Black Rhythm

Mother Africa is the heart and source of black rhythm.

The way we tap and stomp our feet like our brothers and sisters from the Motherland, is unmistakable. We are one.

There's a dance scene in the movie Sinners that influenced the following poem I'd like to share with you. This movie scene was supernatural, almost acting as a cultural seance while depicting generations of Black American and West African dance styles. It was powerful. A rhythm dialogue that reminded us of our African roots in black dance and music culture.

Let me tell you a story.

Black Rhythm

I step into the rhythm like the floor knows my name

Bass moving through my chest like an old family secret

Somewhere in the echo of the beat I hear the hands

that first struck skin to wood in West Africa

The drum speaks first

Always the drum

A palm hits the Djembe

and the room wakes up

Our feet start remembering things

the history books forgot to write down

Stomp.

Clap.

Turn.

That same rhythm catches a boat ride through time

and washes up dancing in Haiti

where hips circle the fire in the spirit of Vodou dance

Slide across the water again

and the rhythm lands laughing in Cuba

where the Conga talks slick

and shoulders roll through Rumba

like the drums are flirting with the night

The beat does not stop traveling

It jumps block parties in the United States

where sneakers scrape concrete

and somebody spins cardboard into a stage

That rhythm becomes Breakdancing

backs spinning like galaxies

hands catching gravity with swagger

But listen close.

Real close.

Under every clap

every shuffle

every spin

that same African drum still breathing

I hear it in church tambourines

I hear it in steel bands shaking the streets of Trinidad and Tobago

I hear it when a crowd shouts

and the DJ drops the bass

Different oceans.

Different accents.

Same pulse

Because the rhythm lives in our ankles

It dwells in our shoulders

It thrives in the way Black bodies answer music

like the beat called our number first

This is Black Rhythm.

About Kiyaza

Zakiya Hakizimana shares her writing talent as Kiyaza the Poet, a multifaceted author and creative whose work bridges poetry, design, and self-discovery. In her book Lost Between the Sheets, she invites readers into her intimate journey through relationships, friendships, and the layered experiences of life as a Black woman. Beyond her literary voice, Kiyaza channels her artistry into Water Lily Studios, a design platform of journals and planners, where she encourages creativity, organization, and self-sufficiency in everyday life.

Her latest creation, Poetry in Bloom, is a collection of handmade, framed poems adorned with pressed flowers, celebrating beauty, resilience, and the art of storytelling.

Kiyaza’s writing focuses on the raw and reflective journey of self-discovery while exploring love, loss, healing, and growth through the lens of a Black woman’s experience.

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