Darkness Falls
Darkness falls
Here & everywhere –
Night falls
Bats & owls rule in the darkness;
When will dawn be born?
When will Soja-man count
Counting the myriad of his booties
On the wounds of my Africa?
When darkness falls over mother earth,
Night dims the face of Niger;
Then, hiding fishes emerge,
Countless, as they are, singing
And dancing on the face of Niger
Drumming to the shores
Befriending night & our Niger,
Celebrating the fisherman’s exit
Like a funeral ceremony;
As darkness falls on the region
A stone thrown into the deep ocean
Each clans-man clamours for an idle bed,
Like stragglers fleeing from battlefront,
Every property is left unguarded
To the custody of night
To those possessive arms of darkness,
Then, night sits over the clan like a chief!
Night falls over Africa,
No moon is visible here
Not even a fading star where we lie down;
But, what happened to her bright moon?
Would the sun notice to shine
Over her soil soiled with her own blood?
Here, Soja-man plants his huge feet,
The boot-feet sink the sand of the soft earth;
And leaning on a staff of the silent gun
He bestrides, possessing all the clan
Like an agent of night –
But, when will he count his booties
With all those wounds of new Africa?
Now, he comes here
Wearing a garment of many colours,
Are you Mr. President?
Aren’t you Miss Contract?
Then, Mrs. Administrator?
O, my mistake? Dr. of Law, the Judge?
If none, you are all of the above!
Soja-man, a ruler to be defended,
A servant to be served by all –
Brother, he’s Prof. Contradiction!
Everywhere night persists;
When will day break?
When will the sun smile at my Niger
Soja-man reigns in the darkness;
He eats up each nation
Boring into nature’s treasures
Like ants boring into dry woods;
Yet, ants don’t eat the raw flesh of brother-ants!
Poor warrior! rude ant!
Pretending in a modern benevolence –
Na power dey hungry am!
Wetin you mean, Soja-man?
Na you birthright to rule?
Yes! to rule by boot & bullet?
Darkness falls
Bats & owls rule in the darkness;
When will dawn be born?
Would fishermen ever come to the shore
Of new Africa springing?
Copyright © Canny Amah | Year Posted 2009
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