YOUR SONG!

When a woman
in a certain African tribe
knows
she is pregnant,
she goes out
into the wilderness
with a few friends
and together
they pray and meditate
until they hear
the song
of the child.

They recognize
that
every soul
has its own
vibration
that expresses
its unique
flavor
and
purpose.

When the women
attune
to the song,
they sing it
out loud.
Then
they return to the tribe
and teach it
to everyone else.

When the child is
born,
the community
gathers
and sings
the child's song
to him or her.

Later,
when the child
enters
education,
the village gathers
and chants
the child's song.

When the child
passes
through the initiation
to adulthood,
the people
again come together
and sing.

At the time
of marriage,
the person hears
his or her song.

Finally,
when the soul
is about to pass
from this world,
the family and friends
gather
at the person's bed,
just as they did
at their birth,
and they sing
the person
to the next life.

In the African tribe
there is
one other occasion
upon which
the villagers
sing to the child.

If at any time
during his or her life,
the person
commits
a crime
or
aberrant
social act,
the individual
is called
to the centre of the village
and the people
in the community
form a circle
around
them.

Then
they sing
their song
to them.

The tribe recognizes
that
the correction
for antisocial behavior
is not
punishment;
it is
love
and
the remembrance
of identity.