Path to Harvest

Joy is the fruit blossomed in the heart of the farmer

His smiles are meshed with the days toil and sweat

Patches of brown earth possess a part of his tired face

On his shoulders he carries a huge basket with some tools

And now it is harvest time…  

Now the fields are ripe, the mangoes are heavy with fruits

Birds sing from the tree tops, monkeys dance to their muse

Below the evergreen forest, the farmers find their way

Pathing thru thick mist and grass, old animal dung and dew

The morning was cool, once the path reached the stream side

The farmers stooped to have a handful taste of the waters

The taste is clayey, the scent like a patch of dust with water

The path lead the farmers into the deeper forests now 

The shrubs become scanty, the trees more numerous

And all about dew sail off tree leaves, bouncing into balls

Thriving bird colonies, Natures own secret fine hive

The bamboo forest stood close by, taunting the farmers as they went

Waterfalls let water drops fall and bounce off rocks

Once they arrived the plantation, the work began

And with it, went with countryside music-

And when they sang, they sang of places, far far away

Where the wheat fields are yellow, the cow milk tasteful

They whistle songs and hum when they were tired of songs

At last, the harvest became a pile waiting to go home

Africa: Retelling the Story...

What if there was no love in me for you Africa...?

I shrug, I will not think of it...

I wonder which other songs are left for me to sing

I wonder what can give me much joy for a better future

And I thank God for this gift, for Africa, for the world

For the opportunity to tell how I feel about Gods perfect Nature

And what it means to me... my beautiful inspiration!

1.

Each time I wake from my slumber I see your beauty

I still see heart warming smiles and people around me

And the sweet torture of their warmth joyfully burns my heart

It feels so good to be part of it all, part of a blessed world

Imagine sleeping in the open air at the spying of the Wild dogs

Imagine running up the hills to fright the Lions with the Masai

Or to dance with the mischievous apes of the Savannah

And drink the sweet and fresh Mqobothi beer with the Zulu

2.

There is some warmth even in remembering you

In bearing your thoughts and dreams...

In my hopeful traveling of the lengths

And breadths of your landscape

Through ponds, forests, hills, vales, towns and hamlets

And my encounters with the good and the bad and the ugliest,

The wild, the tamed, the birds and the beasts...

The sweet romance of adventure itself

And my undying quest for knowledge...

3.

Sometimes I am like the Wild myself

And the Waterfalls and Ponds my fine siblings

What of the streams with reeds all over the surface

That conceals the dreaded Alligators in their element?

What of the python with her thousands of camouflage spots

Swimming in the deep rivers of the Niger and Orange?

What of the spotted Hyena with her ferocious eyes

And large head full of tattoos and curly hairs?

What of the songs from the thousands of forests dwellers

Who knew no other men, deity, world or hope?

What of many, many things I might not remember to remember

Just what of ...

And what of me with everything strange about me

Writing, musing away to the tunes Nature gave me?

Knowing so well I belonged to a community, entertaining ourselves

Living together for life is for the living...

I am sorely in love, with you Africa

Understanding the Igbo personality

You must have really wondered what I have to say on this topic. I am not political, not by in any way associated with a government, a political party or attitude. I have no ambition to be a senator, a mayor or a president. I am just indifferent. I will be straight to fact and I stand to be corrected if need be. The Igbo is an African tribe nested in the South-East and some parts of the South-South region of present day Nigeria. Igbo language is spoken in the region and the culture is a fascinating one. The Igbo is entreprising, this had made them survive in the hardest economic climes. They are involved in all sorts of businesses all around the globe. If you see a Nigerian in China, Germany, South Africa, Chad, Gabon, Malaysia or the U.S. transacting business, there is a high chance it is the Igbo. They are globe trotting, this they do in search of greener pastures. My discussion will be centred on the characteristics of the Igbo people. In Nigeria, an Igbo man is seen to 'like money and wealth' excessively. This is not totally true. Maybe the medium used to acquire such wealth might be questioned, but the idea of customizing the character of 'love for money' is quite illogical when placed on one set of person(s). The principle of 'all animals are equal' should be applied in this context, shouldnt it? All person(s) need money, and to get such one must take some action to get what he-she wants. Now to push further, the strength one puts on his-her quest to acquire such wealth maybe the driving force confusing some Igbo-nature students. I hope to see any man or woman who says he-she desires not to have some sort of luxury. Also, we do go to school to get educated, right? I then ask what is the aim of one being educated? Perhaps, if I may put in crude ways; to find a job, work and make income. People of different climes and lands do acquire one sort of education or another with hopes to have good paying jobs or to belong to the modern civilized world. Most Igbo youths are enrolled in one vocational, academic, research, technical institution or other centres. The Igbo are not war-like as perceived in Nigeria (perhaps the war has been blamed on them). The people are energetic, strong-willed, which some persons consider as stubborn and creative in arts, music, industry and other crafts. Understanding this group of people matters a lot. Though some elements in the tribe are mischievous; but in every tribe or nation, there exists good and bad people.

Coke With The Primates.

An excursion it was to the Songhai Zoological Garden, Owerri. The weather was cool with a mild sun. Our vehicle rode through the dusty hills leading to the garden sending straying asps and scorpions scuttling for safety. These hills stood ageless like a wallpaper surrounded by green flourishing forests. On the entrance to the garden I could hear the growls and cries of different animals. A friendly ranger picked us from the truck as we alighted. With few words he narrated the history of the garden and the various schemes which were undertaken in the farms and gardens. I had little attention in the farms, the wild calls me! I could hear the cries, whimps, shrieks, calling from the neighboring fencing. I was glad when the ranger took us to the first animal pen. There I saw the Hyena, also called Crocuta Crocuta. Very strange, huh? 'That is the zoological name.' the ranger said. I won't be tutored much about this exotic creature. I could see for myself. It seemed it was shy or angry or scared or the combination of the three, anyway it looked ferocious. With its eyes glowing red and those fierce tatoo-like looks it could pass for a demon. On the next cage was an African Civet, reputed to be a dangerous animal. We moved on to the next pen and there stood some fine peacocks. Each trying to show off its feathers. I noticed that they never cooed all the time I was fixated on them. There were various birds which I wont be able to list out. The next pen held an African python. The skin polished with black, red and white stripes. It was a very strange mix of hue. It was fearless or should I say confident; it allowed us come closer but it was hissing. I had a quick thought, perhaps it was warning us not to come any closer. We saw wild pigs, playing with their young feeding from the debris, some Nile crocodiles, all yawning and proudly displaying their dental cavity. The sight that amazed me most was the different species of monkeys that the garden kept. Baboons, Chimps and other smaller monkeys. I had my first acquaintance with a Rhesus, I believe they are good pets. They were playful and were funny. It even allowed me to scratch its back! It was a place to be and I enjoyed the coke at the local visitors place.