On the shore of Gorée Island
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In the fullness of our mother's tongue
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We spoke our names
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The way the mothers
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Before her
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Whispered it
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In nightly prayers
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Daughter of Susie Lynn called Little, named after her mother Susie Lee, and her mother's
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Name lost Ashe, and her mother's name lost Ashe**
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Echoing
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Through the stillness
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Syllables
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We used to recoil
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Pressed our accents down
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The way we begged the kinks in our hair
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To fall flat monotone
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Now, we savored each sound
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That fell from the tip of our tongue
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To our lips
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Spicy, sweet like kelewele
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Call us daughter
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Call us by name
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Call us daughter
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Call us by name***
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