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THE MADMAN OF OYE

THE MADMAN OF OYE

He called himself a prophet
But the villagers knew him
As the madman of Oye.
I did not know where to place him
Madman or prophet?

Strolling through village dirt roads,
He cut a dashing figure in his robes of leaves.
All covered in dainty green like ukwa trees.
Tall as the gazelle,
Gangling as the ostrich
He was the tallest figure
My young eyes ever did see.

Some said he became mad
When he chanced upon mamywater – the gorgeous water mermaid,
Half woman, half fish – And she captured
Him in her midnight dance.
Others said he took leave
Of his senses when he challenged his Chi
- his personal guardian deity – to a fight.
Yet others claimed,
He smoked too much of the foul weed and
White substance used by city dwellers.

His was an intriguing life.
Legend says he was born of dwarfs.
No one could account for how he came to be so tall.
The village elders said
He had the eyes of amusu – the fly by night witches.

He seemed to know everyone's secret.
Meeting a little-known village crook,
He shared with him:
'Everyday is for the thief,
One day is for the owner of the house.'

The next day the thief was killed by a night hunter.

On another occasion
He told a respected village elder:
'The forbidden fruit is juicy, but
In it is the poison of ajuala, the serpent.'
Soon, the elder was exposed as an adulterer.

Once he was asked
Why he preferred
To dress in leaves. His reply?

'A man who is drenched by rain
Does not care if he pisses on himself.'

At night
His voice could be heard
From the forest
Chanting to his God.

I was 7 when
I met him on a lonely farm road.
He was sitting on a dead tree rump
Talking with the spirits
Only he could see.
I was chilled with fear and
Tried to sneak across without attracting his attention.
When I thought I was safe,
His voice rang out: 'Little boy!'
I stopped. Frozen with fear. Sweating,
Despite the early morning frost.
Turning sideways, our eyes met.
He had the most unusual eyes. Eyes
So deep like an earth-sunken well; yet so piercing
You thought he could see the very depths of your soul.
'Someday,' he said, 'you will write about me.'
Laughing, he melted into the forest.

Today,
I fulfill those words.

Culled from: The River Died by Ken Ike

1 comment:

  1. Hi. Good evening. I luv ur ideas, they're beautiful. Do you need a writer?

    ReplyDelete