Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: folktale

  • Diary of A Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 6

    When I reached home that evening, it seemed like the whole world was upside down. I felt my head swell with hurt from the bee stings and sharp roots embedded in my feet. By the side of my bamboo bed, Nene and her dog sat, staring at me. She held my hand and squeezed softly.…

  • Rainmaker’s Tale

    When the green neighbourhood dance to the call of the wild one. Dark are the skies; darker even are the clouds that stalk the rain. The wind came swift and slow; rushing at times as petals of flowers dance. To the music of the coming rain; to lullabies that made heads bounce. And to the…

  • The Poet & The Peasant | O’ Henry

    THE OTHER DAY a poet friend of mine, who has lived in close communication with nature all his life, wrote a poem and took it to an editor. It was a living pastoral, full of the genuine breath of the fields, the song of birds, and the pleasant chatter of trickling streams. When the poet…

  • Kindness: The Lion and The Mouse

    Here is one of the oldest and best loved stories of kindness paid and repaid. From it we learn that compassion lies within the power of both the mighty and the meek. Kindness is not a feeble virtue. One day a great lion lay asleep in the sunshine. A little mouse ran across his paw…

  • The Man Who Never Lied

    Hi everyone! How was your day? I have a story to share. So bring your seats and mats to the fireplace, listen attentively and may the nightingales sing us a lullaby when we retire to bed. Once upon a time there lived a wise man by the name of Mamad. He never lied. All the…

  • Another Tale from the Wild Woods

    There’s a land behind those ancient hills Hidden in the thick greened forest, One of mighty foliage, brushes & roots Dark green shrubs gather by the riverside Ripe fruits plunge into the quiet waters And fish schools scatter in excitement Brown and black crabs meet to get drunk Squirrels watch them, amused from treetops The…

  • Lullaby: Tale of the young Shepherdess

    I will tell you a rhyme of the shepherdess who loved her sheep, She lives in the country and could sing her community to sleep Twinkle went stars nested far up the pregnant black sky, When black clouds float, the gathering rain storm sigh, “It will rain, but it might wait a little,” the young…

  • Diary of a Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 6 (Another Attack)

    That night I had another attack. It was midnight and everybody was settled for some sleep. The moon was white, there were no stars and the evening brought mild breezes. Wild dogs and wolves howled from the hilly distance and the night was deafened in their terrifying noise. Night was nobody’s friend those days. Travelers…

  • African Folklore

    Folklore are tales, legends, superstitions of a particular ethnic population. In Igbo culture and other African societies, story telling is unique, such that it is a passage to transmit the tradition of a place from one generation to another. These tales convey the history, ancient messages and old knowledge. They teach morals and virtues to…

  • African morning

    In the morning the mild golden sun rise above the huts and hills Painting the corn fields yellow and making the streams shimmer Upon flowing rivers it glitters, till the dead end below a tree root Big fishes stay ready to strafe up to pick insects off tree barks In the hamlets, dogs chased cats,…

  • Folklore: King Grisly Beard from Project Gutenberg

    A great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who was very beautiful, but so proud, and haughty, and conceited, that none of the princes who came to ask her in marriage was good enough for her, and she only made sport of them. Once upon a time the king…

  • The Animal King

    Do you know why there is no king in the animal kingdom? Here is a story narrating why. I wrote this poetale a longtime ago. Have fun. Once upon a time In a land far away, Across seven rivers And seven hills Lived a clan of animals They knew no strife No envy, no rivalry…

  • Self-Control: The Fox and the Crow

    How is everybody today? What are you guys reading for the weekend? I’m compiling a new reading list, anyone willing to share or suggest a book? It’s almost bedtime here, but sleep can wait. I’m trying to study my guide to scholarship application. I have this bedtime tale to drop before I retire for the…

  • The Goose that laid the Golden Egg

    You may agree with me that evenings are best for story telling. In Africa, evenings are valuable family time. Dinner or sitouts allow time to reflect on the days work: achievements and disappointments, and to tell tales. Tales don’t just act as lullabies but convey moral virtues (and vices) as well. Now when a story…

  • Tale: The Animal King: Confusion and Disunity

    Gather now… Come closer Warm your hands, sit near the fire It is a cold evening, is it? Now pay attention to this poetale I hope it helps warm you up And trust it prepares you for a fine sleep   Once upon a time In a land far away Across seven rivers And seven…

  • The Messenger, part 2

    The dark evening is serene and calm Though the vampire bats hover up the skies And the little crickets quiz all around… Many sat for dinner for it was a long day The farms, the ponds and the big market The smell of dried cod soup pass thru the air, It was a favorite among…

  • Folk: One night, one story

    It has been long I left my village And they must have felt my absence For the moon still shone always But then no one to tell the childrens tales I missed seeing the grey bearded moon I missed the serenity of the countryside I missed seeing the birds circle the sky And the calls…

  • Folk: Night falls

    The night fades slowly Cloak of darkness fall As the crickets prepare For another night song Bonfires lit the night To keep the wild dogs off The children set the stage For a moon light folktale And beneath the stars The small hamlet waits

  • Another Tale of a Shepherd

    Nothing compares to the sweet sleep Of all good and hardworking shepherds He retires with a fine and adorable smile And to his bed of wool, he lays Tuning into the local radio station To listen to some old folk songs Nodding almost silently to the rhythm Smiling to the memories of the stressful day…

  • The Rat and the Bat

    A rat made friends with a bat And they always fed together But then the bat was jealous of the rat When the bat cooked the food It was always very good And the bush rat will always ask “How is it that when you make soup It is so tasty?” The bat will always…

  • Let us dance

    Let us dance while the moon shine As we swerve about together To see the stars as they glitter Let us dance under the baobab Besides the termites castle And the grazing field for the cattle When we dance under the baobab And the moon light up the cloud is bright All beautiful memories come…