I KISS THE NATURE GOOD MORNING

by Kamarudeen Mustapha

I kiss the nature good morning
And brew a pot of honey in my veins

I converse with the wild hues of the wilderness
And win myself a garland of rainbow around my neck

Today I befriend the weaverbirds and their tweeting colony
See how fast I become a chatterbox of modern lore

I imitate the Nightingale and its solemn notes
See how fast I become a singer of fortune

The day I imitate the oracle,
I will become a poet of vision

I will borrow its mystic gaze
That threads the innards of truth

I will borrow its nimble feet
That walk the labyrinth of wisdom

Tired of borrowing, I may steal its prophetic flames
That burn the dross covering the gems of tomorrow

I may steal its everlasting repose

And learn the secrecy of patience

Tell me which blacksmith fashions his ore

And fabricates his sinews

The uniqueness of his saber

Comes from the zealousness of his shadow

The length of his shadow comes

From the reflection of his person by the height of his fire

Not the ore and neither the fire

But the power of his bellows

Then the strength and the rapidity of his hammer

On his anvil…