If Tumorrow Meets Us Not, Poem by Lambon Salifu Muhammeed

Tell them!

Look on to my face
And let fall the secret
We hided in the invisible bier
Of eternity
When all eyes and ears
were blinded and deafened
By sleep
Let the vultures
Of the evil forest
Spice my body
For a glamorous banquet!

Say it!

I have heard already
The gossip from the women
On the way to the stream
At dawn
From the Nayiri's gong beater
I have heard the fearful decree
And equally,
I have seen
the spears of monstrous laughter
Burst the cheeks of our foes

Sister, tell mama,
To weep no more
For when the stubborn fowl
Digs deep the ground
It exposes the bones
Of its ancestors
The mouse madly
Went to the cattery
To buy itself the meat
Of a kitten
Love, love, love!
like a cunning fox
Baited the hungry fowl
With the meat of a cockroach
And not could it have resisted
I knew forbidden
was the eaten fruit
But what cause or reason
Could have made the dog
unleash the juicy bone

The broadened hips of Nasara
Made visible by her
Tight-shortened kente skirt
Could have made me
Grill my fingers
In a wild inferno unawarely
The sight of her
ladybird-like skinned beads
Lustfully stimulated me
And i would have mounted
A bull forgetfully
What of the well-filled erected
balls on her chest
That itched my palms always
For her round botty,
That swayed like a leave
Quaked by a violent tempest
Did nearly broke my neck
For vying with it always
In each direction it went

The fearful taboo of chastity
We have smitten
The womb of Nasara
Shelters the flesh of my blood
And there awaits no option
Other than a bloody execution

If tumorrow meet us not,
Remember the aged love song
We sang togather
When the full white moon
Came passing
Remember the soft chorus
I Joined in with
That silenced the envious song birds
The mucus may do it worse
But never does it go off
With the nose
I still remain your only cow boy
That robbed you milk and cheese
And paid the penalty
With my bare back
That suffered the pains
Of papa's whip…