kokrokoo kokrokoo

Kokrokoo Kokrokoo

Waring men in a chase fright 

Poor cockrel in a hasty flight

Sacred abode of the visible noon 

Desecrated below the unseen moon 

Short the sleep of the elders lived

Gone the peace of the green land out

The feathery throat when slashed cried out loud 

A wholesome meal prepared to appease

The raging elders provoked to awake

A restoration of exceeding peace

Kokrokoo Kokrokoo

Three parts the virgin night is divided

The fragile silence soon to be broken

The tired ancient ones to begin

The steps towards their home way

The strong bones of the happy tribe arrayed

Their huts and shelters awake

Three times their unblemished praise

Three times ascend to their mighty maker

Giving way for his sun's rays

Driving away the feared dark

Choruses of Thunder

How can I wear this linen white

and parade this groaning arena and streets?

My motherland burns in mourning

no ashes leaving.

How can I point out at those hands  

which have on them these innocent blood

when they conspired with a voice from home?

This candlelight I must raise but when

and on which stand

so it’s not hidden?

Should the water god still leave along the curvatures of its shores

where the waters clasp at the end of the rainbow

its pot of gold?

I know I shall see the elephant

taking its gorgeous turn, surely when it does

opening up the heavens to break forth

in choruses of thunder.

© Emperor Leander David


NB

First publish by 'Our Empire' on Google blog

Made accesible to social media pages of
Walk The Talk Group/ JP International (Jubilee Projections International)
and their allied pages.

Under the mango tree

when the furious fire at the top

melts down all its wax,

under the mango tree we shall all be

not for its refreshing shade

but the undying fire which rest beneath

hahah

fire that consumes not the body

but the doubting thoughts

this fire will peel off your skin

to look younger than before

hahaha

no one knows my name and liveth

call me the stranger under the mango tree at Orokoto

who spits fire that burns no smoke

I know not my abode

I remember where the sun shines at dawn

And the sky meets the earth

Hahaha

I shall tell you no more

But this fire that comes from my lips

They fear me because of this fire

But I fear it too though from me

Because it can burn me too

Overflowing Shadows

shadows blow

like echoes

overflow 
their fall

separate 
the old

hay 
coast

under the trees tiny tall

where the streets tarred all

filled with leaves

where tired feet

the path leaves

higher louder

than the object

the sight 
will see

FOLLOWING YOUR THOUGHTS NOT ON HIM

Yet another time to pause

And enter into reflections

How it has all happened

Following your thoughts not on him

As if all that matters was it;

And him who allows all things

Will allow what you don’t think.

23.5.2013

GBOBALO

Ye who took our names

Ye who refused to stay

Nor remain in the grave

But her womb torment and torment

Gbobalo ogbanje gbo kaaba don

Our anger will mark your faces

No more our cherished names

But naanyo ogbanje gbobalo

We’ll mourn you no more

You who refuse to stay long

On the land and in the grave

We’ll not spit

But our saliva lick

Our wells have dried up

Our pots are broken

Our tears they overflow

At your soul we’ll hoot and shoot

Or gather no more we because of you

We dig no more into the earth, you to lay

Into the evil forest go we, you to leave
For termites you to chew

Gbo kaaba don

Gbobalo ogbanje

May the head of the ram

Roll away your feet to leave

Into these dark shadows of no return

Where you once lived

 

Oh cruel spirits of Ogbanje

Of Gbobalo

Gbo kaaba don

Leave

We in peace.

We’ll live!

Leave

With your kola.

In peace we’ll live!

Leave

Drink the blood spill.

In peace we’ll live!

They have come like miners, all

All the water in us to drain

Stolen waters they still take

Even through the same outlet

Long after our pots are broken

Overflowing their tear drops.

You die and refuse to sleep

You who were born

You who refuse to live

Da yie, sleep yaawo jogban

Rest your energetic bodies

We have drawn our net

And our catch has been stale

Keepers of the underworld

Sleep not, rest not

Tie their restless souls

Hold with invisible chains

The unfailing strength

Ours is the well

Already drying up

Its water has dried deep

And our pots fit no more on our waiting heads

They overflow their broken parts

With tears they cannot contain

Spirits of Akokoshie we’ll not call

We refuse your sweet water

For our soul is bitter

Just a drop of your presence

Oh spirits of Ten tso

Receive our heartfelt gratitude

Your solidarity for the past week

Before we laid to rest

Those tireless same faces

Same body 

Same day

Our pots got broken.

Deserted heroes

The silent tombs

The silent night

Meets in silence

Before the morn wakes

Lights not above

Their gentle glowing wings

Hover around the grasses to see

Eyes without bodies

Sounds within their abodes

And on the streets

The least step unclear

The silent trees

The silent night

Meets to whisper

Into time indefinite

Its leaves stay behind

Unwritten tales

Unsaid ballads

Of the great celebrated heroes

All to tell

Who alone

In their silent and icy graves

Will soon wish the morn to wake

Statues in front of tombs

Full of tears overflowing

Tears that speak not to dead souls

But resurrected souls

Even from afar

Decorated tombs

Engraved black star in gold

The pleasant greens and their fragrance

On the reddish floor

Which the far and near

Praised and hailed

Yet they stand here

With the silent tombs alone

The silent night

Under the watching sky

Full of the breezes

To meet in silence

Before the morn wakes.

MY WHITE LINEN

So quickly it entered through me
Like a virus my body to eat up.
So slowly waited I
Not knowing if I would again raise my head up.
My system I watched roll away
Like a free flowing stream
Listening to sounds of its jaws
As it went up and down
Shredding the flesh off my bony soil.

One after the other, it will go
Licking clean my bonny parts
Those savor to consume in ecstasy
Until there is nothing anymore to take away
But a shameful soiled white linen.
With calmness without resistance
Those actions and commands
Which went on rather prolonged.

HIM AND YOU

If death will have you
You who loved and loved him
Not baldly but well; to him
Like praise full of incense from you.

FIRM FAIRNESS

I will tell you of firm fairness
And then not anymore
To tighten your loosen belts
So its hold never drop
A sound stronger than the bell to hear
Dizzy and giddy to leave you.

TRUSTING MY PALM

Trust those ten fingers
Into my close arm grip
Close your tired eyes
And your feet
Will not stumble

LILINA

What’er winds blew my way
Indeed ago should have blown
Very early haven missed
All these goodies I now have
And may it not take her
Away, again I plea

Noble born commoner
Yet to possess I now
Commoner born great, like
The name I ever bear
That will make all bow down
Should she ever blink in glee

Thou beautiful petal
Blessed in magnificence
By their nurturing rain.
The closed eyes view thee
Like a fly in free flight
A halt to sap nectar

Ye brighter than lotus
Purer than rain water;
Oh thou gentle tendrils
the winds will blow your leaves
Passing, the hanging dark
If only you remain

Feel free maiden flower
Fairer than the clear day
After several days rain
Let not these clouds around
Blare your sight for I stand
Glaringly to be kept

Drink with me thou holy
From thy sap this thy wine
To poison my reason
Intoxicate to kill
No more to have any
No one but thou only

The faceless assassins

it began right there in the womb
even before their fluids met ,
the war of the faceless assassins
of fathoms that have no boundaries
which multiplies with time
enemies without swords
but cuts and wounds deeply on the
battle field of the mind

there we were to fight to the end,
and if we lose , an end of survival
of good. Here the sun will not rise
till one awakes and feels it is not
reel and if we win, only for a brief
moment before a replacement
of another twice or even more
formidable than it has already been

we fight with our instincts and wits
and all that nature has bestowed on
us seen and unseen even the Divine,
just to survive. How long to survive
Will depend on us and the maker:
Our carelessness, our ignorance,
Our perseverance, our obedience, all.

the single eye man

The old man with the single eye
Stands awake on top a tree high
The weary body aches
The itching feet in haste
Beginning by a step
To get there:
Becoming like our father I AM
His masterpiece I am.