Inspired by Ugochukwu Anadị

 

I walked long walks on the terrazzo floor—
The one with black spots on its powdered face.
Where many swains had come and gone before,
And lived out their love in this bonny space.
But that was not to be, for you and I,
For Miseria would not allow us be.
Did Amadioha fail to see me cry?
That he didn’t send his bolt to ‘stroy her tree.
Did he see me as a prodigal son?
Undeserving of care, suiting to shun.

In spite of the stake cushioned by my heart,
I implored Anyanwu to protect you.
To shield with her sun disc when you depart,
To blind with her rays, your foes old and new.
When my eyes beheld her light upon you,
And I saw the perfection she achieved.
I sacrificed to her my most prized ewe,
With this offering, she was indeed pleased.
And only then could I begin to mend,
My decrepit heart I had failed to tend.

All the world’s a drug, and I an addict.
I inhale the clouds of a foggy day,
And the flame of the woods I have handpicked.
I enjoy all these gifts courtesy of Freyr.
I had abandoned my quest to find love,
And placed myself in earth’s soothing bosom.
I looked for help from ancestors above,
About love’s secrets they could disbosom.
And after listening to their wise counsel,
I set sail for Amadioha’s council.

And when I berthed my boat at his kingdom,
I saw a white goat that touched the heavens.
His eyes were gold and his fur was winsome,
And then he bleated all my transgressions.
I fell to my face and begged for mercy,
When Ala’s palm sprouted up from the ground.
She smelled of roots, and her face was swarthy,
And her splendor did not fail to astound.
Her supplications prevailed over him,
And I set forth to fulfill my new whim.

 

 

 

Photo by Tushar Jain on Unsplash