And If I Die Tonight Poem by Kareem Azeez

In this forlorn spread of life
-Of a struggle well survived,
Amidst the shadows of men, beneath the Lagos bridges
Where I made myself a name
If I die tonight

Shed no tears, for night means peace
Send me fast home, to rebuild my towers,
I have fought a good war, and won many battles
Make merry, more meaningful, a soldier I was
If I die tonight

Under the falcons radiance
Beneath the moonlit flec of my lover
Tell her tales of me,
I was shy to look her in the eyes,
Tell her to seek for better heads and longer life than mine
Tell her I cradle to the grave, and that for her I will come back a thousand lives