by Shitta Faruq Adémólá
Songs of A People Long Gone
Today, I have news to share/ the cool, dry wind of the Sahara came to visit/ & it lifted the roof off
my house/ it felt like an umbrella of grief had been blown away/ It filled my lungs with the dusty
bits of my origin/ & clearly, I can see my ancestors walking home/ the wind beats drums for my
hanging clothes to dance/ & they move in the rhythm of things losing moisture/ it whispers to me;
the forgotten songs of a people long gone/ buried deep in the soul of the Sahara/ & it reminds me to
leave my footprint on time/ as it moves fast, incapable of patience/ I watch the stars, through
the empty space where my roof used to be / & I wonder what they all think of me/ soon, little birds
will gather to fly/ & form an alliance with the snow white clouds/ in hopes that they can finally
defeat the big machine bird/ that dares to share their place with them/ the clouds remind me of how
blurry my eyes get as they open to the morning light/ they are the things shielding me from
my pain/ I hope these little birds will be strong enough to carry me/ I want to know what they eat in
the clouds/ I mean─those people long gone/ why have they sent the desert wind to me/ do they think
it’s time I found a new home/ am I to follow their footsteps on the hot sands of the Sahara/ in search
of the spot where their songs are buried/ is that why my roof is gone/ but in futility, all these I ask
Abdulwaheed Fatimah Mayowa was born and raised in Suleja, Niger state. She has a degree in crop Production and Soil Science from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. Fatimah is currently volunteering with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Suleja, to aid in their assessment of the environment for potential hazards to human and animal lives. She has always been interested in creating a sustainable environment, and in writing poems. Fatimah considers family and peace of mind to be the most important parts of one’s life, so if she isn’t found spending time with her family, she will be found either star gazing or reading a book.
Shitta Faruq Adémólá is a young Muslim Poet, Phone Photographer and Fiction Writer From Nigeria. His works appear or are forthcoming in Jalada Africa, The Kalahari Review, Third Estate Art, Rigorous Magazine, Chautaqua, Praxis Magazine, African Writers and elsewhere. He was a joint winner in the Shuzia PenProtest Contest, 2020; a second place winner in Naija Haiku Contest, 2020; and also a joint winner in PIN 10-DAY Poetry challenge (November 2020. He always believe Simi’s voice are always ever charming. When he’s not playing Scrabbles, he’s admiring fair ladies along the busy streets in Abeoukuta. Say hi on Twitter @shittafaruqade1.