HAD I ARRIVED BEFORE MY BIRTH
– Akeem Lasisi
At this dawn of the august night
Can I salute my father’s name,
Ejiwande Aremu,
Offspring of Ilagbede
Illustrious diadem of the land of Okebadan
Where the smart sparrow convicts the owner of the farm.
Had I arrived before my birth
I could have found my way into a titan’s forge
Where if you bellow fire you get thanks
If you bellow not, you get your thanks
Blow the fire, bellow the furnace
Bellow the furnace and blow the fire
Is the ancient anthem of the seasoned smith.
I salute the earth, salute the sky
I salute the ambiguous,
Marrying them in the mystic air.
ALSO READ AND WATCH: DEATH IS THE FINAL MATCH (A Song for Pele)
