Brooke Forbes

There’s a beat to this town,

A music to the madness,

A rhythm to the radiance.

Hinged on the edge of sprawling ranges,

Rich with stories and creation,

Mparntwe sits with confidence,

Isolated yet so full of life. 

This beat reverberates through the streets,

Children play to it,

Birds sing to it,

People dance to it. 

And when we’re dancing we’re connecting to an ancient ritual,

Through connection and movement,

Limbs moving in unison or to a beat of their own. 

It’s a gathering,

A mass of humanity,

Bursting with different stories to tell.

Stories of survival,

Stories of dispossession,

Stories of migrants,

Stories of travel,

Stories of other worlds. 

We’re here,

Together,

Bound with sound and movement. 

The best wraps itself around the town,

Hoping for unison,

But also acknowledging difference.