This book was under the Christmas tree for me and I read it before I was ten. I remember the poem being difficult to follow and I didn't understand the culture being expressed. After all this time though, I wonder if it didn't have quite an influence on my young mind. I was introduced to the flow and rhythm of poetry and the cadence of words. I was also led into different ways of looking at the world and finding beauty and value there. So all-in-all, I believe it must be said that this book has been an important part of my life, even if it was beyond my grasp at the time.

I still remember the wonderful cadence of the first few lines and how the beat of drums finds it's way into the poem...sweet. ( )