[Ofentse]

Before

Before the borders, we were one
you may have farmed while I hunted,
but you were my brother

Before I was told who to socialize with
seTswana se tswaneng, isiZulu e sizulwini
you were my sister

Before he said, she said,
“Those dirty little scoundrels aren’t worthy
to play with my kids” you were my mother
I belonged to no house hold, the community
was my family

Before, when potatoes and such were currency,
when we used to barter
over beer brewed in a pot on an a naked flame
we used to debate and we used to play games
long chats we had, before my tongue could twang
when it was virgin to a language foreign,
tongues that came on ships pouring
onto the shores of a continent dubbed dark,
our own tongues clicked and clacked
as we spoke in tongues, yet understood each other
every older man was your father,
when the dark shade of your skin and your coarse hair
were beautiful, YOU and I were BROTHERS

Before, BEFORE, before all of it the was UBUNTU