Nwaibari

It was a rusty and dust-laden dry season
The signs were not ablaze on the approach
Of the most inclement turn of the seasonal cycle

As the twists and turns of the suspicious cyclone
Gathered momentum, the hamlet of Umurawai
Was clad in the most outrageous colours
Of precipitous apprehension of sorts

The day was hastening to the music of the approach
Of eventide; as the once light-hearted day
Yielded to the setting of the majestic sun on the western front

But the day was not done and dusted yet
And did anyone notice the incipient footworks
Of the gorgeous dance of the Umurawai maidens?

No one could have

All have been captivated and mesmerized
By the precipitous tidings of a weather gone beserk
Yes, it was a silver lining in the rusty and weather-beaten sky

Hovering over the sleepy hamlet of umurawai
It was also 1921; a young maiden was heavy with child
It was her first outing as a woman who covetted motherhood dearly

The apprehensive husband stood by, as native midwives
Fretted over the imminence of the birth of a baby
Did Chief Obiefule, a scion of the great family of hunters

And farmers, suspect that his adorable wife, pretty Olujie
Would give birth to a baby girl; it didn’t show
On his worried face as the fast-paced rusty day

Retreated into a swirl of darkness

It was indeed early February 1921; and to the joy of the great Obiefule family, a baby emerged
From the birth throes of a tired but proud mother

And she was christened “Nwaibari”

The aura of strength and exuberance of loveliness
Of baby Nwaibari was breath-taking; it promptly became

The rallying point of an excited native hamlet