Lineage Poem by Padmore Enyonam Agbemabiese

Lineage

in the beginning
somebody met somebody
in somebody’s backyard
in a matter of days
this somebody begat somebody
many moons later somebody traveled away from home
and met somebody at the fish market
after a while they too begat somebody
when somebody’s somebody grew up
somebody also met somebody
and they too begat somebody

many markets passed and nobody begat nobody
then it was the harvest season
when somebody met somebody from far away land
somebody was kind to this somebody
out of admiration somebody was promised somebody
so somebody was betrothed to somebody
when they met somebody begat somebody

years later
somebody also traveled with his schoolbag
to somebody’s town
there somebody met somebody
they fell deep in love
neighbors went mad with somebody
but somebody clogged the ear and loved somebody

when the storm was over
somebody and somebody begat somebody
people came from far and near
there was drumming and dancing for days
when the drums lay quiet and the moon came out
the elders spoke of how they make one big family
they call it the lineage

I saw it with another eye
I was born to somebody many generations removed
from somebody who begat somebody many seasons ago