I.
He is always there, the giant beast;
The demon that thirst for human meat,
Watching and waiting for a prey,
Focused on the fruits in the forest.
When the dead betrays the living,
The witness becomes memories,
Forgotten by weary minds,
Lost in the book of time.
I hear the demon! Listen in the silence
That the forest births and nurtures.
And you will hear its roar of challenge;
Who shall hear? Who shall dare?.
A man brave, a man strong, a warrior
With no fear of death and the afterlife.
Aye! He who answer with his loud cry
Dares the demon in all its splendor.
How many tears must we weep?
How loud must we cry?
How many songs must we sing,
For the brave to hear goodbye?
II.
He walks north toward the mountain peak
To meet the great white beast
At the point where the earth touches the sky
To settle their fate in the maker's sight.
How many offerings must we give
To appease your honor?
How loud must our voices be,
For the gods to bless our warrior?
He trudges North towards his enemy
Through nature and hurdle born on earth,
Unyielding in his quest to prove his worth,
And patiently the demon awaits his coming.
How many life must we end?
How many future must we end?
How long must we spill blood,
When it amounts to nothing good?
The champion climbs the wizened pinnacle,
Climbing and grasping for rocky handhold
That takes him higher towards the beast's castle,
Where leaves are green and flowers are gold.
How much longer must we wait?
How much longer must we hold our breath?
How far must we look,
To see who triumph and lose?
III.
The peak is full of natures' best
Where land is rich and harvest vast
With fat animals and blissful fields
That are filled with fruits sweet on the lips.
How many sacrifice will it cost,
To get an answer to our prayer?
How long must we slumber,
With the fear of another kin lost?.
The battle began with fervor,
And the patience of skilled warriors
That circles one another with eyes keen,
Awaiting the moment when the body is weak.
The earth shakes and tremble
With dire and dreadful omens
Of the gods warring in heaven
For the right to sway the battle.
IV.
The great demon, with long hands,
As wide as a man's thigh, faces,
A wise man who feint and slash,
Moving too fast for the demon's eyes.
Let your judgment come with a new dawn,
For we mortals grow weary at this time.
As you amuse yourself with our plight,
In a game where we are nothing but pawns.
V.
Their battle of hours seems to go forever,
Neither of them ready to give ground to the other,
And so they fought with claws, a sword and shield,
Awaiting the moment of true weakness.
How long must they be blood-thirsty?
How long until they grow weary?
How long must they cross blades,
Before the thrill and strength fades?
Lightning flashes and the earth shakes!
The great sea boils like 'tis alight,
The world below and the world on high,
Hush as the gods fight and rage.
Do you know that not all good end well?
Do you know that not all evil is punished?
Dear faint of heart! In this game; do not fall,
For the hunter may become the hunted.
VI.
Hardened hunters we may be,
In this flawless world of green,
But If the gods can be merciful,
Can we mortals not be too?
When the storm winds blow hardest,
When the flames of despair reach highest,
When the song of the saints grow loudest,
Then will the Victor rise at last.
They parried and thrusted, moving in a slow dance,
Their boots seeking purchase in a warrior's stance.
On muddy ground that bears the force of their feet,
And the blood that drips freely from their body.
VI.
When the moon is up, the warrior's band
Will whet their blades and sing a song
Of War to a brother, brave and strong,
Fighting a beast in a faraway land.
The warrior, leader of the dauntless band
That fights his way across the land,
Has loosed himself upon the undying beast
Like death incarnate that has no leash.
The warrior walk and bask in light,
But the beast finds home in the night
Where the light and might of the day
Cannot reach, to vanquish and slay.
©Okunola Peace
0 Comments