Aya’ba

Aya’ba

His words are more than music to my ears

They also caress my heart

His words,spirit and life

Pleasantly tingling my ear

My incus, stapes and malleus

More pleasant than mel

Without any ado,

Sumobi, come near

let me tell you a story

The story of my royalty

Once,

The verdict was death and I was guilty

I suffered for the ancestor’s adam

Veiled and deceived I was

Encircled by dense opacity

My lips spat profanity

Bound by despair

I followed evil himself

Dead with darkness

I dared not leave evil’s nest

Or so I thought

I was a jack of this slave trade

And I was a master of it

Bent over by its demands

Completely bound to evil’s whims

He knew me

I didn’t even know him

How could I see him with this dark veil over my face?

Black or pitchy, the colour I knew not

He loved me

Me, an aboriginal earthian

Unable to please God

Hostile by evil

He loved me still

He paid evil what I owed

Completely

Agbanilagbatan

He paid with His blood and His life

He unfettered me

Now I see clearly

Without evil’s veil

Eyin ju Eledumare

So let me dance with pizzazz

He exchanged my rags for golden robes

He has gone to the throne

He said he has gone to prepare my place

Streets of gold, gates of jewels

He is coming again

And here I wait

And I tell you my story while I wait

Ah! Surulere oh

I will wait for Him

Come,

We shall wait

Let us wait

With embers in our lamps

When he comes he will take us all

Don’t wonder anymore

For the source of my joie de vivre

J’aime ma Roi!

And He is also my Rohi

Come, let me show you to Him

He left me with a companion

The Spirit with whom He is same

Come, come and enjoy with me

It may be tough but see, His grace is enough

His love spurs me on

His love is sweetness to my belly

Better than honey

Look,

I am like him

He made me like him

Aya Oba

Fit for a king.

©Chima Kelechi

March 2014

Photo credit: Vivanaija.com