THE NIGHTS THAT NEVER DIE

I sat there lonely last tonight

As the thought of my beyond-the-yonder father flooded the tables of my mind— like the Nile beyond its bank. His wise utterances sparked again in my ears like high voltage cables.

I remembered his hands blessing my shoulder with the fatherly warmth And his fingers “tip-tapping" me to the brass tacks of life.

He narrated to me the lores of my pedigree

Unfurling the history of tears and sweats.

“We once lived in the ashes like serfs and peons;

Maidservants to the cruel gods of life.

But we fought like foot soldiers

Sacrificing our pieces till our peace we found"

“We warred till our foes found their place beneath our feet

And our tongue itself sang a song of rest."

What a legendary card he played,

He left me his words in his stead—

One of the nights that never die— To be opened like the scriptures on days when life is peace and quiet Each verse stringed with stories of hope, brevity and love.

Name: Ajani Samuel Victor

Pen Name: fab_du_solvic