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Introduction to 'Many Wives'
The Africans, who practiced polygyny, did that for numerous reasons. The way of making a living in the olden days was a dominant factor in many areas. Early Africans.......>>>more,

MANY WIVES OF OUR FATHER
When time came to till the turf,
And fervently farm the rich farmlands,
My father's house had many hands,
To till the turf and farm the farmlands,
And after earth like the motherland,
Had grown the crops put in her womb,
And harvest time came........>>>more

One of the new poems only available in the
2nd Edition of POEMS OF LIFE Comes with African folklore introduction and story behind the poem

            NEW MOON
I looked up the sky, and there she stood,
A new phase of the ever smiling moon,
With a gorgeous charm she gladly glowed
Wearing her crescent in a concave curve,
Reminding all again of her newness come,
And that life has come to another curve.

I reviewed my wishes and counted my blessings,
And then I resolved as I prayed by wishes made,

To be guided again like the curving moon,
So when the convex meets the concave curve,
To complete the cycle for another full moon,
I would have yet on my hand to count again,
A new list of blessings and wishes came,
With the crescent of another smiling moon.

-One of the new poems only available in the
2nd Edition of POEMS OF LIFE Comes with African folklore introduction and story behind the poem
A group of African poets, dancers, and performers from Nigeria, Haiti, and the Carribean merge with other western artists to perform a dance and dramatic poem
            NEW MOON
I looked up the sky, and there she stood,
A new phase of the ever smiling moon,
With a gorgeous charm she gladly glowed
Wearing her crescent in a concave curve,
Reminding all again of her newness come,
And that life has come to another curve.

I reviewed my wishes and counted my blessings,
And then I resolved as I prayed by wishes made,

To be guided again like the curving moon,
So when the convex meets the concave curve,
To complete the cycle for another full moon,
I would have yet on my hand to count again,
A new list of blessings and wishes came,
With the crescent of another smiling moon.

-One of the new poems only available in the
2nd Edition of POEMS OF LIFE Comes with African folklore introduction and story behind the poem
AFRICAN POEMS WITH AFRICAN
FOLKLORE INTRODUCTION

Introduction to 'New Moon'
Before western civilization and the Roman calendar, Africans relied on the moon and market days as their guide to calculate their days, ages, and duration of time. The moon usually started in a crescent and went to full moon in what was considered the traditional month. So it was that in addition to using the moon for calculation purposes, whenever an individual looked up at the sky and saw a fresh crescent for the first time, he... More>>>
- Poems Of Life- 2nd Edition
Introduction to 'Many Wives'
The Africans, who practiced polygyny, did that for numerous reasons. The way of making a living in the olden days was a dominant factor in many areas. Early Africans.......>>>more,

MANY WIVES OF OUR FATHER
When time came to till the turf,
And fervently farm the rich farmlands,
My father's house had many hands,
To till the turf and farm the farmlands,
And after earth like the motherland,
Had grown the crops put in her womb,
And harvest time came........>>>more

One of the new poems only available in the
2nd Edition of POEMS OF LIFE Comes with African folklore introduction and story behind the poem

AFRICAN PROVERBS, QUOTES, AND EXPRESSIONS

Good cooking is a woman's surest path to a man's heart

A child who washes his hands clean enough gets to eat with the elders

A blind man can be told that there is no oil in the soup, but he will have to use his tongue if he must find out the level of the salt.

"What an old man can see while seated a young man can not see standing."
"When a head is too big it cannot avoid punches."
"Two trees planted together cannot avoid brushing against
each other." - Submitted by Oscar Silembo

"The man whose house is on fire does not go hunting for a rat.."

"If a bachelor decides to cook and at the same time goes to climb the palm tree, if he does not fall from the palmtree, his food on the fire (stove) will get burnt."

"The mind is like a bag, everyone carries his/her own."

"Character is like smoke, it cannot be hidden."

"The market is not attended from a single road.

"When a road is good, it is used a second time."

"The child that leaves the fate of his future in the hope of inheritance property, sets himself up for a life of poverty."

"The frog never runs in daylight for nothing."
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AFRICAN POEMS,
PROVERBS, AND QUOTES
LINKS TO MORE AFRICAN POEMS
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BACK TO TOP            Poems of Soul.com Copyright 2002
MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTER

I watched you roll
Roll from one side of the bed
To the other, and still
The clock chimes once.

I watch you sit and hum
Hum unintelligible tones
As mountains of tobacco
Disappear into your nostrils.

I watch your eyes
Fill with jerking tears
And your ears positioned
Intermittently to earth's pillars
Trying to place distant voices.

I try to cage my curiosity
But your crawling hands tap my chest
Papa, must I play this midnight encounter
To see the god's piercing eyes
And partake in this ancestral dialogue.
Chief Nwosu doing an African Dance step
Toris Okotie (The African Poet) NY

My African Child
So young in heart
He cried for milk
So poor and helpless
Mama weeps in pain

His eyes so red
A week he cried
A month ago,
To the world he came

Mama so young
Papa has run
Under the bridge
They lay their heads

In storm and rain
They search for food
Through man and sex
Mama fed him well

The days went by
Mama health decreased
Only five months old
Mama said goodbye

In rain and cold
He cried so loud
In sun and heat
He wept and wept

Three days gone by
Since mama left
And now he sleeps
To meet with mama

Toris Okotie (The African Poet) NY

Africa my Africa

Africa my Africa
Africa my motherland
Mother or Fatherland
Childless you went almost
But he that intervened
The God of all nations

Africa my Africa
Mother of nations great
Nigeria in the west
Ethiopia in the east remains
With labor pangs
You brought them forth

Africa my Africa
Father of Egypt
To the north, be so planted
And Zimbabwe, the south remains
And for Africa that mothered them all

Africa my Africa
Your discovery had brought you pains
Children and grandchildren
To the great sea you lost
Continents with them were fed

Africa my Africa
In Vain labor no more
Loose a child, but to no one
Your great nations do protect
For he shall intervene
When you cry for help
ACHOLI LAND!
Okema Leonard, Uganda

Acholiland oh acholiland,
The once happy mother of proud warriors,
To you we wail,
For redemption from the fangs of terror,
The terror that bleeds us white,
The terror that siphons your blood
that runs in our veins,

Lambs without a shepherd we remain,
Driven away from you into the darkness,
Mama we yearn for an end to our misgivings,
Oh! Acholiland,

Do you hear us when we call out to you?
When our cries run our voices frail,
When wantons hunt us, your children down,
The harmony you taught us is no more,
Your children have learnt the little art of
unleashing terror,

Unfortunately on your very siblings,
Pain is all we feel and grim is what we see,
Blood is what we pay for being your children,
Oh! Mother, spread your wings and redeem
us, to rise and shine again.

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