My Village Shrine
I placed my feet one after the other in
movement
Swirling red African dust settled on my
feet
As I ate the distance between me and my
destination
The laterite road surrendered to a leafy
pathway
Noise of occasional passing cars and human
chatter
Lost to the quietude of this enigma of a
forest
Pulled forward by an invisible force of
curiosity
I moved further into the forest towards the
stream
From where they say my village shrine
reigned
Even before the days of the father of my
fathers'' father
And the deeper I went into the belly of the
forest
The more fearsome the trees grew to be.
The shrubs became phantoms by tricks of my
mind
And the eerie silence became loudly menacing
Running waters drummed to startle as I got
near to it
And then, remembering the wisdom of the
elders
I liberated my voice to hoarse shouts of the
mortals
That the water spirits would go in and grant
me safe passage
Between the water that gives life and the
land of the African gods
The journey ends for the mortal female
except the few favoured by the gods
And even those initiated into the revered
cult of priesthood.
Just as the secret of the owl shall never be
made known to daylight
So is the shadowy ancient trail to the seat of
my village shrine.
My fathers'' father told me that I was
initiated ahead of my mates
And so, I should not be afraid of a
handshake with the gods
I shook off the cobwebs of trepidation
hanging all over me
Looked around and in a leap of faith and
courage
Sailed across the stream and walked into the
thick undergrowth
Unnervingly evident that I was all by my
curious self
It was a journey across the fabled playground
of the gods
I knew about them – revered messengers of the
gods
Right onto my path they sent chills down my spine
I had come too far to tolerate thoughts of
going back.
The apes considered me with fearsome judging
eyes
Found me worthy of an encounter with the
abode of the gods
Left me to my fate and continued on their tour
of duty
Cries of unusual birds I did not see bade me
welcome
I ventured yet nearer my destination.
Excitedly, I sallied forth into the last of
the shrubs
Before the sacred grotto but as nothing
prepared me
For the extraordinary spectacle that beheld
me,
I was bewitched and enthralled.
I cautiously moved my unwilling legs
Towards the subject of my visit
I sat down on a carved ancient wooden stool
Right in front of the cave and picked a
piece of white clay...
Clay of the gods
I crushed a little and applied on my eyes
With a gradual comprehension that
I was really in the presence of a force
Beyond my mortal understanding,
My eyes grew accustomed to the darkness
enveloping me
And I beheld it - my village shrine
Emeka Amakeze
