(For Kofi Awoonor)

the sun

shines bright

when the day

opens its eyes

at the centre

of the sky

it shines brighter

in the mid-day

when it beams

and reaches the centre

of our heads

it stays

and dances

from post to post

as if the dance

would never end

it dances with vigour

and sweats out

its energies –

it empties itself

on our flora and fauna

it empties itself

even in our heads

in that one dance

at the centre

of the sky

we stride

on teeming heads

to see

at the centre

the dancing steps

of this grand dancer

its energies

wane

in the twilight

and we strain

our big ears

to hear

at the centre

the dancing steps

of this grand dancer

and when the night falls…

the sun dies

and the night

overrides its light

and everything goes…

dark

but we can still

see

those dancing steps –

we still retain

the memory of the day

Gabriel Bamgbose