The sky’s beauty spreading across the land,
The colours that brings calmness to the soul,
The images of beauty that can only be seen in dreams,
The roar of the leopard, the trumpet of the elephant,
The singing of the birds, the splashes of the rivers.
The depth of the valleys, the height of the mountains

The scars of the people, the cries of the children,
The sounds of pain, the sounds of anguish
The images of war, the sights of the unimaginable
The unrested spirits, the tortured souls
The silence of the widows, the silence of the orphans,
The depth of the anger, the heights of bitterness


The gathering of the tribes, the unity of the clans,
The celebration of life, the feastings of festivals,
The singing of the people, the dance of the masquerades
The pounding of the drum, the blowing the horns.
The taste of palm wine, the smell of cuisine,
The laughing of the children, the cries of newborn life,

The bowing of the heads, the submissions of warriors,
The falling of the kingdoms, the collapsing of the tribes,
The bitter taste of capture, the foul smell of entrapment
The tight grasp of chains, the agony of the whip,
The sickening of the motion, the cold splash of the ocean
The journey away, the journey of permanent stay

© Naija-Man 2004