Reminiscent

Adesanya Debo
@deboadesanya188377
14 days ago

Under the ragged canopy
Of the friendly mango tree
Gathered the cheering children
To eat a tale from a sage
We have no foe to fear
Because the moon was with us

We game the rodents for traps
But oft bitten by crawlers
Venoms spread but leaves cured
As we trudged the wood in team
With nets of bites and stings
We earned hunter's senses

When we besieged Agbalumo tree
We filled bowels and bags on the tree
But egbere also cherished cherry
His cry scattered us in diverse cardinals
His wails carried a whiff of memories.

When the sun scorched us white
Upa was our rescue
Deeply slim like an eel
And frothing like a boa
But it eased our chores
We would swim till the sun slept
Till Mama and mermaid called
In those splashes, our dreams sprawled
To build a joy of castles in our minds

On the outskirts of my village
Stood my cracked jolly school
Like a colonial sentry
Although the classes are countable
The lessons were boundless flood
I missed my London bath at dawn
My valuable potimoto
My thiefing knickers
Of garri and kulikuli

The ritual of sneaking out of school
To squirrel the wood for fruits
One day, the old hat snared us
His grinning snarls engraved our scars
We were trashed to pee
The day I knew old hat as the HM!

Oh Ololo, my village!
You are not vast
But you cradled my early joy
Gliding your slippery paths
Happily rolling my luxury tyres
Though barefooted
My soul bared no worries

You gave me my best friend
But nature claimed him too soon
Will I ever find a replacement?
But for you
I dare say
I was a child in my childhood.

#AfricanChildhoodmemories
#ChildhoodinAfrica
#Poetry

Footnote
Ololo- my small village
Egbere- a mythical spirit
Potimoto-a metal school box
Kulikuli-a local snack
Garri- cassava flakes
Old Hat-a nickname given to my HM for always wearing a hat
About the poem
This poem mirrors the innocence of my childhood. It captures the best moment I know I can never bring back. It also reminds me of my late friend, Kola, who I find no replacement.

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@beckyoludayoadenuga426965 @deboadesanya188377