Thinking of writing lives his name recalls
Poems, plays biographies and novels
That tell us time is an endless tale
Of achievement and performance
Kongi’s Harvest is reality that has become the truth
Of a nation’s history as personal story
And thus as his own life’s narrative
Of both reward and endurance
We cannot forget nor fully remember
All the moves his forest dancers made
Over nine decades as our veins trembled
At the touch of his linguistic brilliance.
Kongi’s humanity, long-lived and articulate
Is replete with the tales of his nation’s life.
The ageless storyteller still dances
To the music of the forest.
..
LINDSAY BARRETT
Abuja, 8th July 2024
