Songs of Anisha
“Close to Nature,”
by Nnamdi Ben Nneji
The sun shines through a mist,
a golden ball through the fresh dew
when men in the sunset
in worlds of marble and steel
prepare to sleep.
On warm bamboo beds we lie
awaken with the fresh morning
and learn to balance earthenware
vessels on our trained heads
as we head to streams
where naked children bathe and play.
In tranquility and calm, we hurry not
looking up at the elements
to tell the time of day,
while men beyond speed away at jet
speed to meet loads of duties.
Close to nature, our minds
remain impressionable, like the soft
sandy earth around our round huts;
engraved on them are footprints
of the child and the lamb
and the little carefree chicks.
We learn from nature
and grow at the steady and sure pace
of the stately iroko tree
and watch our dark reflections
on pristine springs of rocky coolness.
“Death!”
by ‘Lakunle Jaiyesimi
Yes! Death is the herald of truth
And harbinger of clear-sight
That will unveil the covering of this illusion
And truth shall stand in the scaffold of reality
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