The Benin Moat

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The pearl, the pearl!
You remind me
Of your day-old beauty.
You are the jewel
Of the old-still ancestral spring
Flowing from the river of eons.

You are the pride of mother tongue
And remain a bride of ancient hand.
Ride on, ride on!
Your wheels are gold
The time in the cloud
Your deep was new.

You raise the right hand
Of my ancestral strength
Marking the spectrum-line on my face
In tremendous pace.

In power of your defense center
You point the arrow
Of amusement and monument
To my history of great wonder.

Crossing around the cardinal points
Of my great kingdom,
In record of my white tooth
To my indigo ones,
My treasure island is tomorrows outing.

In all constitute of nature and man
To render you hopeless,
I see your breathing face
In my children lineage
Sing-song of kindred praise.

Now changing as waste
In the taste of a bin,
I feel rough muscles
On the face of Aaron.
The veins are signs of burning tears.

Maintain the face of the moat
And not the shadow of ancient-present
Lying on the fate of night blindness.

Oh Great Benin Kingdom!
We sing of your freedom,
But please! show us some wisdom
Or else the earth may swallow
The voice of your unborn tomorrow.

I DEDICATE THIS POEM WITH GREAT HUMILITY, AND IN HONOR OF ALL THE GREAT OBAS OF THE GREAT BENIN KINGDOM.