Igbekoyi (Reoccurring Child) ’Sanmi-Ebora Ogunjobi Often have you comeDeceiving the WorldThat it will be to stayLike a good child under her mother’s careBut all in a suddenYou do disappearNow, Your yearly burialHas to endAnd you have to stayBecause “Igbekoyi” (even the bush refuses this) Editor’s note: Archived from Nigeria Magazine, Sunday, 1 March 1970.
‘HALF-A-WORD’ I’ll tell you ‘half-a-word’which the elders sayIs enough for the wiseFor whenIt is digestedIt becomes full whole Now,In that your placeWhere sour is given for sweetSincerity lacks foundation‘Give-and-take’ seek admirersI sayYour conscienceIs the real judge Here,my ‘half-a-word’ ’Sanmi-Ebora Ogunjobi EDITOR’S NOTEArchived from Nigeria Magazine, Sunday, 1 March 1970.
ARBOUR DAYS During the month of May,All the days are arbour daysDrilled to the foresters’ swayIn all we know are his ways. From the nurseries to the farmsThe crops have tender handling,And woe-be-tide he who harmsThe tender roots of a sapling. With the tenderest care the saplingsAre planted in their well dug holes —And the […]
DRY SEASON The dry-plain Northbelchesand everyone becomesher petto powder The free-flour winda dust merchanttumblesin the throatfeeding the fed She convulses and vomitsand bumpsin to the masteror the servantshe knows no rank Her last feast ofcheap dustleaves on her patha stranger victim onflying visit And when you do come overremember,she’s there ready tofeast you to freemealsin […]
FOR MOTHER Nene … the shadows are overgrownthis afternoon in my heart;the burden of uncertainties assail mewith a feckless ravish— I do not know whether to cry or laugh. Each day saps me dryof the red-green that you gave mein ellipses of hopeto halo my dreams. Mother, the wealof your chalked-hand slaptattoos my soul: your […]
FAREWELL TO CITY OF MOATS Through the ages fame still resoundIn thy ancient spot enviable things lie aroundSo earlier vowed, from city would never partStill by foreigners envied, thy famous ageless artOh enviable seat of once mighty kingdomSo peaceful ruled by kings rich in wisdomEver restless were subjects that stood thy defenceBut long ageless stood […]
NOTES ON THE METAPHYSICS OF CREATIVITY (PART I) a note on the metaphysics of designthe design of a building should not bea mere translation of program intouninspired if functional spatial agglomerationthere has to be a central theme:a major idea that seeks to celebrate an aspectof siteor lightor climateor programmatic requirementor materialor technologyor spatial relationsor geometryor […]
IN MY HEART (For Aba) MORNING SONG:My heart is closest to youin this dark hourof morningMy heart rememberspulling threads of memorythrough shadowsUntil I think I see youcurled under soft quiltdreaming of me and God* EVENING SONG:My heart is closest to youin this bright hourof eveningMy heart rememberspulling streamers of laughterthrough sorrowsUntil I know I see […]
LITURGY (For Kwame) SON:“And she sang mournfullyher voice shaking deeply,regret mixing remorse,sorrow with recollection.She trembled,the whole room trembled,the door criedthe chairs bent slowlylooking for himhoping for himnot seeing him. Then we all went asidesplintered points to a circlelinked by a single cord:sorrow, like the gray cloudsand we wept alonetogether**” Kwame N. Dawes DAUGHTER:There were no […]