A Strong Strong Dance Poem by Moses Kainwo

1. each coronation song
hailed another moses
yet none was christened so

each tune then ended
before the dance began
the coming waves responded
with their many many tunes
and hence
a strong strong dance
which no one else could do

let us catch the dancer’s feet
with a new new tune
from the busy crowd
and call him by his name

or sing not

2. each toastmaster took the crown
to echo another clown
courting frowns after the rounds

each crown developed spikes
on the inside and on the outside
and the ruler lay straight
like a snake among the people
and so
a pastime on the canoe
which only one could paddle

let us count each leader’s words
like seeds from a water melon
so visible yet not so dark
planted on a hillside

or list not

3. the space of elasticity
has been time for harvesting
yet none was named a farmer

the harvest has been for one
not even for the fambul
the banks abroad grew bigger
as those at home grew smaller
and then
the farce of an economy
in a world of sombre economies

let us nurse this leader’s words
on this fertile fertile ground
of land reclaimed from sea
and give them back their words

or farm not