#Poem: Broken Household - Oluwo Fakunle Oyesanya

The following poem is about the advent and impact of foreign religion and missionaries on our tradition and culture.

Long, long ago

We ate, sang and danced
In tranquil and peaceful co-existence
Like the bird if the air
In common were paid
Obeisance and respect to the forebears
The natural laws left undefined
Longevity, healthfulness were taken in return
Oh! what a near perfect world
For the kith and kin;
Like a bolt on it the blue  emerged
A wolf in sheep's clothing
Glittering like gold
Wooing and luring the simpletons
Leading by the nose, putting asunder the united kins
Desecrating sacred laws and traditions
Breaking the fence of support
Tearing apart the kith and kins
Oh! War was made upon the house;

Brothers castigating brothers
The cry of the father had become distant
For the son can no longer hear
His indoctrination held him spell bound
Keeping him aloof at arm's length
Going against the grain of culture
Throwing to the wind, cultural virtues
Substituting with alien mores
In the guide of modernisation
Creating multiple crannies on the wall;
Noise, noise, noise, everywhere
Out In the street
Mounting a rostrum
Through megaphone blaring and blaring
That a savior had come
Praying, praising, embracing
The new found way;

The once united household
Broken and battered in discordant tunes
Like a dismembered orchestra
Thanks heaven for the handful of trustees
Sacrificing, praying, upholding the pillars of household
From total erosion and dilapidation
Oh! Brethren
A lizard dare not creep in
Without a cranny on the wall
Awake, rise up
To challenge if rescucitating , reviving, re-surging and rebuilding
The broken household.

                             

  Fakunle Oyesanya
                                       July '97