1
Sprawled across a fertile land,
On a hill overlooking a quiet river
Where the rains come once in a while
And when it does, it is a fine luxury
Trees stand, here and there
Occurring once upon a place
Grasses are seldom seen, the sand most often
The palm wine* tastes absolutely sweet
But in the mug we see dead drunk bees
2
The skies are blue; original, authentic
The river, flooded with the big rains
Quiet are the calm nights, cold mostly
But the early morning belongs to the sun
The people, like everyone else, smileful
3
In the mornings, the children play on the sand
When there were no chores, or when all was boring
At noon, lazy, the sun bakes away, tanning everyone
In the heat, everyone seeks out a shed, a citadel
The evenings are mild, sometimes unnecessarily hot
Then scorpions will find their way out for some air
In the nights the dogs bark to disturb the peace
Making all wonder what they might have seen
And when these all merge, they produce a small village
One placed somewhere, where the moon shines bright
And the sun a steady member of the community!
***
This field belongs to Government Secondary School (GSS) Tudun Amba, Workers Village in Lafia, where I used to teach math during my National Youth Corps year. The view is my quiet time hangout spot. The mast you see belongs to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Lafia. I would sit under the trees in the hinterland and reflect on anything and everything. Later in the evening, herders would come to graze their cattle. The sunset edges the clouds where the birds fly away. Young calves, egrets, and litter dropped by schoolchildren spread across the green field. It’s a memory I will cherish forever. If you like to read more about my experience here, click this link.
Note: Tudun Amba is a neighborhood of Lafia, the capital city of Nasarawa State. I am currently living in this historic city in Northern Nigeria. The northern part of Nigeria tends to be hotter than the southern part.
Palm wine: a flavorful white African wine tapped from the Raffia palm and other unique palm trees, enjoyed as a drink or fermented into alcohol.
