstage to position) Now my horn of clay airs a long signa l motif. Voi ce/!3 Listen to the sound of my horn , my people. This rhythm of years long past . Voice#4 Listen to the sound of my horn, I say; _ Chorus(raising arms) Music and I ••• have come at lastJ (Durms) \ un . tempo; then dancer exits~ After a slight pause, narrator be gins the on~stage ritual program. ) ( As voices expa.bde , dancer and drumm~i- Gpick Narrator I am the poem! We are the poem! Na rrator And the poem is me I And the poem is us! And the poem is us! And the poem is u s ! (over) . �3 Narrator I run the poem and I came before pen or pencil or paper or printing press , \~ ; l I cupped and cuddled the wisdom of the winds in drum- bosoms of ecstasy . Drummer Performs a wide range of rhythms, movements , tones , multi ple - rhythms : African, West Indian, fro-Latin, Afro-American . Narrator Listenl Listen closely and you can hear me , you can hear me writing in drum-language ; you can hear me conversing with tomorrow, today and the heretofore. DRUMFEEI' ON THE SO IL, ON THE SAND ROADS OF THE MIND I FLESH-PISTONS PRANCING, THE EARTH'S ENGINE! IT IS A COMING FORTH , THE NIGHT WITHIN US COMING FORrH t THE NIGHT WITH I N US COMING PORTH I FEEr BEATING, BEATING, BEATING SEEDS INTO THE SO IL I Narrator I return and return an d return to my magnificent and reliable arclliv es . Chorus That 11,ove we can depend onJ Tha t Love we can depend on l Voice ( singing; as ·dancer·s st~llt,-sea.roh. ..' the sta·ge )'n, · 'ONOBOROBO ! ONOBOROBO t Voice ONOBOROBO t Chorus ONOBOROBO I (ov er ) �4 Voice Chorus ONOBOROBO I Narrator In my dependable cultural vault is the Idea-gram: that natural cil"etagraphy landscaped by thudding thoughts of my totem family, the living-dead, the breathing, the unborn. I am the poetic flesh-temple with many forms, earthdaughter and agile inundator oP history. I am the poem in motion. Dancer Bxecutes rudimentary movements and other elements of traditional African and neo-African dance: isolati on , use of pelvis and torso , leaps, twirls, pulls, the Yanvalou(or a kindre~movement}, vigorous stretches, lifts and thrusts. (Drum a ccompaniment) Narrator I am the Black and Unknown Bard. American put me on a conveyer belt - moving in two different direc t i ons at the same time. My African Jubilance turned to anger and a song of i&botage. My IndomiLable Echo and Idion flavored my Indomitable Press to be Human . As a poem, I became part of what I did, saw and dreamed on these shores: Field Hollers, Vendors' Shouts, Chants, Work Songs , Spirituals, Blues , Gospels, Jazz, Rhytbm-n- Blues, Soul Music .( See at tache d chart of the preceding items : which Je~!1- lus.t rated with short examples by voices after the list has been g~ven . ) Voice Did ye~ feed my cow? Voice Y~s M Voice Will yer te·ll me how? (ov er) �- 4-A ~ Ji'ield Hollers / yodle •••• hey brother yodle •••• hey brother Vendors' Shouts watermello~h oh ••• sausages,~.. / tomatoes, oh ••• I got •em fresh ••• , ohl Chants Om-la-la Om-la-la Work Songs Say I 1 m ~rking hard on the chaingang Spirituals Ezekiel saw the wheel a-turning(chorus) Way up in the middle of the air Blues Blood, lawd, blood all on the wall Gospels o~happ'J day O happy day When Jesus washed When Resue washed Washed all my sins away Jazz Ri fls from Ike Rhythm-and-Blues Will you still love me tomorrow? Soul Music I •m a soul man I 1 m a soul man ;{/ ,,,. \: �5 Voice Oh w 1 at did yer give 1 er? Voice Cawn an hay! Voice Oh w 1 at did yer give 1 er? Voice Cawn an hay! Voice(looking up) Evahwhuh I, whuh I loo~ dis mawnin , Looks lak rain, looks like rain . Chorus Looks lak rain, l ooks lak rain J clc11,µ1.1df~ Voice I gotta rainbow, tied all roun mah sh oulder, Ain gonna rain, ain gonna rain . Chorus Dis is de hammer, Kilt John Henry I Voice(emphatically) Twon•t kill me , baby, Twon 1 t kill me . Take dis hammer, Carry it to de captain-Voice Tell him I'm gone , baby, I - I Tell him I 1 m gone . ( ova') . I �6 Chorus I got a rainbow Tied 1 roun my shoulder, Ain 1 t gonna rain, baby, Ain't gonna rain . Voice(work-song,sung) Dis ole hammer- -huh!(chorus) Ring lak silver--huht(chorus) 'f-. r J (.; Shine lak gold--huhl(chorus) Chorus Ain 1 t gonna rainJ Ain!t gonna rain! Voice(female) I 1 m a big fat mamma, got the meat shaking on mah bones , I ' m a big fat mamma , got the meat shaking on map bones , C\.Jj And eV6frY time I shakes , some skinny girl loses huh home . Voice Run, nigger run ; de patter- roller catch you; Chorus Run , nigger, run, it ' s almost day . Voice Run , ni gger , run; de patter-roller catch you ; Chorus Run , nigger, run, and try to ~ get away . Voice Dis nigger run, he run his best ,-- Stuck his head in a hornet's n e st,-Voice Jumped de fence and run fru the paster; (over ) I I I 1' I\ I �7 Cho rus White man run, but ni gge r run faster . Voi c e Da.t nigger run, dat nigger flew,-Cho rus Dat ni gge r tore hi s shirt in two. Narrator Yes, as poem,as cotton-picker, as banjo-player, as fiddler, as preacher, as ,minstrel-maker and mirror, as slave-rebellion leader, I emered a ne'f/ part of the old. My African song ushered forth in strange new Biblical Language. Voice(s inging ) Go Down, Moses , Way Down in Egyptland; Chorus(talking~pointing) Tell old Pharoah To let my people go . Voice ( s~mging) Deep River •••• / Chorus ( talking) Deep Deep Deep River •• 0. Voice Deep Riv e r, my home is ove r Jordan ; Deep River, Lord; I want to c ross over into camp ground. Voice ( exci te dly) And, yes, I DREAMED I was riding in that chariot . Chorus ( or Voice) Swing low, sweet chariot , , / ✓ Coming for to carry me hoITB1 ( over ) ' - • - - I I �sweet chariot, \ Coming for to carry me home . l. Voice \ Green trees a-bending, Po' sinner stands a-trembling The trumpet sounds within-a-my soul ; Chorus I ain't got long to stay h ere. Vo i ce (male) Joshua fit de battle of Jericho,-- Jericho, Jericho-hG-ho-hol Voice Joshua fit de battle of Jericho,-- And de walls came tumbling down . Voice f Dat morning • • • • ~ w~~AhM,,~ .~· "'- ~ Chorus And ·de:_ walls came tumblins down Voice My God is a rock in a weary lan 1 - - Chorus Weary lan 1 , weary lan 1 - - j. ~ Voice My God is a rock in a weary lan 1 - I I Shelter in de time of storm. ,, Narrato r I was Black and curious; I confronted harshness head-on; my struggle meant (over) �write like whites , even though,Ironically , their 9 ~aws said I could be punished or jailed for possessing such knowl edge and skill . Voice You named me .Lucy Terry! Voice Gustavas Vassal Voice Britton & Jupiter Hammon! Voice Coon & Buck I Voice Phyllis Wheatley! And I maste r ed Greek , Latin and English in my teens . Lonely Black girl whom the muses befriended, thousands and thousands of miles away from my West Afri can home. I contimued to emerge as the poem. Voice Should you,my Lord, while you peruse my song, ti Wonder from whence my love of Freedom sprung, Whence flow these wishes fort h e common good, By feeling hearts alone best understood, I, youn g in life, by s e eming cruel fate, snatched from Afrjc 1 s fancy 1 d happy seat; ~~t pangs· ~xcruci~t:ing must molest, , .1.l.".1t'.·c -~·· ·, ··, - ~ _: ,.. ,r,1 •:;. · - _ ., _ · _ .,. ·,:.,~. ! ~-.-. .. - -~~• What sorr'ows labour in my parents I breasts? Steel 1 d was that soul and by no misery mov 1 d ~~s 1 • 1I That from a father seiz 1 d his babe belov 1 d: ' I Such, such my case . And can I then but p r ay Others may never feel tyranic sway? (wheo1ley) Narrator You n amed me George Moses Horton. I did not like the injustice (over ) of the �10 I turned into a po em. Even t ho ugh some continued calling me "The Slave." Chorus "The Slave"? Voice Because the brood-sow 1 s left side pigs were black, Whose sable tincture was by na tu re struck , Were you by justice bound to pul l them back And leave the sandy -c olored pig s to suck ? (Ho rton) Chorus(ominously ) Runagate I Runaga to l Runagate l Narrator My mother cure d ills and my father worke d mots . In the bi - cultural constriction the poem became juju-man, the face hidden by the ambiguous minstrel smile . Voice We have fashioned l aughter Out of tears and pain; Chorus Bqt the moment after-Voice Pain and t ea rs again.(9harles Bertram Johnson) Voice Forgive these erring people , Lord! Voice Who lynch at home and love abroad. ( ~ D ~ ) Na rrator Still I wrote - -this time just like I talked, though some made fun of it , But,as maker of song , I could only produce heart-rhythrn.s . (over) �Voice 11 de Cunjah man , O chi llen,run, de Cunjah man ! Chorus O chillen,run, the Cunjah man! Voice Him mouf ez beez as fryin 1 pan; Voice Him yurs am small, him eyes am raid,-Voice Him hab no toof een him 01 1 haid, -- <\ /, Voice Him hab him roots , him wuk him tricks,-- 0:\ J Voice Him roll him eye , him mek you sick-Chorus De Cunjah man, de Cunjah man, 0 chillen run, de Cunjah manl(J . E. Campbell) Narrato r I knew my rights, my rou@-1 times and my remedies. Voice(assuming tones reflBoting physical illneases) Blue-mass , laudnum, liver pills , "Sixty-six, fo I fever an 1 chills,'' Ready Relief, an' A.B.c., An 1 half a bottle of X. Y. Z.(J. H. Ho J.loway) Narrator / You named me Frances Bl len Watkins Harper, James Edwin Campbell, James Weldon Johnson, Paul Lawrence Dunbar--Son of ex-slaves, elevator boy risen to brilliantbard of the race . As the poem I strode forth in several kinds of English . ( over ) - _j �12 Voice bird sings, Ah me, ./ When his wing is bruised and his bosom soraT Wb_en he beats his bars a nd he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee , But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, But a plea , that upward to Heaven he flings-I know why theca ged bird singsl(Dunbar } Narrator Above all, song exudes from me . Indeed, I am song. Watch and examine me. My birthright is my anthem. My song is my sword. And I :· lift that sword hi gh I Voice (singing) Lift evEry voice and sing, I I "} Till earth and he aven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty. Chorus ( t al king, pointing upwards) Till our rejoicin gs ri s e High as t h e li s t enin g skies l( J . W. Johnson ) / Narrator As song-poem I forged pure fl ames of rhythms without books. James Weldon Johnson called me the Black and Unknown gard . And, let me tell you something ••• hmmmmmmrn •••• I always loved to hear Ma lindy sing. Voice G1 way an 1 quit dat noise, Miss Lucy-PUt dat music book away; What's de use to keep on tryin 1 ? Jf you p ractis e twell you're gray , You cain 1 t sta 1 t no notes a-flyin 1 Lak de ones dat r ants and rings From de kitchen to de big woods (ove r) �Chorus Wb_en Malindy sings . Voice You ain 1 t got de nachel o'~ans Fu t to make de soun ' come right, You ain 1 t got de tu 1 ns an' twistin's fut to make it sweet an ' li ght . Tell you one thing now , Miss Lucy , An ' I'm tellin ' you fu ' true, When hit comes to raal right singin' , Chorus • ' T a in' t no easy thing to do . Voice Easy 1 nough fu I follcs to hollah, Lookin ' at de lines an ' dots, When dey ain ' t no one kin sence it , An ' de chune comes in,in spots; But fu' real melojous music, Dat jes strikes yo ' hea 1 t and clings, Jes you stan 1 an 1 listen wif me .Chorus When Malindy sings . Voice Ain I t you nevah hyeahd Malindy? Blessed soul , tek up de cross I Look hyeah , ain 1 t you jo kin' , honey? Well, you don't lmow what you los 1 • Y' ought to hyeah dat gal a-wa 1 blin 1 , (over) I, �14 Robin s , la 1 ks, an' all dem things , Heish dey moufs an' hides dey faces Chorus When Malindy sin~s. Voicef/1 Fidlin 1 man jes' stops his fiddlin 1 , Lay his fiddle on de she 1 f; · Voice /12 Mockin 1 -bird quit tryin' to whistle , 1 0ause he jes so shamed hiss e 1 f. Voice#3 Folks a-playin' on de banjo Draps dey fingahs on de strings-Bless yo' soul--fu' gits to move 1 em, When Malindy sings. Voice#She jes 1 spreads hu mouf and hollahs, Voice( singing) "Come to Jesus, 11 Voice ••• twell you hyeah Sinnahs 1 tremblin' steps and voices, Timid-lak a-drawin 1 neah; - Den she tu'ns to "Rock of Ages, Voice(singing) 11 \~ Voice Simply to de cross she clings , (over) �fin yo ' teahs a-drapp in 1 When Malindy sings . Voice Who dat says de humble praises Wif de Master nevah counts? Heish yo• mouf, I hyeah dat music , Ez it rises up an• mounts-P'loatin1 by de hills an 1 valleys, 'I Way above dis burryin 1 sod, ' I Ez hit makes its way in glory To de very gates of GodJ Vo i ce Oh, hit ts sweetah dan de mu sic Of an edic ated band; An 1 hitts dearah dan de battle 's Song 0 1 triumph in de lan 1 • Voice#l r J It seems holier dan evenin 1 When de solemn chu I ch bell rings,/ • ' Voice #2 ( slowly,search ingly) Ez I sit an I ca •·m ly listen Chorus While Malindy sings. Voice Tows~. stop dat ba 1 ki n , hyeah me I Mandy, mek dat chil e keep s till; I (ove r) -- -- - --- - ~ �16 hyeah de echoes c al lin 1 F 1 om de valley to de hill? Let me listen, I can hyeah it, Th 1 oo de br~sh of angels' wings , Sof 1.. and sweet, . V v~ Voice//3 ( singing ) • • o 11 Swing low, Sweet Chariot, 11 Voice(dreamily and ecstatically) Ez Malindy sin gs . (Dunbar) ~ --r:::;:;:;- Narrato r Poem that I was and am, I traveled from 11 oas i s to oas i s . 11 Voice Man I s Saharic up and down~ (M. B. To lson) Narr ator Riverboats , river towns chaingangs ••• Voice( singin 8 as chorus makes work-sounds in background) ,.,, , it Well don ' t you know ,, That I s the sound of the men, working on the chain - n - n-n gan- ee - ang ; We l l don't you know That ' s the sound of the men , worki ng on the chain gang .( Cooke) Narrator Bar-room toughs , hard-hearted Hanna , Stagolee ••• they all knew me . Voice Hardahaarted Hanna - Voice F rom Savannah, GEE A. Voice She was so cold , yall-Chorus Wasn 1 t she 1 (ov er ) �17 Voice a drownin g man! Cho rus(slowly and deliberately ) Water , on a drown-ii-nnn g man. Voice(attracting the attention of othe r s ) It was early one mornin', When I heard my bulldog bark; Stagolee and Bi lly Lyons Was squablin 1 in the dark . Voice ' / Frankie and Hohnny were lovers , , ~ ¥l Cho rus \~\,_,1).Lo r dy , how they could love , Voice Swore to each o ther , True as the stars up above , /y I \~ He was he r man but he don e her wrong. · Voice(fcmale) / Shine, shine , shine , ••• save po 1 me . Na rrator I was in the constant see - saw of life, wading through hell in search of heaven. But I kept my working philoso phy with me . Voice#l De stoppe r get de longest rest in de empty jug. Voice #2 ~ De pric e of your hat ain 1 t de measure of your brain. Voice#J De graveyard is de cheapes 1 boardin 1 - house . Voiceff4 \ ~ Buy i n ' on credit is robbin 1 next year's crop . (Over) t �Voice#5 Life is short and full of blisters . Voice#l De cow-bell can ' t keep a secret. Voice#2 Little flakes make de deppest snow. Voice#3 De crawfish in a hurry look li k e he tryin' to git dar yesterday . Voicei'/4 Be drinks so much whis key t hat he stae;gers in his sleep . Vo ice//5 In God we trust , all others ca sh . Harr n.to r Yes I was lyric-wise . You heard me everywhere . You even heard me coming from the swollen lips of the bugle, French horn , trumpet, clari net and saxophone . Horn A series of short riffs and movements exemplary and illustrative of various forms of Afro - American music played between the advent of the spirituals and the ra gtime-blues pe riod. Nar r o.tor In Paris they called the "C ak ewal k " th e "poe try of motion o II In the crevices of ships I was transported t o global points to make m' splendid sound and dance my splendid poetry of motion . Dance.[;) Executes a series of movements an.c steps repr es enting such dances as-------, I t the Cakewalk, Charleston , the Two ·- S tep , Ji tterbpg and the Bop . ~lerr.ents ✓ of West Indian dances should flavor movements . (over) �Narrator As the poem I blue horns , shot guns in your First World War, danc ed dances and came home to face the Ku Klux Klan, Southern Sheri f fs and Jim Crow . I got Angry . And I go t defiant. But , I was re l at i v ely cool. Vo i c e ( serious ) Into the furnace let me go alone ; Stay you without in terror of the heat . I f I I will go naked in-~for thu s 1tis sweet -Into the wei rd depth s of the hott est zone . Voice ( serious but r esolute and emer ging) De si re d e s troys , consumes my mortal fea r s , Transforming me into a shape of f l ame . I wi ll come out , back to your world of tears , A strong4 cr soul within u finer framc .( McKay) Na rrator From the dark tower I watched az I pr.epareg, watched as I prepare d, wat ched as I pre pared, lmowinc; that !!We were not made ete rnally to weep . Voice(reflective , meditative ) The n i ght whose sable breast relieves the stark \mi te stars is no less lov e ly being dar k , And there are buds that cannot bloom at all In light , but crumple , pite ous, and fall; So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds , And wait , and tend our agonizing seeds . (Cullen ) Narrator Aft er race riots in several American citi es , I lifted my voi c e i s e aring shaft of discontent . Chorus 0 kinsmen! we must meet the common foel (over) 11 �20 Voice Li ke men we 1 11 face t he murde r ous , cowardly pac k , // ( Pre ssed to th e wa l l , dyin g , ••• Ch orus ( slowl y an d softly ) Dying • •• dying ••• dyinG Voice ••• but fi e)ltin~ ba ck ! (MC,'f(~t) No.rrato r All the wh ile my past k e pt pul lin g on me . It was if we we r e married to each other, c lue d , loc ked, 1ve l de d to geth er . It was as if t h o se who dep ar t ed n e v e r re al ly , real l y die d . An Af rican sense kept tu ggi n g tu gging a t my trunc a t e d ro o ts . The bri dge of my dwarf-lik e pa st r e s t ed on at l ea s t two shores . Voi ce Pour o pou r tha t pa rtin g s oul i n song , 0 } ., J pour it in the s awdu s t g l ow o f ni gh t , Into t h e v elve t pine- smoke air to - ni ght , ••• Ch orus( s l ow an d e cho - li ke ) I And l et the vall ey carry it a l ong . l And l et th e va ll ey ca rry it a long . (t6ome~) Narr ator( co nfus e d a nd desp era te) Sometime s I wa s only ha l f - there , f i ~ht ing t hose who wante d to sn a tch away my humanity by day ; and fi~tin g hunge r and confu si on at h ome by night . As th e poem, I eme r ge d convolute d and who lly new, only t o -, re t r e at to a some - other- time r e f rai n . ~gyp t , Ghana , Madagasc a r , th e Pyramids-- Voodoo Ceremon ies--what did th ey all me an ,to me? The beau ty - pain of it all? Chorus Come with a bl as t of trump et s , Jesu s ! (over ) I I I �21 Voice(oxymoronic) And the be auty of Susanna Jones in red Burns in my h e art a love -fir e sharp like pain. Chorus Sweet silver trump e ts , Jesust(}\v8~8S) Voice l • Well, son, I 1 11 t e ll yo u: Life for me ain' t been no c ry st al Na r r a tor ,, But the blur of that v ei 1 wa s al ways tempo rar-f ly relieved by sorig, by I dance, by re a ding or th inkin g about for ei gn places and looking forward to the day when American s wo ul d grow up . We were here--in America-but not of it . Simply wo r rying, wi thout a plan tn change things , didn 't help much. We grew stronger, and more b eautiful , in the- words of Langston Hughes , as we re-embr a c e d ou r own ri t u a ls . Ch orus ( si n ging an d jiving) Shake your brown , f eet , ho ney, Shake your brown feet, chile, I Shake you r brown f eet , honey, \ Shake Jem swift and wil 1 - Voi ce Get way back , hon ey , Do that low- down step • Walk on over, da r l i n g, Nowt Come out With your left . (Hu ghes ) Voi ce (breaki n g t h e fun - frolic and wairing serious) Yet do I marvel at this curious thi ng : To make a po et b l a Ck . ond bid h im s ing I (ov e r) (.cvUeri) ·- ~ /k w-;=--- -\t, .~ �22 Narrator Yet must I marvel that I'm here nt al l. Because during the watering years, after the GREAT DEPRESSION, my existence was seriously threatened by lynching and at atmosphere of intimidation. I went to war, as poem and soldier and cook and shining knight of DEMOCRACY! The SWASTIKA, 'rhe RISING SUN, The HAMI1ER & SICKLE , I was told, were my REAL enemies . Meanwhile you had named me Owen Dodson and I grew accustomed to the realities of neighborly enemies, 'rhose who caused UNNATURAL DEATHS . Voice(preaching a funeral sermon) d I Wake up, boy, and tell me how yo u died: What sense was alert last, What immediate intuition about m You clutched like a bullet when your nails Dug red in your yellow p alm And that map the fortunetell e rs r ead Chorus (this line for money , this for love) ·Voice ••• Chorus Wake up, boy . ••• Voice • • • I go to death tomorrow, I Tell me what ro a d you took, • • • Chory.s What hour in the day is luc kiest? Voice Did your Adams apple explode? Who sewed stitches in your angry (over) heart ?(0.~.S0'1] I �-23 Chorus O wake ••• Narr a t o r Yes, yes, • • • I wa s someti me s a t at t e red and beaten poem in the nineteen Thirties, Fo rti e s an d Fifties. But I was a poem anyway: Gracious, Noble, ~un darnen tal, Fiery, Firm, Relating to .1~ W(lltt~ People" on ~ur Common Ground . Some one cal led me Margare~ I became a Tapestry of My Many Selves. Voice#l For my people,everywhere sin ging their slave songs repeatedly ; • • • their dirges and th eir ditties and theitit.:,bL~ and jubilees, Voi ce1f3 • • • praying th e ir p r ayers ni ghtly to an unknown god, Voice/Pf • • • bending th eir knees humbly to an un/seen power; Voice #2 • • • washing/ironin g cooking scrubbing sewing mending plowing/digging planting pruning patching dragging along n ever gaining never reaping neve~ knowing and never understand/tng; Voice#) For my playmates in the clay and du s t and sand of Alabama backyards playing • • • Voice #l baptizing · and••• Voice#2 preaching and ••• (over) hoeing/ �24 Voiceif3 doptor and ••• Voice/fl jail and ••• Voice-/12 soldier and ••• Voiceff3 school and •••• Voiceirl mama and/cookin8 an d playhouse and concert and store and/hair and l-1iss Choomby and company; Voice #2 For the cramp ed bewildered ye a rs we went to school t o learn to know the reasons why and the answer s to and t h e people who and the p laces wh ere and the days when , in memory of t he bitter hours ,-men we di s cov ere d we were black and poor and small and different an d nobody cared an d nobody wondered and nobody understood; Voice lfJ/ § ~;.)), For the boys and girls who grew in spite of these things to be • .. man and woman, to l au gh and dance and sin g and play and drink th eir wine and reli gi_on and success, to marry their playmates and be a r children and then die of consumption and anemia and lynching; Voice#l For my people throngin 15 47th Street in Chicago and Lenox Avenue in New stre et in New Orleans, ••• Voiceif· For my people blundering and g roping and floundering in the (o ver ) I l , I �25 dark of churche s an d nch ools and clubs and societies , as - • sociations an d co uncils an d connni ttees and convent i ons, distressed a nd di s turbe d and deceived and devoured by money-hungry glory-craving leeches, preyed on by facile force of st ate and fad an d novelty , by false prophet and holy believer; Voice-11'3 Le t a new ea rth ri se . Lot anothe r wo rld be born. Let a bloody peace be wri t t en in t he sky , Voic e#"J. • •• Le t a second gen e ra t ion full/ of courage issue forth ; Voice #2 • • • l e t a peo ple loving fr e e dom come/ to growth . Let a beauty ful l / of healing and a stren gth of final clenching be the pulsing in/ our spirits and(our blood . Voice #J • • • Let the martial songs be written , let the dirges dis/ appear. Ch orus(strongly) • • • Let a race of men now rise and tak e contro l . (M. Walker) b Narrate r Frank Ma rshall Da vis , Melvin Be a unorous Tolson , Sterling Brown, :Hobert Hay den, Pau l Ve sey, Bob Kau fman , Geore;ia Douglas ~ Johnson, Russell Atkins, Le a dbel l y , Li [71 t nin 1 Hopkins--thes e are names by which my voice is lmo,,m . Some even call me by the n ame of (whisp e ring ) HISTO RY . Ch or u s ( r isin g from History I Runagat e I Runa gatel Voice Runs falls rises stumbl e s on f r om da rlrne ss into darlmess and the da rkness thic kete d ui t h shap e s of t e r r or ( ov e r) II �~ ;-.-lii'i:::====~:::::::::::::::=====~~--=,-,..= 26 and the hunt e rs pu rsu i n g and the h ound s pursuing and t he n i gh t cold an d t he ni 8ht long a nd the river tocross a nd t he j a.c k - muh-l ante rns beckoning be c koning and th e b l ack n e ss ahead and when shall I r ea ch that son:ewhere morning a nd k e ep on go ing a nd ne v er turn back and keep on going ••• Chorus(fri gh tencd) Runa gatel Voice Some go weeping and some r e j oicing I, ~~ some in coffins and s ome i n c a rri age s ~ ~ some in s ilks and some i n shackl e s ••• -- r Oh tha t train , gho s t-story trai n through swamp and s~vanna mov c r ing mo vering over trestles of dew, thro u gh c a ves of the wish, _M_i_dn_i~gh,,_t__S~p_e_c_i_a=l,_o_n_a _sabre track mov e ring movering, first s t o e y and th e l as t Ha llelujah . \ Voice O- '2.--, \ ' Ch oru s ( ~ Mean me ~n t ean to be fr e e . ( R. Hayden) Narrator I became a brilliant word- to rch shining back against my past and flami ng proudly into the f u ture . Al l the while I wormed into and won hearts and minds . And in 1950 , Ameri c a gave me the coveted Pulitzer Prise . My name was Annie A1len but I wus many peo ple . I was so fin ely sculpted that no infl e c tion wa s impreci se . I said what I had to say in a langua ge that dazzled and blinded the worl d . I s tood as a j ewel ; I talkitJd about e. jewel name d "Satin-Less Smith . 11 (ov er) I, �27 Voice(a s others look on admiringly) He wakes, unwinds, elaborately: a cat Tawny, reluctant, royal o He is fat And fine this morning . Definite . Reimbursed. He waits a momemt , he designs his reign , That no performance m~y be plain or vainp Then rises in a cl ear deliriwn. Voice Let .; us proceed. Let us inspect, together .With his meticulous and serious love, , The tnnards of this closet. Which is vault r ~ Whose glory is not diamonds, not pearls , Not silver plate with just enough dull shine . But wonder suits in yeJlow ru1d in wine , Sarcastic creen and zebra-striped cobalt. With shoulder padding that is wide And cocky and determined as his pride ; Ballooning pan.ts that taper off to ends Scheduled to choke precisely . Voice Here are hats Like bri ght umbrellas; and hysterical ties Like narrow banners for some gathering war.(G . Narrator Yes , I was immaculately Black . Magni ficently Black . And I knew the powe r of the Rap I Chorus Amen! (over) �28 Narrator I became the power of the Ra.pl Ch orus Amen ! Vo ice Bartender, make it strai ght and ma ke it two -Voice( poin t ing) Otte for the you in me ••• Voice (point i ng ) • •• and the me . in you . (H. Tol so n ) Nar r ator After lengthy conversations with my music, I became th e Be-Bopper; somebody c alled me t he Zoot-S uiter ; I put on dark gl a sses and conked my hair. A do uble-chinned salesman handed me some bleaching cream and a cadillac as I sped North to join my brothers and sisters in the Promised Lan d. Richard Wright and James Baldwin cried for me . John Oliver Killens Hea rd The Thunde r and Ralph Ellison called me Invisible , adding that once my leaders de coded the riddl e of my style and my rap they could help me save me . Black , I left a White country to fight Yellow men in Korea . Ella , Miles , Monk , Billie, Prez , Chana Pozo , Ornette, Col t rane -- they went to war with me . Ch orus Good Morning heartachel(sung) How do you do.(said) Horn Medley of tunes and musical mannerisms reminiscent of the period. / Narra tor I got hip to world events , sci en c e and space exploration . I knew wha:; I knew, still I c ouldn 1 t go where I wanted to go, or d() what I wanted to do . Americ a: got nervo us wh en ever I ap pe a r ed in public . But I knew (o ver) �29 certain events and de velopmen t s were dooming all of us t.o an "Ultimate Reality. 11 Voice You know , Joe, it's a fUJ1ny t h in~, Joe , You worry most of you r life about me , Always afraid 1 1 11 g,et a job with you, Always scared I mi c;ht get s e rv e d Hi th you , I Always afraid I'd wanna love you r sister I Or that she might love me . Voice Don~t want me to e o. t with you , Voice Seared I might live next t o you-- / ~•t Vo i ce But with the Atom Bomb , Joe , It looks like I might die with you . Voice That don •t : seem ri c;ht , does it, Joe?( Ray Durem) Narrator But in spit e of all the adversity, the historical s trengths kept returning to me , sho rin g me u_r , h clpine; me to keep ge tting up, to keep going . We had our personal victori es in the meant ime . We learned everything tha t it too~ to make it in America , even when no one would let us have equipment or space to work in . We ju s t reo.che d back inside ours elves and came up with what was n ee de d . Then one day, the poem became a baseball in the hands of the le gendary Leroy Satchel Paige . Voic e Sometimes I feel like I will never stop Just go on foreve r ( over) I I �30 .dll one fine morniri 1 I'm gonna reach up and g rab me a handf'ulla stars Swing out my long lean le g \ And whip th ree hot strikes burnin 1 down the heavens And look over at God and say How about thatt(S. Allep) \ ) Narrator Style has always been my signature . So it was not a surp ris e t hat I returned to myself in motion . Behold ! The Stroll! Ch orus Sings a portion of -.rcne Chandler ' s 11 Duke of Ba rl II or some oth er period pi ec e . lJu1•ruLl) I' ' The Kans a s City Slo p I The i·1adi son I Sings !l portion of the Five Satins ' "±n the Still of the Nigh t" or anothe r song from period . Na rrator The Twist ! II B:ri•ef exerpt from Chubby Checker ' s "Twist 11 • Narrator The Funky Chicken l 'fi1e Karate Do ogaloo I They saw me poeting with my hips and my feet . Chorus Poetincl Poeting t Na rrat or And took it all b a ck to American Bandstand and other countries . Voice (sin ging ) There 's a thrill upon the hill! Chorus (singing) Let's Go ! Let ' s Go! Let 1 s Go! (over) I I �Norrator I ea.me home from Ko rea to meet the Klan in a new sheet. And in Mo nt gomery they would not let my mother sit down on a bus. As a poem, my name became Lanc e Jeffers, Raymond Patterson , G. C. Oden, Mari Evans , LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amiri Baraka , Audre Lorde . Chorus( qucstioningly) Montgome ry? Montgomery? Mont gomery? • • • I remember Montgomery . Voice And Birmingham--the fo\J\" little , little girls. t' Voice Four little girls r, Who went to Sunday Scho ol that day And never came ba c k homo at all - Voice But le ft inste a d Th~ir blood upon the wall With spattered flesh And bloodied Sunday dresses Scorched by dynamite that Ghina made aeons ago Dmtl not know' what China made Befo re China was ever Red at all Woul d redden with their blood This Birmingham- on-Sunday wall . Four tiny girls Who left thei r blood upon th a t wal l , In jli ttle ·.graves _today await (o v e r ) .... �32 Voice The dynamit e t ho. t mi ch t i gnite The anci ent fuse of Dr a gon Kings ·w hose tomorrow sing s a. hymn The missiona ries n e v er t a u f;ht In Ch ristian Sunday ~cho ol 'f o Impl ement th e Go lden Hu le . Voice Four little girl s Might be awakened someday so on By son gs u pon the breeze Voice As y et unfelt amo n g Magnolia trees . \ ! (t-\vffe-9 Voice And Se lma ! Voice And Philadelphia, Mississippi! Voice(vagu e ly, hesita ting ly) I recollect Emmett Til l! Voice Jind Watts! Harrator My Name was Conrad Kent Rivers at that time . I became a poem called "Watts , " hoping that in such dis guise I could find my way out of this daily nightmare. Voice Hust I sho o t the white man dead to free the ni gge r (e v er ) . �33 tis head? Voice( p ausing , musin e ) Must I shoot the white man dead to free the nigger in h is head? (t ,t~°t(..Jer;) Voice And Newa r k l Voice And Harlem ! Voice And Oakland I ' Voice And Dallas! Voice And East St . Louis! Voic e And Chicago J Voice Hartin Luther King ! Voice Malcolm! ,( J Voi c~ Stokley! Voice H. flap Bro wn! Voice James Brown l (ov e r) �Na rrator 34 the ~ sky . Libe ration became ~y ;passi onate preoccupati on . A warm self-love engulfed me . My woman and I looke d at each othor through new-old eyes . We had our own standard of be a uty. I stret ched and yawned and walked around in my own neighborhood. My ~o l or felt good and healthy to me . It looked good to me in the mirror of my Brothers 1 eyes . Someone called me Black and I didn I t h it him. At a ral l y , I turned into a voice on the podium shouting. Chorus WE ARE AN AFRICAN PEOPLE! Drummer & Dance r Salute the coming of the new consciousness with appropria t e n eo - Afri can rhythms and movement s . Voice For all thin gs Plack and beautiful , The brown f a c es you loved s o well and lonG, the endless roads leading bac k to Harlem . Chorus Kulu Se Mama l Kulu Se Mama! Ku l u Se Mama! Kulu Se Mama Vbice i/1 Where the string At ~~,~~ Some umbilical j azz , Voice #2 Or perhaps , I n memory, A long lost bloody cross, Buried in some steel calvary. �35 Voicetf3 ,J~ In what time For whom do we bl ee d, 1 Lost notes, from some j a zzman s Broken needle. Voice tf4 Musical tears from lo s t Byes , Broken drumstick s, whyT Voice1tl q- Pitter pa tte r , boom dropping v Bombs in the middle Of my emotions Voicetf~ . Voi ce t/=3 ~ My father 1 s s oun d My mother i s sound ••• Chorus Is l ove , f\\ Is life . ~ (\3,(°o.\lr~V\) "if<).~ Narrator I had watched America . I know Amer ic a . I could deal with the diff e rence and the samene ss, ~hut st r ange decora t e d pain that character ize s our existence . I ke ~ f coming b ac:, Co the point of the sy'~he s is and the symbiosis . I am history ru~d fut ure, or , put differently , I am future • history . Sometimes , because of my many levels of vision , I grasp the helm of the struggJ. es of the many co lo red hands . I might ev en be in a riv er that laces the stomach of America . ... �36 Voice (with dance accompaniment) Vibrant vein, Bent, crooked, Older than the Red Men \ Who named you; Arici ent as the winds That break on your Serene and shining face; One time western boundary of America From whc.s,&rc.ehTh~ Your broad shoulders now r each To touch sisters On the flanks . Cb:brus River of Truth: Voice • • • Mornings You leap , yawn 2000 miles , And shed a giant joyous tear Over sprouting, straggling Hives of humanity; Nigh ts you weep As the moon , tiptoeing Across your silent silky Face, hears you praying Over the broken backs Of black slaves who rode, ~rouched and hudd led, At your heart in the bellies (6cer) �Chorus River of Memo ry_: Voice Laboratory for C1vil War Boat builders Who left huge eyes of steel Staring from your sullen deptl1s; Reluctant pa rtn er to crime s 0 f Ku Klux IGana.men ; River moved to wav es Of ecstasy By the venerable trumpet Of Louis Armstrong . Chor1ls River of Bones : River of bones and flesh-- ~ ;.~ Bones and flesh and blood; Voice The nation ' s large st Intestine And longest conveyer belt; Cho rus River MISSISSIPPI: River of little rivers; River of rises , Voice Sometimes subdued By a roof of ice, descendine finally On your Southward course .:.. �38 Gu lf And join the wrath 0 f large r bodies . ( l{edmo nd) Na rrato r I mused ov e r river s and long - go n e v o ices underneath rivers . Soor., however, I turned to philosophy . In the spit and dart of my new se lf, th e re were uttera nces I had to make , blood- thou ghts I had to share . I knew this was another sequel to the dream . I h a d not believed those fairy tales . I needed to take a hand a n d s tand and speak the truth to t he people . Cho rus Speak the truth to the people ! Vo ice It is not n e c essary to Gre en the heart Only to ident ify the enemy It is not nec ess ary t o blo w the mind Only to free the mind . ·0riorus It is thetotal black! Voi ce It is the total black, being spoken From theearth' s inside. There are many kinds of open. How a diamond comes into c1l,: knot of flame How a sound comes into a word, colored By who pays what for speaking . Chorus Love is another k ind of openr(over) �39 Voice diamond comes ipto a kno t of flame I am bla c k b ecause I come from the earth ' s i nsi de Take my word for j ewel in your open li@it . Na rrator I am the ecs tasy of NOW ! 'fhe fullest realization of my Ancestors' wishes. I retum , even in the alarm ; even in the shadow-body I am often forced to we ar . But enouf!,h , cnough --I beg you, my dear aijsociates, look How on our's and history 's finest treasure. Voice(and dancer ) I am a black woman the musi c of my song some sweet a rp eggio of t ea rs is written in a mi nor k ey and I can be heard humming in the ni l.Jlt Can be heard hummin g ✓ Cho rus Hums fi rst line of 11 No body l,no ws the Troubl e I See Vo ice(continuing poem ) in the night , J / I saw my mate leap scre runi n c to th e s ea and I/with these han~s/cupped the lifebreath from my issue in tre c anebre.lrn I lost Nat ' s swinging body in a rain of tears and I heard my son ~ s cre am all the way from~z for Peace he n evEr kn ew . • • • I learned Da Nang \md Pork Chop Hill in anguish (o ver) 7 11 , �40 my no s trils lmow the gas and t h ese tri gge r tire/d fin Ge rs seek t h e softness in my wa r rio r 1 s b ear d I am a blac k woman tall as a cypress strong beyond all definition st ill defying place and time and circum s tance assailed ) impervious i ndestruc tible Look on me and be renewed.(/j\ f~~0 Cho rus Look on me and be ren ewed. A.1 1 Look on us and be renewed. 11inis � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eugene B. Redmond Digital Collection Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EBRWritings_09_36 Title A name given to the resource Second draft of Drumvoices: The Mission of Afro-American Poetry, A Readers Theatre/Ritual Drama, typed with handwritten edits, 1977 Relation A related resource Eugene B. Redmond Digital Collection Language A language of the resource English Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource For digital rights and permissions, see <a href="https://www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/about/policies.shtml">https://www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/about/policies.shtml</a> or contact <a href="mailto:library@siue.edu">library@siue.edu</a> for direct inquiries. In copyright. <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Redmond, Eugene B. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977