Eight Days Old Poem by Edward Kofi Louis

A tall man and a short woman,
A tall woman and a short man,
All offerings must be salted!
Like the firstling of a donkey and,
Of food, clothing and shelter.
Eight days old,
Of widows and orphans in the days of slavery;
A judge must not show pity to the guilty.

Sail, wail, bail, fail;
Do not spread false report.
Hail, tail, pail, vail;
seek the habitation of your fathers for knowledge.
Nail, mail, jail, rail;
Do not murder anyone!
But use only honest weights and measures.

A message to your daughter-in-law,
A message to your son-in-law,
A message to your father-in-law,
A message to your mother-in-law,
Like the sheef of the firstfruits;
One love and one law to all.

The fire must be kept burning because,
I love to travel;
Your love must be kept touching because,
I love to write;
The vision must be kept going because,
I love to read;
Your dreams must be kept fulfilling because,
I love to paint;
The mission must be kept moving because,
I love to teach others;
Like seeking the habitations of your mothers where,
True love is planted by the rivers of waters.