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Poetry
Amechi Obumse
The Drummer
When the tips of your fingers
danced on the edge of the raw hide
like a male tarantula courting a female
my head exploded in ecstasy
When the tips of your fingers
Danced all over the raw hide
I stepped to the rhythm of the drum beats
chanting praises to earth, sky and sea
Beats follow beats
Fingers weaving colorfully
and now like wild thorns
they pierce the gloom
fathomed vaults of my heart
awakening pulsing sensations
of lovers panting in the night
Hearts throbbing, thumping and trembling
Drummer,
Play, play, play
so that three half dead owls
flapping on the ground
may come back to life
and I, a night dancer
will dance again - all night
with the forgotten spirits of our cult.
Forgotten Memories (for Jos)
I have laid to rest
Memories of the past
Like a cold corpse
I have lowered the casket unsung
And streams of tears
Merge into fears
As a nameless sea
Enshrouds me
Drowning me
I have laid to rest
Memories of our dim past
I have sealed the casket
Now I pay homage
With wreaths of shrunken roses.
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