Issue Eight - February 2005

Songs of the World

By Alaya Battalia

Vibrations rumble making echoes in my mind
Echoes turn to whispered words
One wave harsh one wave soft
The harsh wave strikes piercing to the bone
Booming into existence
The other sneaks into being
Rising and falling in the beat of life
Beautiful words make melancholy melodies
That tingle with serene divinity 
Making songs that tune to a happy heart
The voices that are sung reflect
Back to the past of these two strong cultures
Back to when the west was won
And the south was conquered
They sing of civilizations clash
And mans seemingly lust for war
Chanting with prayers to harmonize
For the world to have one tone
The tone of happiness

©2005 by Alaya Battalia

Alaya Battalia wrote Songs of the World and Good Verse Survival when she was 16 years old. She was born in a little shack on Lopez and therefore describes herself as “an Island girl for life.” Alaya says she “loves life, all aspects of it, even the parts that are supposed to ‘make you stronger.’ ” She considers traveling a necessity in her life, and she travels whenever possible.

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