The Firstborn Poem by Olalekan Joseph Ajayi

Your desires may be as strong as
The angry flood of the Niger
And your wealth as high as
The mountains of the Mambilla Plateau
What has been ordained is irreversible
I came from the womb before you

You may stuff chroniclers with kolanut
And severe the tongues of old midwives
You may even blot the book of births
And obliterate its ancient pages
What has been ordained is irreversible
I came from the womb before you

You may heap coal of lies upon the dead
For they who gave us life are now dust
You may possess tubers and condiments
This right is tastier than the honey
What has been ordained is irreversible
I came from the womb before you

What bitterness propelled you to trample
A co-traveller in a shared sac?
What innate grudge impelled you to bite
Nipples that gave you and another suck?
Why does the mirror of you in my face
Plague you with misery?

Like trees beside the Niger
I shall flourish in the sun
And sway with the wind
With my broad branches
Though your hate seeks to annihilate me
The Ancestors ordained me the elder Twin
For I emerged from the womb as the Firstborn