New Sun Rising © R. Leschen (19 September 2006)

The dawn choir calls the children off to school,

To assemble words from the book of rules,

Mothers hang loose among yesterdays cane, they fill their bags before the mid-day rain.

Fathers flex their legs at the drying shed,

Drop their tools and then they break for bread,

The master calls, “bring that wagon round,”

The sickles split and there’s millet to ground.

*There’s a new sun rising (3x), and its quitting time.

The mice are dancin’ in the sacs of corn,

The dirty ole cat ignores the toot of the horn,

The doctor’s here he’s got word from home,

There’s a new sun rising and a baby’s born.

There’s a new sun rising in the western sky,

There’s a new sun rising, come clear your eyes,

There’s a new sun rising and its quitting time.

Pull the hemp and wrap the leaves up tight,

Grandfather’s slacking ya know he’s been up all night,

The mangoes ripe sink your teeth in deep,

One eye closes while the other’s asleep.*