A child will stare
out of a window
for a moment
Deciphering the
future from a dusky harmattan wind of November
Does he imagine that
some wisp
of cloud reveals the
handwritings
of things to come?
Or that life is an
nsibidi in the palms
of a poet waiting to
be translated
into creeds of poetry
And sometimes a girl
stands naked
by a mirror
Imagining beauty in a
stranger's eyes
Finding a place where
fear meets desire.
For what is prophecy
but unlettered itching words between the fingers
of a poet
Words he must birth
on vivid verses
In stanzas of
reechoing admonitions
Baptising minds in
rhythmic poetic
processions
Yet it's not so much
of what's written
But what's heard and
the honor of sacred words
For the words of a
poet are mustard
seeds meant for
fertile grounds
meant for those
gifted in listening
to heed the solemn
call for peace
beneath the murmurs
of dying refugees
To hear the dying
grass bending to
the tempest of unrest
And to chronicle the
ones by whose
ink territories were
regained.
Glossary
Nsibidi : handwriting originated from the Ekoi people.
Neighbours of the Efik
and Ibibio ethnic group in Nigeria.
Jesam is currently working on an anthology to be published soon.
jesameko@gmail.com
