Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,153,074 members, 7,818,215 topics. Date: Sunday, 05 May 2024 at 10:30 AM

Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? - Literature - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? (8866 Views)

I Am.....mutant (poem, Is It?) / Your Best Story Ever Read On Nairaland / Which Is Your Best Nigerian Novel? (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (Reply) (Go Down)

Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 2:20pm On May 11, 2007
mine is the duology between the two ABIKUs by Prof Wole Soyinka and Prof J.P Clark.
i still can recite them till tomorrow.
what are yours?
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 12:08pm On May 12, 2007
oh!
so many!

telephone conversation (wole soyinka) cracked me up real bad grin grin grin grin
pauper( i think j.p clark) made me sad, thats the height of poverty
night rain
snake

so many i call recall the title sad

but great great poems! wink
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 12:38pm On May 12, 2007
viee

did you study literature at o/level during the mid eighties? those were poem i studied thereabout for WAEC and tell you what, they were really,really nice, especially NIGHT RAIN.
remember THE VULTURES? sweet poem!
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 12:43pm On May 12, 2007
yes i did study literature at o/level
but that was ninetis
i still read poem from my younger ones books grin
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 12:44pm On May 12, 2007
havent read the vulture
wish i can get it

nite rain was fabulous
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by osegwu(m): 12:58pm On May 12, 2007
knotty:

mine is the duology between the two ABIKUs by Prof Wole Soyinka and Prof J.P Clark.
i still can recite them till tomorrow.
what are yours?

ABIKU by Wole Soyinka

In vain your bangles cast,

Charm circles at my feet?

I am Abiku calling for the first and the repeated time.

Must I weep for goats and cowries

for palm oil and sprinkled ashe

yams do not sprout in amulets
to earth abikus limp.

Do I coninue?
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 2:16pm On May 12, 2007
LOL

pls dont stop
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by iice(f): 4:36pm On May 12, 2007
viee:

telephone conversation (wole soyinka) cracked me up real bad grin grin grin grin

Me too! I loved it!
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 1:52pm On May 13, 2007
osegwu

pleaseeeeeeee
don`t stop
continueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 2:01pm On May 13, 2007
sorry The Vultures is not a Nigerian poem. it is from Senegal by David Diop.

in those days, when civilisation kicked us in the face

when holy waters slapped our clinging brows

the vultures built in the shadow of their talons blood stained monument of tutelage



i`ll continue
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 8:15am On May 14, 2007
u guys should plzzzzz not stop!
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 8:17am On May 14, 2007
iice:

Me too! I loved it!

it was great
i wish i can lay my hands on it again
always made me laugh
esp the brunnette part
boy!
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 3:17pm On May 14, 2007
"The Vultures"

In those days

When civilization kicked us in the face

When holy water slapped our cringing brows

The vultures built in the shadow of their talons

The bloodstained monument of tutelage

In those days

There was painful laughter on the metallic hell of the roads

And the monotonous rhythm of the paternoster

Drowned the howling on the plantations

O the bitter memories of extorted kisses

Or promises broken at the point of a gun

Of foreigners who did not seem human

Who knew all the books but did not know love

But we whose hands fertilize the womb of the earth

In spite of your songs of pride

In spite of the desolate villages of torn Africa

Hope was preserved in us as in a fortress

And from the mines of Swaziland to the factories of Europe

Spring will be reborn under our bright steps.

1 Like

Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by WesleyanA(f): 1:28am On May 15, 2007
i only remember a few
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by WesleyanA(f): 1:36am On May 15, 2007
"a coward dies many times before his death" (i don't remember any other lines from this other poem and i can't find it online)


@viee
i liked it too. you can find it online.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 2:57pm On May 15, 2007
wow!, great job guys! wink

wesley , where exactly do i go on line?
can i also see other poems there?
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 4:55pm On May 15, 2007
~groping in the dark~

i can see that i have missed more than  i knew.

nairaland is beginning to make more sense than i ever thought it would.

can someone finish off the Abiku, Part1?
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 7:53pm On May 15, 2007
u can say that again! smiley

i need to get those poems on line!!!!
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by WesleyanA(f): 9:20pm On May 15, 2007
@ viee, you can type in "'telephone conversation' soyinka" in the google search bar and pick your website of choice.

[url]http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNFA,RNFA:1970--2,RNFA:en&q=%22telephone+conversation%22+soyinka[/url]

i choose the first website on the list
http://www.k-state.edu/english/westmank/spring_00/SOYINKA.html

srry if i sound redundant. just trying to be helpful. lol
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by closetpervert(m): 9:22pm On May 15, 2007
la be igig orombo - ni be lagben sere wa, inu wa dun, ara wa ya, labe igi orombo.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by WesleyanA(f): 9:25pm On May 15, 2007
poetry not song lyrics. lol
i thought it was igbo at first too.

anyways, it's cool.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by closetpervert(m): 9:27pm On May 15, 2007
that na poety na.

another one - oko plus obo equals omo.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 11:44am On May 16, 2007
WesleyanA:

[url]http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNFA,RNFA:1970--2,RNFA:en&q=%22telephone+conversation%22+soyinka[/url]

srry if i sound redundant. just trying to be helpful. lol


no u dont wink
lol
thanks a zillion, truly appreciate kiss
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 11:46am On May 16, 2007
The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madam," I warned,
"I hate a wasted journey--I am African."
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was foully.
"HOW DARK?" . . . I had not misheard . . . "ARE YOU LIGHT
OR VERY DARK?" Button B, Button A.* Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar. It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis--
"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?" Revelation came.
"You mean--like plain or milk chocolate?"
Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted,
I chose. "West African sepia"--and as afterthought,
"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece. "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding
"DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."
"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?" "Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see
The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are a peroxide blond. Friction, caused--
Foolishly, madam--by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"--sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears--"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"



GOT ITTTTTTTTTTTTTT

just not to be selfish, if u dont have time to visit the site wesley gave
here it is wink
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 11:51am On May 16, 2007
viee:

madam--by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"--sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears--"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"


oh my!

ha ha ah ah ah ah ah aha ha ha ah ah ah ah ah ah
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by iice(f): 1:49pm On May 16, 2007
My best part was when the caller said are you light or dark? Still is very much a part of our society.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 2:50pm On May 16, 2007
yeah, sure is

can never get tired of this poem

it is a lovely satire smiley
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by SMC(f): 5:51pm On May 16, 2007
viee:

The price seemed reasonable, location
Indifferent. The landlady swore she lived
Off premises. Nothing remained
But self-confession. "Madam," I warned,
"I hate a wasted journey--I am African."
Silence. Silenced transmission of
Pressurized good-breeding. Voice, when it came,
Lipstick coated, long gold-rolled
Cigarette-holder pipped. Caught I was foully.
"HOW DARK?" . . . I had not misheard . . . "ARE YOU LIGHT
OR VERY DARK?" Button B, Button A.* Stench
Of rancid breath of public hide-and-speak.
Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered
Omnibus squelching tar. It was real! Shamed
By ill-mannered silence, surrender
Pushed dumbfounded to beg simplification.
Considerate she was, varying the emphasis--
"ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?" Revelation came.
"You mean--like plain or milk chocolate?"
Her assent was clinical, crushing in its light
Impersonality. Rapidly, wave-length adjusted,
I chose. "West African sepia"--and as afterthought,
"Down in my passport." Silence for spectroscopic
Flight of fancy, till truthfulness clanged her accent
Hard on the mouthpiece. "WHAT'S THAT?" conceding
"DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS." "Like brunette."
"THAT'S DARK, ISN'T IT?" "Not altogether.
Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see
The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet
Are a peroxide blond. Friction, caused--
Foolishly, madam--by sitting down, has turned
My bottom raven black--One moment, madam!"--sensing
Her receiver rearing on the thunderclap
About my ears--"Madam," I pleaded, "wouldn't you rather
See for yourself?"

What I love about the poem is the way it has racism down pat (especially the way it was back then predominantly in the 1950s and 1960s), although it is more subtle than what actually obtained.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 10:57am On May 17, 2007
i think i even love more after reading Knotty's 'Vulture'
the two are coming from the view point

'racism'

says a lot about our society, this era in Afriacn countries it is a story of blacks oppresing blacks

sad. sad
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by nanaboi(m): 12:37pm On May 18, 2007
We read J. P. Clark's Casualties - a collection of his poems set basically in the civil war era. That's where I encountered "Night Rain" again since secondary skool, and then "Abiku".

There were otha more complicated/political poems that our lecturer, Mr. Akpuda, had to guide us through like toddlers. They were quite hard 2 crack 4 some of us who weren't so devoted.

But the collection I read and fell in love with was Toni Kan's When A Dream Lingers too Long.
I love all the poems in it, especially the title poem. My long essay was on that collection.
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by viee(f): 1:34pm On May 18, 2007
yes, loved casualties too

'we are all casualties of war'
really touchn!

havnt read any of toni Kan's poems
only read his stuff then in hints grin

can one read his poem on line also?
Re: Which Nigerian Poem Is Your Best? by knotty(m): 2:24pm On May 18, 2007
Casualties

yes, nice poem too. i remember. that one gave us lines like:

many are the casualties who have no say in the matter
dying by instalment

are we not all casualties of the realities of daily living in Nigeria? did we have any say in the matter? are we not dying instalmentally?

poets are prophets, but prophets are not poets.

(1) (2) (Reply)

The Irresistible Arrest (A Story By Olasunkanmi Ajibola) / Her 25th Birthday (ifenkili) 18+ / Diary Of A Uniben Student !!!

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 38
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.