Niyi Osundare
Wishes
Wish I could still laugh with the lotus
On the bank of the Nile
On the bank of the Nile
Take off my clothes
And dive into the Zambezi
And dive into the Zambezi
Join spirit dancers
In the middle of the Ganges
In the middle of the Ganges
Romp with the Rio
To the thunder of the samba
To the thunder of the samba
Fan the Yangtze’s face
With the fan of the moon
With the fan of the moon
Tease the Thames
With a shoeless foot
With a shoeless foot
Embrace the Volga
With open arms
With open arms
Ask the Mississippi
For a bowl of water . . .
For a bowl of water . . .
Alas, between cup and lip
An acre of wishes
An acre of wishes
Hole in the Sky
(Choreo-poem. Preferably with musical accompaniment, the tempo varying according to the mood and meaning of each section)
Eco-Snaps
i
Koko gbakokodiKoko didikokodi*
“Tell my story,”
Said the Earth to me,“Oh, tell my story the way it is.Don’t sugarcoat its bileDon’t varnish its rustDon’t cover its scars with pretty wordsTell my pain the way it is The way it is The way the way the way it is Tell my pain, the way it is.”
Said the Earth to me,“Oh, tell my story the way it is.Don’t sugarcoat its bileDon’t varnish its rustDon’t cover its scars with pretty wordsTell my pain the way it is The way it is The way the way the way it is Tell my pain, the way it is.”
Koko gbakokodiKoko didikokodi
ii
The day the river caught fire
And the lake burnt like Devil’s oil
And the lake burnt like Devil’s oil
The mountain coughed like a broken giant
The sky’s eyes were red with grief . . .
The sky’s eyes were red with grief . . .
Plants whose lethal spills provoked the plague
Lay fortressed behind the hillsAyekooto† sighted their ownersOn their way to the city bank
Lay fortressed behind the hillsAyekooto† sighted their ownersOn their way to the city bank
Koko gba kokodi
iii
Ever heard fruits arguing between the leaves
Over which got the deepest doseOf the pesticidal plague?
Over which got the deepest doseOf the pesticidal plague?
The poison killed the pest
And later buried the people
And later buried the people
Koko gba kokodi
iv
The thunder of the sea
Rattles the silence of the skyWailing whales wonder about their woesThe deeper the dolphin divesThe shallower its desired relief
Rattles the silence of the skyWailing whales wonder about their woesThe deeper the dolphin divesThe shallower its desired relief
Koko gba kokodi
v
The desert marches towards the sea
The desert marches towards the sea
The desert marches towards the sea
Fire in its eyes
Mayhem in every movement
Mayhem in every movement
The desert marches towards the sea
With camel-loads of broken skulls,
Roasting iroko‡ trees for lunchThe mahogany for early dinner.Dandelions roar beneath its feet.The elephant grass has lost its tusksTo the famished poacher from sandy regions
Roasting iroko‡ trees for lunchThe mahogany for early dinner.Dandelions roar beneath its feet.The elephant grass has lost its tusksTo the famished poacher from sandy regions
The desert marches towards the sea
Alas, the boundless rainforest of my youth
Has shrunk to a frightened eyebrowOn the forehead of the coast
Has shrunk to a frightened eyebrowOn the forehead of the coast
Koko gba kokodi
vi
The midday sun
Cannot see its face in the lakeThe turquoise sea is yellowFrom the poison of upland plantsThe day they killed a treeIn the ancient forestThe chainsaw left a dirgeOn the lips of the leaves
Cannot see its face in the lakeThe turquoise sea is yellowFrom the poison of upland plantsThe day they killed a treeIn the ancient forestThe chainsaw left a dirgeOn the lips of the leaves
There is a bird in my heart
Craving for a perch on the absent tree.
Craving for a perch on the absent tree.
Koko gba kokodi
vii
Seasons of omen:
One-legged frogsBabies with missing armsThe grass’s green laughterHas yellowed into sickening groanVengeful droughts digest the fields
One-legged frogsBabies with missing armsThe grass’s green laughterHas yellowed into sickening groanVengeful droughts digest the fields
Koko gba kokodi
viii
A hole
A holeA blazing holeIn the garment of the sky
A holeA blazing holeIn the garment of the sky
Oven-hot summers
Winters blind with ice
Winters blind with ice
The Arctic melts like butter
As rising oceans consume the land
As rising oceans consume the land
Fog-fraught cities grope
Beneath their fuming factoriesThe rain falls, acid, On frightened forests
Beneath their fuming factoriesThe rain falls, acid, On frightened forests
The Earth we used to know
Is once upon a time
Is once upon a time
A hole
A holeA blazing, blinding holeIn the garment of the sky
A holeA blazing, blinding holeIn the garment of the sky
Koko gba kokodi
ix
Trumpet sounds in the horizon
Green intimations unfurl the windHealing needle to the hole in the skyEarth’s Redemption ArmyIs gathering strength beyond the clouds.
Green intimations unfurl the windHealing needle to the hole in the skyEarth’s Redemption ArmyIs gathering strength beyond the clouds.
Trumpet sounds behind the mountains
Green intimations unfurl the wind.
Green intimations unfurl the wind.
Koko gba kokodi
Koko didi kokodi
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