(and happy b'day)
ken
Happy birthday, Chidi! Look on the bright side. At least you are already penning immortality. That's a golden effort.
Arugo Agog!
(For Chidi...)
Once in a while
even in the midst of
the numbing struggles
to scrape a meagre existence
the Arugo motor park
remembers...
Once in a while
even when Nigeria is
ill at ease, and the
Political Leeches are still
hard at work,
the Arugo motor park
remembers...
'You don hear?'
The mechanic said
to the agbero...
'Oga Chidi don dey old o'
'Ehnehn! How old him be now?'
'Him don reach fifti'
'Eewo! Life just start be dat!'
Once in a while
even when it seems
the numbing struggle
will be stillborn
the Arugo motor park
remembers...
And we remember too.
Adeshina AfolayanSent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
From: Chidi Anthony Opara <chidi.opara@gmail.com>Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2013 09:58:12 +0100To: USA African Dialogue Series<usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comSubject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - This Jubilee Is Not Golden(Poem)
--By Chidi Anthony Opara
Daybreak.
Dew-like drizzles
Dulling the bright demeanour
Of this budding August break day.
Drizzles,
Downpour.
Fore flavour of Ramadan feast.
"Today is the eighth day of August"
My mind murmured.
The dull demeanour of this August day
Peeped into my den,
I peeped.
A congregation of choristers
Converged,
Besieging my den door.
"Today is the eighth day of August in 2013 AD",
"Today marks your fiftieth year on earth",
"Today marks your golden jubilee on earth"
The choristers chorused.
"This jubilee is not golden"
My mind murmured.
I mused,
My mind meandered the maze of miseries.
Hordes of hapless citizens
Hamstrung by unholy homilies
Huddle in public places
Homeless,
Hungry,
Angry,
Hunted by self-anointed holy warriors,
Hunted by militants of all manners.
My mind moved to Biafra,
To other vanquished lands.
My mind gazed at the genocide.
This jubilee
Indeed is not golden
My mouth murmured.
(This poem is in commemoration of the author's fiftieth birthday anniversary. All Rights Reserved).
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
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-- kenneth w. harrow faculty excellence advocate distinguished professor of english michigan state university department of english 619 red cedar road room C-614 wells hall east lansing, mi 48824 ph. 517 803 8839 harrow@msu.edu
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