https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1118
Lest you’ve not already seen it.
And the root of my Nigeria connection since first introduction, 1968.
And a pic and Ode to mark the moment.
Baba m
Oloruntoyin,
Isola,
Scion of Agbo.
Spirit child;
Was it that
Forest whisper, that
Vibrant green of
Ife-Ibadan corridor that
Spoke at the darkened
Root of conscious that
I knew not?
Oloruntoyin,
Isola,
Scion of Agbo
Warrior Chief of
Mystic blood.
Novice word-smith
Searching, daring,
Touching, then with
Sudden thrust,
First blood and
First taste of that which
Is sweetest in life.
Oloruntoyin,
Isola,
Scion of Agbo
Whose reach extended
In greed and lust to
Span an Empire
Dreams and
Deeds,
Imaginings,
Feats and
More feats, that
Reach, steadily
Extending into
Virgin lands,
True wilds of
Adventure and
Exploration.
Oloruntoyin
Isola,
Scion of Agbo
Whose great sun of
Achievement left others in
Eclipse darkness.
In a strange land,
Foreign but familiar
Words gain new power,
Gradually immense force, and
The echo of
Applause from
Raucous mouths
Close-clamouring,
Blurs cognition from
Afar.
Oloruntoyin,
Isola,
Scion of Agbo
Whose fame spread wide
With Gold and
Wives and other
Hard-won booty,
Who within the
Throbbing heart of
Constant clangour-praise of
High celebration
There remained a
Small voice that
Sought still that
Truth in silence;
Indeed that sought to
Still those
Deep-lurking fears of
Capricious, jealous,
Vengeful gods
Seeking,
Always seeking
Their own
Sacrificial
Blood-price.
It is now a
Universe spread with
Words in
Different boxes, with
Different labels,
Accompanied by
Different music,
Foot-beats,
Hand and
Finger beats of the
Mind, the soul, the
Collective images and
Songs of days
Not past,
But Present,
Ever present,
Ever vibrant,
In the present
Oloruntoyin,
Isola,
Scion of Great Agbo.
The gods are
Watching, waiting.
Like Great Agbo,
Tis the trickster which
Must be ever-tracked,
Vigilantly watched.
The Ancestors
Hover close.
The distance
Narrows.
