First Gong Vol. 8: Thrust FIRST GONG 8 THRUST | Page 57

FIRST STEPS - Ajijola Habeeb
I dive into this ocean of wordy waves
To get my first dip in artistic ink
With bloodthirsty sharks lurking
Waiting on a mistake that would draw blood
So their disparaging teeth can feed on my cold soul
I lunge into this war of medieval arts
With my sword of untested words
To lock horns with lines of unrivalled quality
And share a seat in the spotlight of poetic ingenuity
Ignorant of arrows that pierce into life’s shining armor
I take my first step to embark on an adventure
On the same noble path with which Soyinka
Tackled numerous feet wearing oppressive boots
With hopes I’m not forever chained down by suppressive hooks
For I have no kindred spirit robed in iron as my companion
Neither do I possess the arrow of God
With which Achebe became a man of the people
Still I thread his dead men’s path, where things are always falling apart
Hoping that when things are no longer at ease
My voice won’t be forever lost to the deafening roars of time
I take my first steps despite the odds
True I might stumble and fall
Bite the dust, fall deeper within the earth
I hope these humble steps of mine
Would become leaps that transcend the web of time
Ajijola Habeeb
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