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Sonic vibrations

Sound vibration

'Sound vibration', a poem by Leeds poet Khadijah Ibrahiim.

by Khadijah Ibrahiim

2nd September 2021
“Amplify
Jah Shaka - Wasiffa - Maverick
deep dub-tion waves
moving cool n deadly, wid
top notch riddims /turn table precision
coin weight needle
on liquid vinyl crisp n crackle of ‘Culture dubplate

‘wat a liiv an bamba yeah’"

This language of dub
could be bodies mapping
memory

Tuned/re/tune/transmission to a…
mystic / sound vibration

‘Do you remember the days of slavery’

Ancestral frequency/ /Wolof…Ibo…Akan
dip and fall-back
of Kumina

Ground-ation [Zion/ revival songs] swelling earth
dub-dub/bass-bass-bass

sanctified callus hands beating bingy
drums hearticle vibrations
to chant down
Babylon’s throne
steppers/ova rock-stone
cold ground /blues
tuff gong/retention/embodiment of
dreams trodding back/back to
Africa
levitate through craft stacked
heavy weight/ speaker box
wiring de gut /with purpose
to raise de dead /wake up
de living

Dis reggae/dis iration
sound waves…
of redemption

say! I and I /deh yah
rewinding
to come back
with melodic/heartbeat ‘n’ radical riddims
to denounce/ all rude bwoy,
dig a burial ground
fe red eye/tin-pan
drum-pan/dibby-dibby
heng-pan-nail/leg-go-beast
sound man/ who come/fe test
test/test dis yah
dub-dub/bass-bass-bass

Amplify
Jah Shaka – Wasiffa – Maverick
deep dub-tion waves
moving cool n deadly, wid
top notch riddims /turn table precision
coin weight needle
on liquid vinyl crisp n crackle of ‘Culture dubplate

‘wat a liiv an bamba yeah’

when clash
cork wid grin n skrew face
the slow burn of boastfulness

Man and man Skankin’ up sweat ‘n’ sweet sensi
and special brew heat/liberate
dub-dub/bass-bass-bass

Midnight skin front man selecta
track Jah natty
chatting/ on de mix me down
chanting/chanting/chanting

Wa-dada – ooh-ooh Wa-dada

Sound vibration
tuned/re/tune this transmission

© Khadijah Ibrahiim

Khadijah Ibrahiim

Khadijah Ibrahiim

Hailed as one of Yorkshire’s most prolific poets by the BBC, Khadijah Ibrahiim was born in Leeds of Jamaican parentage.

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