The chirping of morning birds
Brought the dawn to my bed
The crow of early roosters
Lead the rays through my door

On a long and dirty road
I'd travelled here yesternight
Darkness clouds the homeward path
But my feet are wiser than the lies of time

Alone I drank from mama's calabash
Though I'd seen many storms in life
But her thatched roof provides comfort she needs

Alone I sat with her under the moonlight
Her presence graced the mystery of this weird hours
Though age had stolen her her strength
Still, there is wisdom in her greyness
And the life within her dying lips
Sat on the mat of the evening

Again mama told me the stories
Those stories that accompanied my childhood
But this time a  warning

"My child is an eagle
The king of the sky
Fondle with the stars
But stay away from the falconer"

"My son is a lion
Rule the jungle
With death in your claws
But stay away the beasts of the sea'

"Beware of strange women
The bee that brings honey
Also brings death in its tail
Addiction is the mockery of the kings
Women is the mockery of the Mighty"

"Do not boast beneath the mountains of this world
And humility will be your wings"

I have drank from the ancient pots
I have eaten from the sacred calabash of wisdom
But the aging brow of mama's eyes
Cannot see the changes in time
Love and lie now go hand in hand
Will mama ever understand
If I tell her of Aranti?
The only girl I love but can't trust

© Olatuja Oloyede