Sounding
Sounding
the (De)Colonial Continuum
I.
There are waves of colonization;
Then there are decolonial movements;
And then there is the (de)colonial continuum
Composed of the social fabrics affected
By these two alternating vibrations.
II.
Waves of colonization
Rend and tatter social fabrics;
They are destructive vibes,
Bad vibes.
Decolonial movements
Weave and mend social fabrics;
They are reparative vibes,
Good vibes.
III.
Waves of colonization vibe,
Decolonial movements vibe,
But these cancel those.
Waves of colonization constructively interfere with each other
But destructively interfere with and frustrate decolonial movements.
Likewise, decolonial movements constructively interfere with each other
But destructively interfere with and frustrate waves of colonization.
Simply put, the bad vibes and the good vibes don’t jive.
IV.
Every decolonial act taken in the present,
No matter how slight,
Vibes with each and every other act of decolonization,
Amplifying them all — past, present, and future —
Reverberating throughout the social fabric,
Further entangling every here with every there,
And every now with every then.
Likewise, every colonial act taken in the present,
Vibes with each and every other act of colonization,
Sending shudders through the social fabric,
Furthering its unraveling everywhere.
Act accordingly.
V.
Every vibe has its envelope:
An attack, decay, sustain, and release;
A ramp-up and fallout;
A break and wake.
The bad break of a wave of colonization
Often takes place in the wake of a decolonial movement,
At the very moment when the sustain is released
— Call it a breakdown.
Vice versa, the lucky break of a decolonial movement
Often takes place in the wake of a wave of colonization
— Call it a breakthrough.
VI.
Wake work during breakthroughs
Is crucial to surviving breakdowns.
Fugitive planning during breakdowns
Prepares the way for breakthroughs.
A one, two. A one, two.
From breakdown, to breakthrough.
Make plans, work the wake.
Ride the rhythm,
And syncopate
A breakdance
Or a break-beat?
A tidalectic,
All incomplete.
