Tales by Emmanuel Jakpa

With the spliced rhythm of tribal Africa,
with the pulse, and raw hide cloak of riddles,
with the drizzling monsoon on lemon grass,
with the serene river songs of the canaries,
with the dim light of the oil lamps, I reflect
on the times when under the tropical moon
fierce with shine like the sun, elders poured
into the open palms of my mind, the stories
of tortoise, and of birds; stories that are wise,
never fading off the memory, older than wine,
taste like starch and banga soup that’s eaten
in a clay pot, under a mango tree with fruits.

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Oritsegbemi Emmanuel Jakpa was born in Warri, Nigeria, and
currently lives in Ireland. He studied at the University of Lagos, and the
University of Iowa. He obtained an MA from Waterford Institute of
Technology. His poetry has been published widely, including DIAGRAM,
Smoking Poets, Salt River Review, Barnwood, San Pedro River Review,
and Edison LiteraryReview. He has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes
three times, and he receivedthe 2008 W. B. Yeat’s Pierce Loughran Award.​