Olalekan Joseph Ajayi Poems

My ink had dried up and my feather caked
But her voice bade me …write!

They named me after a dreamer
...

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
...

My hands on her bosom
And eyes on the virgin statue
She made me swear
...

Beginning between sunrise and sunset
Let our old hearts again embrace peace
And odium cease from our eyeballs
Let us invite the spirits to bear us witness
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You may call me the son of a slave
Because my forebears
Bore a Whiteman's name
But I know who I am
...

What father brought forth these little ones
Daily fending off dogs and flies as they
Cheerfully rummage waste from our yard?
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(For Frank Uche Mowah)

Here lies he that untied our chords
Called home one November
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Tears that mine eyes will not shed
Rain perpetually in my heart
And guilt, like the sun
Rises and sets daily within me
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Staring at her on the couch
Her face illumed by the moon
I stand in awe of the Craftsman
Who made my virgin bride
...

Before the burning flares
We knew no boundaries
Now you erect barriers
Ours are hymns of peace
...