rekindle

i fell in love this weekend, ya’ll
seen an old flame in the park
from the moment that i heard her call
speaking to my heart
i knew our paths would cross again
jus’ didn’t know it’d be today
i felt her spirit pull me in
calling me to play
as we begin to move in sync
to the rhythm of the drum
a sly smile and then a knowing wink
this game is so much fun!
everyone’s eyes on us
stirrin’ up a buzz
i’d almost didn’t remember just
how beautiful she was!
yep, fell back in love this weekend, ya’ll
when i seen her in the park
all it took was to hear her call
to know i still loved this art

© 2006 DLM


Went to down Malcolm X Park in DC this weekend. Hadn’t been out there since summer before last but yesterday I was in the mood to hear some really good drumming. As soon as parked and started walking up the steps to the entrance I could hear the deep rhythm. As I approached the area where all the drummers congregate I was surprised to see that this melodic sound was emanating from a lone drummer! This brother was doing his thing and this old man, had to be in his 80s or older, was dancing and shuffling his feet to the drum beat. I watched this go on in amazement for about 15 minutes. Ol’ pops kept the rhythm no matter how fast or slow the drummer played. Amazing.

About an hour and a half later the area was crammed with drummers, the air filled with music and dancers were beginning to get arrive and do their thing. A few cats showed up with reco recos, tambourines and agogos (cowbells) to compliment the drums. I heard somebody playing a flute or something too but by that time it was way too many people there for me to see exactly what it was or who was playing it. It was a beautiful scene. That’s when I hear it. The sharp, distinct ching! of a particular string instrument. I looked around and when I couldn’t locate it I thought I was hearing things. A few moments later I heard it again. Ching! Closer now. This time it when chi-chi, ching, dong, dong, cha-cha, ching, dong, dong! Unmistakable sound. Unmistakable rhythm. I turned and looked to the other side of the park and I see these two brother walking towards the drummers’ area, one of them playing the berimbau I’d heard. Capoeiristas! I was thinking, “Cool!, Not only am going to get hear some good music, I also get to see some Afrikans playing capoeira!” I haven’t played capoeira in minute, like 2 years or so. Plus just that morning I had participated in our regular 3 hour sparring session with the other instructors from the martial arts school I train at so I definitely wasn’t thinking about playing in a roda. But once I heard the berimbau strummin’ chi-chi, ching, dong, dong, and once I heard one of the brothers singing in Portuguese, “Ai ai Aide, jogo bonito que eu quero ver” and felt myself involuntarily answer “Ai ai Aide, joga bonito que eu quero aprender”, I knew I had to at least go over there for a closer look. I’m was just gonna clap though…maybe help sing a song or two.

Five minutes later I was in the middle of the small roda doing handstands, backbends and flips I hadn’t done since I injured my achilles tendon back in ’04. Capoeira is so different from martial arts sparring. The object here is not to blast your opponent with an overwhelming onslaught of kicks, punches, elbows and knees or to grapple him to the floor and choke him into submission. No, inside the capoeira roda is where you express yourself. Where you and your opponent communicate, through various kicks, strikes and sweeps, with each other without necessarily making contact or breaking the flow of the game. Its here in the roda were you create your own beautiful works of art through movement and maladragem (trickery). I had so much fun in the park yesterday. I think my love for capoeira has been rekindled.