People of Prayer -Fire

A people of prayer, fire and fire

A people of prayer, fire and fire

1. My mother leads us into
a cathedral of prayer
and fire
& we pray.

2. Here, we are Nations
set apart to war. We
fight an enemy we do
not see with our voice.

3. We say: Oluwa ó…
Oluwa!!!

As if to ready for
shootings.

4. The man of God says: “hold
your gun, shoot at your
enemies.” (Hold your gun,
shoot at your enemies).

5. We put two right
fingers up and shoot
at empty space.

6. What could you possibly
shoot at when you do
not see an enemy?

7. A nod here. A nod there.
One shout here. Two claps there.
Two shots here. None dead there.

8. A woman is stamping her
feet …Oluwa ó!
Another is rolling on the floor
Oluwa ó…

9. I look at my mother and
she’s asleep. No doubt,
my sister is a decade asleep
too but; Oluwa ó!
Gbo oun mi.

About the Poem

A people of prayer, fire and fire a poem about the penticostal prayer wave. “Oluwa o” Captures the Yoruba cultural touch to prayer renditions.

More poems

Poetry analysis

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *