Like A Palm Tree Poem by Ola Joseph Kolawole

LIKE A PALM TREE.

Of all the trees in the forest,
Of all the plants I’ve seen,
Of all the perennials in the tropics,
There is one that stood out in usage.

From the seeds to the stem;
From the leaves to the leaflets;
From the root to the rootlets;
The palm is in all a wholesome plant.

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Like a palm in your vineyard,
Make me your favourite O’ Vinedresser,
Pruning and grooming my arrogant nature
Till my bounty fruitfulness ensures my usability

Take my past, however stinking it may be
Make it be nourishment to some soils
Adding values to growing palms
Besides the virtues they already possess.

Take my now in its entirety
Making it a pattern for the growing palms
That they may know the next line of growth
In such a tropical climate as this

Take my future and have it glazed
As a big signpost readable by all
Declaring the standard of a wholesome palm
Useful as a whole; from tip to root.

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You may still be a seed,
Or a seedling in the primaries…
Though the best time to plant a palm is 20 years ago,
The second best time is NOW!

See you in a house someday as a broom
Or across the river someday as a bridge
Or on a hut someday as a roof
Or in a keg someday as palm – oil.

Selah!

June 7,2007.