Isuikwuato

Oh land of the brave
The temperate, the strong
The oneness of Nature
The beauty all desire
Oh dear humble African land
The green forests of Amaeke
With those daring masquerades
Prowling about town
On hot sleepy days
Cloudy days; rain and sun
Hills, ancient and fresh
Streams running thru them
Giving them some life
Shielding the game around
In abundant green and brown
Keeping all life, boas, and hogs
Antelopes and the wild dogs
A valley of vast cassava fields
All are throwing their arms up
Singing at the winds command
And the sights of the oil palm
Standing majestically, a king of the brushes
But all and all, by and by
All understanding of some sort stays
Watch the lights go out
Sit at the inn
On the hills below
Amauzu and her seeds
The joys of sweet motherhood
My father’s perfect grin
Heartwarming, hug deserving
The love of all-natural things
Painted in these towns
The ever blue skies
Seen above Umukwu
My home, my story, my joy
All a simple desire,
Of smiling faces and hearts
Beautiful, the sun smiles on all
The children love the adults,
The adults love the infants,
When the moon shines happily,
All sit about waiting for folktales,
Counting the glittering stars
Up, up the dark skies
Freedom for all, of thought
There are palm trees; there is kola
There are yams, with knives to cut them
There are palm beer and the exotic egusi balls
Ovim sleeps, when the night plays her a lullaby
The aged, youth, and infants
Enjoy an earned rest
Happy to love this land,
In the morrow, a town will be awake

Notes.
Amauzu, Amaeke, Umudinja, and other towns are towns in Ovim. Ovim itself is a city in Isuikwuato in Nigeria. This is my hometown, my father’s place, and an inspiration to my writing.

Egusi balls: delicious snacks prepared from crushed melon seeds in pepper and other condiments.

Nature’s abundance are found here, hills, blue skies, rocks, caves, mountains, streams, rivers, cultural identity, valleys, unique foods and fruits, farms, other green life, and wildlife. Isuikwuato has produced some prominent political and intellectual figures in Nigeria. Some of these people include Senator Ike Nwachukwu, Gen Ihejirika Onyeabor, Ndubuisi Kanu, Lambert Ndukwe, and many others. The list of high flying Isuikwuato indigenes is much. Agriculture sustains the region, and it is an educational center.