Kunle Okesipe, Nigeria
Blessed are the tongues of grass that mark
The advent of rains with a signature of green,
The needles of the spear grass in the warp
And weft of widower stubbles,
A file of palm trees and their epaulets of conical fronds,
A mob of hoodlum cowage in their ambuscade.
Blessed is the subdued tang of basil in the mouth’s siesta
And the siesta of basil after a meal of the evening sun.
To you, old morning, without a memory of a leaf’s ash,
With a memory of smoke like a lost necklace,
Blessed is a joyous beginning,
Like the first flowers of a pubescent tree.
Kunle Okesipe is a Nigerian poet and playwright whose poetry has appeared in The Revolution (Relaunch) and a number of anthologies. He has also won awards for his plays.