Now, let me soar high among the clouds
Beyond the limit of the compass.
Let me wear the crown of the sunrise,
With those white fridges I want to lodge.
Before time shifts from my boyish charm,
Before my lamp oil is buried in the mud,
Before my vision become so dim and blue,
Before my voice can no longer sing in tunes.
I want to withstand the sounds of the rainclouds,
Where herders with guns cannot reach,
Where the light of day never is dim,
Except, of course, to make us sleep.
Now, let me soar so high among the clouds,
The farmers’ tattoos are made of bulletholes,
Their filthy clothes torn without repairs,
On our farmlands open grazing is now a crime.
Check out The Dreamer by the same griot.
Charles Akwen
Charles TERSEER Akwen, a poet, playwright, performer, photo(bio)grapher, literary and cultural critic, and Lawyer, is the author of several books among which are On this Land: Tattoos of Bulletholes (Poetry), and Across the Strait (Play). He is the founder of Transcultural Writers’ Network, and African Association of Taiwan Studies. He currently lectures in the Department of English, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria.
