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As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
Using lyrics from the classic song by Toto, "Africa," give me a short story of less than 1000 words. You aint gotta use ALL the lyrics, but somewhere in the prose, slide in some recognizable references. Any topic. Go with prose using standard accepted spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Poetry will be mocked and set afire.
Cover image for post The Kilimanjaro in the Savanah, by LARGE
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LARGE in Fiction
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The Kilimanjaro in the Savanah

"It's not what you are called, it's what you answer to," African proverb.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, There's nothing a million men or more could ever do, I bless the rains down...

-- Sexy ambiguous song.

-- But what does it mean?

I seek to cure what's deep inside, Frightened of this thing that I've become...

"It was written in ten minutes," it didn't matter who broke the silence... it was our conversation already underway. Us, watching TV, like when the song was written.

We were reclining on the loveseat. White skin over black, twist of arms. Our hands locked. Hair upon shoulders, in repose, for a moment. Our moment.

"White man's guilt. Kilimanjaro is the peak of greatness, nearly unsurpassable. The Serengeti the vast formable seeming empty, a plain with a miracle of life, in otherwise arid desert. We brought a Spiritual people down, to our level. The cradle of Civilization, and we've IMF'd them into sick orphan beggars. "

"Like maybe it's apology from artistic souls to... the continent? Heartache for bringing Religion, and contaminated Polio vaccine... Africa as a meter of our own social and cultural immunodeficiency. Faithlessness. A beautiful people nearly wasted in the outbreak of AIDS, stigmatized by color, by that black 'gay plague.' And this tumult was weighing on the conscience, emerging in the love lyrics..."

"The song came out in 1982. First thing that pops to mind in correlation is the Live Aid Concert."

"Did Toto play?"

"Dunno. That was 1985. The continent was drought stricken. A starving people, and they brought them music..."

"That's almost a beautiful thing... except could Africans hear it?"

"A show. Do you want a hit?"

"No, Is that it then? Africa ...waiting there... for a release? for a drug, a pharmaceutic? or the kindness of Lady death?"

"No sense waiting for the ladies, ha."

"Haha. Dave take your clothes."

"In a hurry to get out of here man?"

"Naw only... She's coming in, 12:30 flight... "

"Oh. yeah forgot."

Gonna take some time...

"Sure, I get it, I get it, no prob. Til next time."

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you...

There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

I bless the rains down in Africa

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you...

2023 NOV 19

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