family tradition

[fledgist]

 each ancient mango tree marks an old grave

i listen as my father tells the tale

so each sweet fruit is memory of a slave

 

a rapid flight is all that they could crave

back to the east faster than any sail

each ancient mango tree marks an old grave

 

in those hard times folk knew how to behave

and on which side of truth to set the scale

so each sweet fruit is memory of a slave

 

we can't know if they cursed and then forgave

that's not recorded on the bill of sale

each ancient mango tree marks an old grave

 

so many symbols here that we could save

to make into our kind of holy grail

so each sweet fruit is memory of a slave

 

those lives were ordinary nothing brave

about survival only not to fail

each ancient mango tree marks an old grave

so each sweet fruit is memory of a slave