Achebe
PASCAL UMEKWE
Before tongues lick the
scalding syllables of
this name
permit me to summon Eke
who divines at the summit of the palm
To adorn our lips with his
Tender fortifications in the sun
My eyes pose to wrestle
The boundless savannah in this heart
Orie must therefore blinker them
With the clay eyelids of proverbs
Scooped from the threshold of the earth goddess
And stoke my daring sight
With the ashy power of ritual chalk
Afor must drown these
footprints
With the virgin semen of the palm
I gladly choose to wade the path of his trail
Than suffer the load of spirit tales on my swooning head
I summon Nkwo to take
My paltry installment of strength
And unroll my voice
Let my gathering lips call for
The fiftieth time the name of his brainchild
Okonkwo whose fallen world
We have come to gather
PASCAL UMEKWE
08035068526
wpascals@yahoo.com
On the occassion of ANA International Colloquium in his honour