The Rain Dance

Women rush their cooking Children talk in whispers Nursing mothers put the babies to sleep Darkness descends on the land The winds are becoming aggressive The buzzing is getting louder Like a cockpit; The ant holes are opening From them the Akpali spirits are emerging Their sight makes women miscarry Make the children to convulse The lily livered clings to their wives The braves with a kola nut in the hands; Sits at their door steps The catechist doubt its efficacy Yet his fields are still without seedlings He too awaits this dance Tonight the land plays host to them Our ancestors; They bring no harm Without this dance The land sees no rain