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/POEMS /OUR HOUSE IN AFRICA Our house in Africa  A mud walled house which sat  On surroundings large but neat  Her cap of old thatch  And a fence of bamboo. Our house in Africa  Her facade marked by chalk paint  Generous clay on entrance lobby  The family courtyard spread  And a front gate of bamboo. Our house in Africa  She overlooked the iroko tree  Who grew strong from the ages  His strong boughs far spread  And against perilous tempest. Our house in Africa  Overlooked a virgin forest  And the iroko's cultured root  Evergreen tree whose foliage smoked  From religious fires at his foot. Our house in Africa  In those dark days birds nested  Many coloured and speckled birds  On the revered iroko of our ancestors  Who clothed the iroko tree. Our house in Africa  Today birds hover about the forest  And her defiled remains in total disconnect  From the Gmelina trees that now s...

THE TERMINUS   End time comes for all journeys When every train must stop And for buses no other route to drive When at a terminus they arrive. As babies a journey began That persevered turns and rugged terrains  When at birth brought they no baggage  Now at departure had no luggage. This journey all humans must travel However various destinies maybe Like tourists enjoying pilgrimages That will never last all ages. Man's life a mortal journey The beautiful flower that withers A desolate life exit at eventide Only mourning dews fall on its bedside. Crack-boom! Crack-boom!! Sounded the traditional funeral gunfire For an elderly man of his kindred Whose age was close to hundred. The sick bed was his mortal end His right hand a victorious twitch Approved his legacies on earth Before he departed in death. Gone in the way of his ancestors Who died and live in death's wilderness That is never full with human souls. /POEM

/ETSAKOR PROVERBS ETSAKOR DIALECT: 1. Ikpamhi lor a kele vhi ubene. 2. Iyua lor akele vhi isomhi. TRANSLATION: 1.  Seeds are the objects in gourds. 2.  Children are the objects in marriage. MEANING:   The two Proverbs speak on the same subject: '  The Purpose of Marriage '. This is implied in the first Proverb which alludes to this very fact. But the second Proverb speaks expressly, in literal terms that; Children are the reason for marriage. LIFE APPLICATION:   Proverbs have a way of shedding more light from different perspectives on the same subject matter. This Proverb is an additional insight to the Proverb: ' U ghor mher, I li ghor ler: Lor a za zer egbe vhi isomhi '.   The Proverb makes a case for fruitfulness in marriage. Here, in  Africa , the primary goal of marriage is to produce children. Obviously, there are other reasons such as love, care, friendship, companionships, company, protection, provision of shelter, accommodations, help, prov...

/Etsakor Proverbs ETSAKOR DIALECT: U ghor mher, I li ghor ler; Lor aza zer egbe vhi isomhi. TRANSLATION: I love you, You also love me; Is the choice that makes marriage match. MEANING: Marriage is the agreement between two people to love each other. LIFE APPLICATION:   The word  Love , has a broad spectrum of applications. Love connotes affection between two individuals, irrespective of sex or gender. Generally, love is construed as charity, kindness, help, care, hospitality, companionships, friendly attention etc.   In the context of this Proverb, the definition of love may not ignore but also includes sexual interactions between a male and a female. The Proverb indicates that love affirmations between a man and a woman is rudimentary to the establishment of  Marriage .   In the determination of what constitutes marriage, this Proverb expounds as a Principle that two individuals must be involved; who are committed to love each other; and insofar as such love cu...

/ETSAKOR PROVERBS ETSAKOR DIALECT: Alimhi, aimhi obor ( ogor obor ); lor le rer se orai. TRANSLATION: The alimhi deity climbs a tree with the left hand. MEANING: This Proverb is a warning against false worship. It warns against the vanity in such an exercise, since they will be disappointed at judgement; which is often a miscarriage of judgement. LIFE APPLICATION:   This Proverb is rich in allusions. It shows that even in the dark ages, there was always light, through the knowledge about the worship of the True God. Here, in  Africa  and other parts of the world, paganism manifested in many societies; in the form of atheism, animism, spiritualism and many other types of idolatry practices.   The word alimhi  as it is used in this context; refers to the idolatry worship of a deified ancestral spirits. This type of spiritualism is false worship. 'The Tree' referred to, in the Proverb, means Judgement. And 'climbing the tree means adjudication or the dispensation o...

/Etsakor Proverbs ETSAKOR DIALECT: 1. Orda orde kpo lor ghu ye alimhi apfer na tser la. 2. Elimhi lor khi apfer ni mha ye. 3. Eme gbe alimhi oder vhi agbor, khor vha gbe nabi uku ewor. TRANSLATION: 1. Everyone dies unto their own ancestry. 2. Elimhi  - (The Spiritual Abode of the dead) is the family where we return. 3. The veil which separates earthly life and the spiritual abode of the dead is.       not as thick as a film of smoke. MEANING:   Through death, man returns to his origins. The ancestry of man called alimhi  in the Proverb, is an abode of spiritual beings, where it is believed that man was created; and there, he came from.   There, it is possible to recognize related, previously connected or familiar beings. There is the eventual return of the spirits of the dead. This Proverb describes the location of the spiritual abode to be within the earth; and among the living! The only veil of separation between the kingdom of the spirits of th...

/ETSAKOR PROVERBS   ETSAKOR DIALECT: Orya khor na vherler ni alimhi. TRANSLATION: Man cannot evade death. MEANING: No matter how strong or influential a person could be, eventually, he must succumb to the invincible hand of death. Due to the influence, wealth or the position of an individual, it might be possible to bury some crimes undetected or escape punishment for certain crimes; they may even live long and no one could bring them to justice. But when it is time, such persons must yield to death! /Etsakor Proverbs of the Edo People of Nigeria

/ETSAKOR PROVERBS ETSAKOR DIALECT: I kele ni egbe mher, lagi Osimher lor lu mher; khai vier la abor orkpa. TRANSLATION: The self inflicted and the Lord's afflicted, are never mourned alike. MEANING: A man whose misfortune is a reward for his misdemeanors, cannot be compared to another who was born with a condition or a victim of natural disasters. LIFE APPLICATION:   In  life , human beings have empathy. But their sympathy for a man who is the architect of his own misfortunes can not be compared to another who was born with a condition or a victim of natural disasters.   If a man was recalcitrant and lived a wayward life of prostitution, you may not be surprised when he is infected with AIDS disease. Of course, this man, cannot enjoy the same kind of support with another man was born blind or who lost all his properties during an earthquake.   Many people are fond of blaming others for their failures or misfortunes. They could blame other people, weather, animals, wi...

/BURIAL The death struck a blow An unbelievable reality On the tranquil air. Then mirth sparked aglow A doleful Community Deadly funny its ritual fair. Across Societies and traditions It is occasional merry festival For undertakers and mourners. Sobbing, singing and dancing! African Poems