The Masquerade Poem by ANTHONY ANIGBATA

THE MASQUERADE

Face of an animal, leg of a man
Body of a buffalo, hands of a kangaroo
Ugly looking creature
Said to be our ancestor.

Whip in hand, fire on the head
Human skull your neck chain
Your feet bare, with nails like rapiers
You make the chirping sounds of birds
As you dance round our village square

At the tenth mouth of the leap year
Before the papists" harvest hurried here
From the shore where the river Nnam
Stretches it long and broad arms

The juju feast has just begun
And masquerades rush out like bees
From scruffy shines where they dwell
To weave themselves in serpentines moves
To the delight of dudes to be made men

Women went in to hide
In or behind huts, where they find a shelter
Aged feet stagger their way home
While youths filled with vigor
Catch merriment under the beet-roof beer spots

We too we have come
We have come out to dance the familiar fire dance of our people
Roll out the drums
Let our waiting legs begin to fagger

For we have come out with the masquerade
With face of an animal, leg of a man
Body of a buffalos, hands of a kangaroo
Ugly working creature
Said to be our ancestors