(For Fawehinmi)
As the rainy season closed without sympathy
In the month of September
The Logos of death began to glitter
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A bolt of lightning slashed the sky
And the twilight heavens contracted
Cracking the mountains apart
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A hundred and fifty million fears fell
From gangrenous rooftops
Shattering to pieces on 5 September
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because the lamp-post of liberty fell
Tears and torments gushed into Lagos lagoons
Swelling the bellies of marginalized waters
Let no one call this the land of freedom
The white light among dark lanterns
Came down in an overcrowded street
Setting barricades of teeth on edge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Who will chose the kind of light
To light the passing of Gani
Aurora’s glow or acetylene torch
Let no one call this the land of freedom
No light is enough to guide his passing
But the light he left will suffice
For us to bear witness
Let no one call this the land of freedom
As we climb outward and cross the tidal-rip
In the void that flows between us
May we set our feet on the floating dust
Let no one call this the land of freedom
We are in the right road the hero’s highway
Here where Sankara started a fiery journey
Hotter than the lies and lives we live
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Is it you or Nigeria who was a trouble maker
Your lips and your grave must open and tell
No Gani cannot die it must not be
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because politicians are whispering
Deceptions to us again
With hearts full of question marks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
In their corybantic hallucinations
Bottled for bizarre shows
You blazed a sunrise on our misery
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Bitter and broken
You revealed their grey rendezvous
Where they bestialized the people
Let no one call this the land of freedom
So looking in cold blood
At the death of all our hopes
The ram submitted to the sacrificial bonfire
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand doctors abandon their patients
Ten thousand journalists compromise their pens
A battalion of innocents get killed in Ecomog
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand lawyers scramble for criminal cases
Ten thousand students abandon their country
A cohort of policemen resurrect roadblocks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand film-makers worship gold
Ten thousand poets pollinate vacancy
A platoon of engineers jump from Mainland Bridge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because you remained steadfast
May you luxuriate in the Garden of Allah
As you leave millions with broken watches…
Return O Remi my mistress
My mistress of multitude return
When we rode a void of ten thousand miles
Against the copious currents of the Niger
The raucous river in your right eye trembled
Now I cannot shake off the orgasmic smiles
You stitched my soul with rafters in your barnyard
And unbuckled my bones on your bed of broken vows
Tonight I sit solitary sad at the harmatan
Blowing loneliness from the trees of fractured boughs
The moon is full in our sleeping bag
And the owls are crooning in bare branches
Gone is the cocoon of your delicate embrace
And the heavy chainsaw of our sticky screwing
But with my penis I will Jump into your bottomless pit
Good morning Dambudzo Marechera
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 South Africa License.
Ralph Tathagata was born in Obiohia-Bende, Abia State. He lives in Lagos. He is poet, a writer, a journalist, a photographer, a culture activist and a former general secretary for Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State.
Ralph is convinced that the core of his poetry is to create works, ready to respond and stand the test of disastrous times.
Ralph Tathagata was born in Obiohia-Bende, Abia State. He lives in Lagos. He is poet, a writer, a journalist, a photographer, a culture activist and a former general secretary for Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State.
Ralph is convinced that the core of his poetry is to create works, ready to respond and stand the test of disastrous times.
(For Fawehinmi)
As the rainy season closed without sympathy
In the month of September
The Logos of death began to glitter
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A bolt of lightning slashed the sky
And the twilight heavens contracted
Cracking the mountains apart
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A hundred and fifty million fears fell
From gangrenous rooftops
Shattering to pieces on 5 September
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because the lamp-post of liberty fell
Tears and torments gushed into Lagos lagoons
Swelling the bellies of marginalized waters
Let no one call this the land of freedom
The white light among dark lanterns
Came down in an overcrowded street
Setting barricades of teeth on edge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Who will chose the kind of light
To light the passing of Gani
Aurora’s glow or acetylene torch
Let no one call this the land of freedom
No light is enough to guide his passing
But the light he left will suffice
For us to bear witness
Let no one call this the land of freedom
As we climb outward and cross the tidal-rip
In the void that flows between us
May we set our feet on the floating dust
Let no one call this the land of freedom
We are in the right road the hero’s highway
Here where Sankara started a fiery journey
Hotter than the lies and lives we live
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Is it you or Nigeria who was a trouble maker
Your lips and your grave must open and tell
No Gani cannot die it must not be
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because politicians are whispering
Deceptions to us again
With hearts full of question marks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
In their corybantic hallucinations
Bottled for bizarre shows
You blazed a sunrise on our misery
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Bitter and broken
You revealed their grey rendezvous
Where they bestialized the people
Let no one call this the land of freedom
So looking in cold blood
At the death of all our hopes
The ram submitted to the sacrificial bonfire
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand doctors abandon their patients
Ten thousand journalists compromise their pens
A battalion of innocents get killed in Ecomog
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand lawyers scramble for criminal cases
Ten thousand students abandon their country
A cohort of policemen resurrect roadblocks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand film-makers worship gold
Ten thousand poets pollinate vacancy
A platoon of engineers jump from Mainland Bridge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because you remained steadfast
May you luxuriate in the Garden of Allah
As you leave millions with broken watches…
Return O Remi my mistress
My mistress of multitude return
When we rode a void of ten thousand miles
Against the copious currents of the Niger
The raucous river in your right eye trembled
Now I cannot shake off the orgasmic smiles
You stitched my soul with rafters in your barnyard
And unbuckled my bones on your bed of broken vows
Tonight I sit solitary sad at the harmatan
Blowing loneliness from the trees of fractured boughs
The moon is full in our sleeping bag
And the owls are crooning in bare branches
Gone is the cocoon of your delicate embrace
And the heavy chainsaw of our sticky screwing
But with my penis I will Jump into your bottomless pit
Good morning Dambudzo Marechera
(For Fawehinmi)
As the rainy season closed without sympathy
In the month of September
The Logos of death began to glitter
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A bolt of lightning slashed the sky
And the twilight heavens contracted
Cracking the mountains apart
Let no one call this the land of freedom
A hundred and fifty million fears fell
From gangrenous rooftops
Shattering to pieces on 5 September
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because the lamp-post of liberty fell
Tears and torments gushed into Lagos lagoons
Swelling the bellies of marginalized waters
Let no one call this the land of freedom
The white light among dark lanterns
Came down in an overcrowded street
Setting barricades of teeth on edge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Who will chose the kind of light
To light the passing of Gani
Aurora’s glow or acetylene torch
Let no one call this the land of freedom
No light is enough to guide his passing
But the light he left will suffice
For us to bear witness
Let no one call this the land of freedom
As we climb outward and cross the tidal-rip
In the void that flows between us
May we set our feet on the floating dust
Let no one call this the land of freedom
We are in the right road the hero’s highway
Here where Sankara started a fiery journey
Hotter than the lies and lives we live
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Is it you or Nigeria who was a trouble maker
Your lips and your grave must open and tell
No Gani cannot die it must not be
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because politicians are whispering
Deceptions to us again
With hearts full of question marks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
In their corybantic hallucinations
Bottled for bizarre shows
You blazed a sunrise on our misery
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Bitter and broken
You revealed their grey rendezvous
Where they bestialized the people
Let no one call this the land of freedom
So looking in cold blood
At the death of all our hopes
The ram submitted to the sacrificial bonfire
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand doctors abandon their patients
Ten thousand journalists compromise their pens
A battalion of innocents get killed in Ecomog
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand lawyers scramble for criminal cases
Ten thousand students abandon their country
A cohort of policemen resurrect roadblocks
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Let a thousand film-makers worship gold
Ten thousand poets pollinate vacancy
A platoon of engineers jump from Mainland Bridge
Let no one call this the land of freedom
Because you remained steadfast
May you luxuriate in the Garden of Allah
As you leave millions with broken watches…
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