Liberian Literary Magazine
Liberian Classic
A few Poems by
A Liberian Great
Bai. T Moore
An Elder’s Prayer
Oh great Spirit of the
forest,
I have nothing in my hand
But a chicken and some
rice
It’s the gift of all our land
Bring us sunshine with the
rain
So the harvest moon may
blow
Save my people from all
pains;
When the harvest time is
done
We will make a feast to
you.
Monvrovia Market Women
the Monrovia
market women
they are something-o
foreday in the morning
the pepperbirds
dog
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
goats and
chickens
chase them
out of bed and
send them running
like red ants
on nettles
they grab old buckets
run to hydrants
ch-u-u-u-u-u
and duck in
foul enclosures
smelling with pee
throw cold water
on they
back
belly
and between they legs
and all
they snatch
young crying babies
tie them smugly
on they back
in they mouth
to hush them up
then rush by
foot
bus or taxi
to the arteries
pumping life
into the markets
of Monrovia
they rush to
buying depots
Tubman Bridge
Doola
Belema (for Mesu fish)
Juakpebli
And Oldest Kongotown
to stop the
trucks and pickups
full of zoba bags of
cassavas
potatoes
plawa sauce leaves and
dry meat like:
wild bush goat
boaconstrictor
elephant skin
nyangaboy
and other fuyu fuyu
these women must have
strong backs
6
and legs and hands to
push and fight
and hold on to their market
money
wrapped in a belt of
country cloth
which they tie around the
waist
but wait now the fun
begins in
market stalls where
chattering
and palavering (like a
colony of rice birds)
and dollar notes and coins
commence
passing li ke confusion
through
a hundred thousand
fingers
come good friend
buy my part me
I go dash you
goes on endlessly till dusk