For Frank Kokori, By Niyi Osundare


(For   Frank   Kokori)

Frankly speaking……

 


FIRS

So he has gone the way of ancestors
     Not in a chariot of fire
Not in a golden carriage
     Not on the wings of the eagle

He strode back home
     On a path cleared by our common prayers
He swung his hands by his side
     As he swayed to our songs of honour

Rare brand in this clime of caviling compromise
     True in his word, true in his deed
He knew what part of the sky begat the sun
     So he walked all his life in perpetual Light

When darkness seized the land
     And gun-toting despots assailed our Freedom
He risked life and job and pitched his tent
     On the side of those who labored for a chainless future

For he was a Leader who knew how to follow
     Scion of our devastated Delta
He knew the perilous particularities
     Of the politics of oil

Truth over tribe, science beyond superstition
      He was there when a foul Annuller
Imperiled our Liberty, and he stood forefront
     In the army which challenged his gun

Sleep well, worthy Compatriot
     You remain a Hero in a land still
In desperate search for lasting values
      Frankly speaking……

Niyi Osundare, one of Africa’s foremost poets and academics, is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of English, University of New Orleans. 


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