Songs of Anisha
“Soundtracks Through Eko”
by Numero Unoma Giese
The air in Eko is always filled with sounds
Birds sing to the scratch of my lead on paper
As pestle against yam in mortar pounds
And behind moving cars the horns taper
Stationary juggernaut parked on the grounds,
The generator with its steady background roar
In which virtually all else is duly drowned
Outside of the oasis behind the door.
Inside the oasis, however, can be found
The TV and ringtone in stiff competition
For the attention of their people, all groomed and gowned
Neither actually awaiting anyone’s permission.
I step out through the door to an audio assault
That transcends an orchestral arrangement
It is like stepping out of a padded vault
Into a soup of acoustic derangement.
Wailing sirens, screeching wheels, I suddenly frowned
People arguing in the street by the hurricane gutter
Engines revved to the max, intentionally bound
To embellish the cacophony of the matter.
In Ikeja it’s a plane, in V.I. overhead a chopper
On Sunday churches loudly calling out their warning
Spreading the message, belting out the music proper
And at dawn it’s the Mosque prayers I hear every morning
I hear motorboats zoom pass when sitting at the yacht club
And my friend’s Geländewagen has a V-8 engine
Conductors drone destinations all the time like a mob
And the Obioma’s clinking is also worth a mention
When it rains Eko is illuminated by lightning
And the sounds are dampened by the falling deluge
Those almighty claps of thunder can be frightening
As people splish splash their way home, seeking refuge
At the golf club, I would stand quite still on the mound
And stop to listen to the wind in the trees
Then at home all was quiet as I peacefully lounged
’Til a door was slammed shut by the evening breeze
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