Afolabi Muideen Poet Free verse

Mother Tongue

Yes ma, mother tongue
my ears are not deaf to your calling
even when I am dead at night
and far I have gone in the world beyond – world ceiling
for not like others, stumbling
waddling
falling
dying
is your voice in their ears
I have wanted to die my ears
to this calling
to die it like a day old life-less infant
for even if it is animate
it could neither see nor hear
O what a powerful! Pricking my ears
your wailing a spear

Now I have prepared and I am set
to embark on the fruitless errand of yours
Listen, mother tongue
like proud-less river to my words
I have gone and I have seen her prettiness
I have moved close to her and smelt her scent
O sugary!
This strange tongue is fascinating
her luring tone is so sonorous
instant she sings
your children sleep and snore as frog

O mother tongue!
Opened are my eyes
and covered are my ears
tightened, tightened like thin can
but only your wail rooms my ears

O mother tongue!
You are a mother
whose belly is the ocean
that streams in the flesh
You are a pool of blood
which within flesh you room
Can someone dry water and blood in the flesh
so that you can be no more?
You are a mother
whose no child can tell of her beginning
You are umbilical cord
You are immortal, yet you are dying

O mother tongue!
I have prepared and I am set
to embark on the fruitless errand of yours
Listen, mother tongue
like proud-less river to my words
The children
which because of them your eyes stream
will neither listen nor ear you appalling

O mother tongue!
I am set and it is time
to embark on this errand of yours
Perhaps if their sense would sense
and their eyes would see the beauty in you
and your tone that as sweet as honey
that can never bereft it taste

O mother tongue!
If you die in their house
who will, indeed, cry if not them
in amidst of mockery eyes
or can a strange tongue  be their tongue?



A wake up write for whoever cherish other culture above his or hers.

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Andrea Dietrich November 4, 2016 at 7:36 PM wow, this is very intense, Afolabi. I feel stupid in asking. But your mother tongue is in no danger of dying, is it? I bet it will stay very strong with poets like you to defend it.

Carolyn Devonshire October 24, 2016 at 1:19 PM If English is not your "mother tongue," you certainly have a way of expressing your words in this language. I can't imagine how hard it would be to live in a country where people did not speak English. A thought-provoking poem, Afolabi!

Richard Lamoureux October 23, 2016 at 8:22 AM I enjoyed reading this one again.

Abosede Ogundare October 15, 2016 at 4:55 PM This is an excellent piece!..mother tongue is one of our identities. Afolabi Muideen October 22, 2016 at 11:22 AM thank you, Bose, for dropping by, i do appreciate your comment.

Ravi Sathasivam October 6, 2016 at 6:21 AM Excellent. Very thoughtful and powerful write. Enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing it. Afolabi Muideen October 22, 2016 at 11:01 AM thank you for dropping by.

Poet Destroyer A October 3, 2016 at 2:19 PM Powerful write my friend. You've expressed yourself well. It's a great look at those who think they are.... Enjoyed. Linda Afolabi Muideen October 5, 2016 at 12:23 AM Above their culture, rather. Afolabi Muideen October 4, 2016 at 5:37 PM To those whom think they are civilized about their culture or whom...? We all bond in one language... we should respect it as well as ours and other languages. Thank you for the meaningful comment.

Connie Marcum Wong October 3, 2016 at 12:49 PM Syllabi, Your poem is a beautiful expression of honoring our ancestors with their mother tongue. It was not that long ago that Hawaiians were forbidden to use their language and it was not taught in schools. I am happy to say that all that has changed and the Hawaiian language is now being taught in schools again. I agree all cultures should be honored and excepted. 7 ; ) Afolabi Muideen October 4, 2016 at 5:32 PM Our culture worth fighting for. I have never heard of Hawaiians of hawaii before until now. You made me do a little research. Thanks for the comment.

Richard Lamoureux October 2, 2016 at 7:15 PM What a magnificent piece, one of your best! Afolabi Muideen October 4, 2016 at 2:41 PM Oh, thank you for dropping by. I do appreciate your comment.

Paul Callus October 2, 2016 at 3:17 PM I am captivated by this heartfelt appeal to those who do not cherish their mother tongue, Afolabi. We should be proud of it and cultivate it so as to keep it alive and well! #7 // paul Afolabi Muideen October 4, 2016 at 8:01 AM Yes we should be proud of it no matter where find ourselves - perhaps high post in another country. i appreciate your worm comment.

Alexis Y. October 2, 2016 at 9:28 AM Hi Afolabi, To have a culture and a"mother tongue" are things to be cherished. I enjoyed the message witin this write:-) Alexis Afolabi Muideen October 2, 2016 at 11:38 AM Yes Alexis, we should embrace our culture above others. However, many people have lose in this foreign language, foreign culture. I appreciate your support, thank you.

Joseph May October 1, 2016 at 7:51 PM Our mother tongue connects us to our roots....nicely penned Afolabi Muideen October 2, 2016 at 12:50 AM That is truth my friend. Our mother tongue link us to the ancestors, for they speak to us through our mother tongue. In my schedule each day for reading poetry, I take most of my time to read traditional poetry. And most poetry I purchase is cultural. Thanks you for the worm comment, I do appreciate it.

Demetrios Trifiatis October 1, 2016 at 6:52 PM Being a person who had to immigrate to Canada and had to do my university studies not in one foreign to me language but in two, English and French, so I know the value of a mother tongue. No matter how well we learn a second language it will still be a foreign language because this language we did not "lived through" we just learned it! Our mother tongue speaks to our soul for each experience, feeling and idea we had we lived it first and then we put a word on it. Very good emotional writing! Afolabi Muideen October 2, 2016 at 12:34 AM I take my time to view the menace in my society . And each day I realize how dying my language is in some houses. Compere to you that have migrated from one country to another, they have not reached the border of Nigeria not to talk of out of Nigeria. Yet their mother tongue is dying in their mouth.

Sara Kendrick October 1, 2016 at 5:37 PM It is sad that a native language would be lost in this modern age..We all blend into one in great big cities though..Thanks for stopping by..I enjoyed reading your work..Sara Afolabi Muideen October 1, 2016 at 6:31 PM We are all bond in one in this modern Language, still our native language is not a rag. We should cherish it so much. There is a proverb that says: yours is yours. Thank you for commenting, I do appreciate you.