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| Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi |
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Chapter #: 4
Updated On: 14 September 2005 - Words Count: 309 - Number of Reads: 591 |
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Memories of Ibadan
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warming sun rays on malaria-chilled skin
the sweet taste of water once the illness runs its course
huge almond fruit tree
guarded by ferocious soldier ants
mango trees bursting with fruit
little stick-throwing thieves
gathering juicy loot
squeezing through hedges
comparing homeowner encounters
once the running is done
sweet sticky yellow juice running down bony arms
climbing up a coconut tree
a view of the entire world before me
okay just sankore street
little boys playing futbol
with a small tin can
blades of grass tickling their bare feet
little girls playing ten-ten
with total concentration
feet a blur of frenzied motion
making àgbalúmòó chewing gum
wondering why i can't blow bubbles
face deforms into an ugly grimace
as sour yeye sets teeth on edge
sucking sweet nectar
from an ixora's red flowers
watching others do the same
a collection of four-foot brown bees
mile-long traffic jams
around dugbe market
olómi tútù rèé o
hawkers darting from car to car
selling ice-water, oranges, fanta, coca-cola
waiting for you to down your fanta
'cause they need the bottle back
disbelief when cocoa house caught fire
i heard the governor cried
red dust from harmattan winds
settling over everything
just as we finish the saturday cleaning
a child's work is never done
following the world cup pre-qualifiers
with the tv turned off
'cause NEPA struck again
the joyous roar of an entire city
marking each of our goals
the collective groans of a million souls
following each of their goals
obsidian nights
lulled to sleep by an orchestra of crickets
conducted by toads
with occasional support from melancholy dogs
the sounds of the morning hawkers
ushering in a new day
ílè ti mó
the ground is mó
rise, shine, do it again
with radio o-y-o two |
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LITERARY 
