Olalekan Ajayi | + Follow Poet |
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I Have Known This Land

Conceived and born in the rainforest 
I have traversed the Savanna and the Mangrove
I have trudged through its Swamp 
And dwelt I have in its Woodland	
But I only bear tales of 
The Montane and the Marginal Savanna 

I have beheld its landscape 
With the Yellow trumpet spreading its wings
Like a peacock exhibiting its splendor
And taken shade under the Neem tree
While its Masquerade and Eucalyptus trees 
Shield us from the sun’s afternoon anger

I have known its two largest rivers
And its highest heights at Chappal Waddi
I have seen the rocks at Olumo, Zuma and Aso
And the beauty its coastlines once harboured 
I have danced in its rainfall and borne its desert dust 
And heard myths of plateaus in Mambila, Jos and Obudu

I have heard the drums, flutes and maracas of its sons
And seen maidens from diverse tribes and tongues
Wriggle with beads across their waists and ankles
While men swallow morsels of cassava and millet
And drown themselves in wine eked from palm 
While we feast on the flesh of sacrificial beasts

I have known this land and its riches in 
Marble, gold, sapphire, salt, oil and timber
Yet, like the stars of the skies, I am unable 
To number its armies of tired and hungry masses
Who enthrone kings but must paupers remain
Because their forebears swore to oaths of servitude


I have seen this land wrestle with destiny
And chiefs of the tribes growl like crabs
Proclaiming that the different marks on our faces
And symbols of our creed make us fish and bird
I have seen patriots metamorphose into traitors
And builders of monuments hold the garments  
Of those that brazenly rape the old woman

Copyright © Olalekan Ajayi | Year Posted 2020

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