Crossing the Atlantic Ocean

I traveled on a ship from Brazil to South Africa.  It took ten long days to make this journey.   One night, I stood on the bow of the ship with an African American woman. She wondered what it was like for her ancestors, who traveled these same waters on their way to slavery.  Did they know their fate? How did they spend their time during this long, unfamiliar passage? Were they happy? She wondered if they sang and played the drums along the way.  As she verbalized her thoughts, I felt the beat of a drum vibrating inside of me.