Barrenness Poem by Olufayo Ezekiel

A woman;
turns ill-fated man.
baffled! like the battle ground.
unsettled! like the waist-beads.
sleepless! like the night moon.
for a barren woman;
nothing like night,
not even at noon,
when she visits the Dibia.

A gluttonic-womb;
that vains man's strength,
like a gall;
that spoils the meat,
it sorrows an honey-home.

No wonder a barren woman cries
to the gods that:
'I'm pounding my yam! '
I'm cooking my soup!
don't let me eat alone!

A barrier:
that barricades a career.
A curse;
that spoils a course.
A force;
that quells a quest.

No wonder a fisherman tells mermaid;
'I've cast my net! '
I've laid my hook!
let it catch your children!

An omen;
that brings an hoodoo.
A myth;
that chains the legend.
like a banana peel,
it brings fallibility.

No wonder the hunter tells the iron god
that;
'I've fed my gun! '
I've sharped my arrows!
I've lit my lamp!
don't let me hunt in vain!

A desert;
that chase away the rain.
A pest;
that tax away the plant.
A fire;
that sets ablaze the field.
A drought;
that chase away the gain.

No wonder the farmer prays to the gods
that;
'I've made ridges! '
I've planted my crops!
I've put my stake!
I've made my ban!
Let me see the gain!
And let me live to eat!