IN BETWEEN THE LINES

A POETRY WEDNESDAY WITH  ADEDAYO  ADEYEMI  AGARAU – WINNER OF TONY TOKUNBO FERNANDEZ INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION 2015

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I give you the beautiful Odebode karimot, an undergraduate of Law in the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University,ile-ife. She is a poet who derives internal peace in conversing with her muse. She is the second of four children born and bred in the ancient city of Ibadan,Nigeria. She believe the world can be driven in the right direction with her pen.

THE GODS ARE DEAD
©Oyebode Karimot

The gods are dead
Or are they asleep?

Comb through the land
With horsewhip to wake the sleeping gods

Where was sango,
The one that emits fire like a welder’s iron
When fathers defile their daughters
In this very land and still we give to you
Fresh blood from our rams?

Has Osun gone on an errand
When mothers sell their bodies like Jezebel
And still you crave for white clothings
Which we offer without a twinkle of an eye?

Obatala has turn to an hawker?
If not, where was he
when brothers poison their palm wine
and smile as they dine themselves wines of dead flavours
but still;
your throat tingles at the holy wine we tithe?

Has Esu-laalu embark on a journey?
Why would that sturdy man
Refuse to dance to the rhythm of men with stone heart
And pierce their heart, flog their greedy backside
as they squeeze the heart of noble ones
Little man, remember:
You still lick our palm oil
And wallow in our palm wine

Or has Ogun suddenly turn deaf
as we wallow in anguish
screaming out the spirit of our soul
or will the iron man tell me
his ears has gone on errand
as the poor cries
in hunger and pain
while the rich trample upon them
like dirts
but still he sits to savour the blood
Of dogs we offer to him

all thou art dead!
they have refuse to hearken
to our cry
and we,
the descendants of Obalufon
have turn our backs to useless gods
or;
what is the use of a drummer
without a drum
a drum,
without a sound

we have turn
our backs to the gods
and lift our eyes
up to the sky
maybe another god
await us,
maybe!

TRANSLATIONS:
*SANGO, OGUN, OSUN, OBATALA, ESU LAALU are deities of the Yoruba tribe