Two Crowns: One For The Ceremony One For The Spirit Poem by *Tony Cemaluk Egbuonu

The war just ended.

At the peak of a great cultural initiation celebration,
he brought forth his father's voice —
a ceremonial giant elephant tusk.

He started blowing.
Pupupupuu puuu.

A shrill infant voice bellowed from within:
'Go and keep that thing for me.'

The post-war celebration was not as rich
as it ought to be.
For the second rite is a different ballgame.
One is initiated, the other is celebrated after.

An elderly man drew the celebrant's attention
to the child's command.
The celebrant did not heed.

The child went inside and ran a high temperature,
until the sacred item was returned
and kept in its proper place,
with profuse pleading by the celebrant.

And the temperature subsided.