Last night, my mother whispered to my ears.
Alabi, you have grown to become a man-
The moment one find his purpose on earth,
He becomes a man.
Your father has bequeathed his seeds unto you,
Your oguro will rather come from a poe-tree than palm-tree.
If t’is be my last breath on earth,
I’d leave imprints of a female on your footsteps,
See! A man is triggered by what he sees,
A woman tri-guard, by what she hears.
Chasm…charm…words.
That was all your father needed,
To get even Okara on his mat.
But what happens when a woman sees petrichor-
In none but a poet?
Her afterlife becomes painted on a stage,
When others see scars-
She see stars.
When a woman loves a poet,
She’s forever young-like ewe abamoda
Her ears reverberates with the echoes of a mic,
Her dreams recurring in bonfire cracks.
Alabi, tell her-
Tell that woman that makes you dance on river beds,
A woman who loves a poet is a deity,
Her magnamity is equal to that of-
Oya Okara, the acclaimed woman of Olukoso.
Olomu-roro, the icon of Saki Okere.
Efunsetan, the fierce woman who has gold in her grove.
Orompoto, the monarch whose name rings a bell in Oyo.
A poet is a warrior,
Haven’t you heard that ireke oni-ibudo?
A poet has no basement,
Today in Calabar, tomorrow in Kalabari.
But once the abyss of a poet’s heart lurch,
Not even fireflies can invade it.
Or haven’t you seen how Nkechi beam radiantly than the morning sun,
Nkechi- the mystery behind Komolafe’s undying poe-tree?
Behind every successful man,
Is a woman whose gele reaches the sky.
Behind every acclaimed poet,
Is a woman whose colors ignite the pact of Osumare.
Tell her,
Whisper to Desola in the streams of darkness,
She is a magic-
She who loves a poet.Â
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Oguro – Palmwine
Okara – a goddess
Ewe abamoda – a leaf in the Yoruba herbal harem
Olukoso – god of thunder
Efunsetan – an icon in Yoruba history
Orompoto – a royal ruler in Yoruba history
Olomu roro – an icon in Yoruba history
Ireke onibudo – a carrot is of no basement
Gele – headgear
Osumare – rainbow
written by Balogun Yusuf
yusufbalo15@gmail.com