SILAS OLA ABAYOMI

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI

Initiation

Faith without consent,

someone initiates me,

belief without

foreknowledge,

pastor and imam force

on me.

Tenets very strange

to me holy father

preach every Sunday,

thoughts never know

by ancestors,

imam replace with

culture

bequeathed to

progenies.

Language strange

to tongue

I speak daily,

economic life-

fore bearers

never know,

I struggle to practice.

Communal life woven

around social system of

my patriarch,

I’m compelled to discard

for a strange practice.

Medical care founded

on herbs, roots, and

leaves,

I have abandoned for

chemicals and procedures

alien to my body.

Education embedded in

custom and tradition,

I have left for

indoctrination

from far flung lands;

nutritiously rich and

tastily inviting African

dishes,

I have traded for parboiled,

junk from fast food joints.

Water-I have replaced

with carbonated water-

wine-directly from source-

I have substituted

with fermented

bottle-cocked-red-wine.

African wares with cultural

messages,

I have exchanged for tie,

suit, winter coat, summer

bikini, and fads far from

modest wares.

African science,

I have abandoned,

because-someone

says-it’s unscientific,

not conforming to

Boyle’s and Charles’

laws.

Day-week-and-year

count,

my progenitors learned

from lunar cycle,

Greco-Roman-Gregorian

calendar now replaced.

Names very strange to

my culture-I take pride

in,

mind someone

controls through

media,

heart-someone

dictates-what goes in

by what I read.

Eyes someone feeds

with images,

ears-culture warriors-

control through

entertainment,

tongue someone

baptize with

foreign accent.

Faithful Heaven!

Heaven listens when man

cries,

it guards and protects

when in danger,

delivers and walk you through

shadow of death,

from lion’s paw-it saves,

relieves and comforts from

pains unconditionally.

                                                                                                                         

Heaven may allow

trials and tribulations,

to prepare you for

glorious future,

but gives you

tools to navigate

today’s trouble waters.

Trials may last longer

than expected,

unending cry may

find abode in eye sockets,

heart may become heavy

with daily agony and torture,

mind may be overwhelmed

more than what it can bear,

remain firm-heaven will open

floodgates of refreshing

downpour and superior

soothing balm powerful

than all forms of

pain-relieving medications.

Is soul emotionally down?

Legs refused to walk,

hands on compulsory

vacation,

palms stopped clapping,

mouth continues with

dirge,

eyes become blurred,

ears remain closed

to symphony of joy;

today’s cloud will

evaporate,

thick gloomy will vanish,

thick smoke shall dissipate.

Are you still crying?

For pains from

unanticipated quarters-

treachery from siblings,

evil schemes from colleagues

betrayal by parents,

denial by children,

backstabbing from spouse,

injustice from society,

disappointment and misfortune?

Today’s visible and invisible

tears may run you down

face uncontrollably,

depress your soul,

knock you off your feet,

but tomorrow’s joyful tears

will compensate for loss.

Remember, today’s pain

is temporary, and

very soon shall go into

a dustbin of forgetfulness ,

when tomorrow’s sun

blazon;

I trust you, you betray me

will go forever into

skooumhouse.

Heaven is Faithful!!!

Octagon Of Life:

Be Truthful

Tell the truth every time,

even if it’s difficult,

light your pathway of

life with truth,

cover no track with lies,

build home not on

falsehood,

for foundation crumbles

as soon as erected.

Build on solid rock of

truth,

the indestructible,

let your molding blocks be

truth-tested fire resistant

materials,

let your inlet and

outlet doors be truth,

let your life revolve around

truth,

make the truth

your watchword.

Love:

Let love be key

you hold from sunrise to

sunset,

let love be the color

you bear from morning till

evening,

treat everyone with love.

Let your love go beyond

racial enclave, cultural and

religious affinity,

spread love beyond

brotherhood or

sisterhood,

cover everyone with

warm cloth of love.

In winter let your

love kindle and warm

shivering souls,

in summer let your

love refreshes,

as it defeats sweltering

heat.

Make spring leaps to

create a forward movement

for down hearted by means of

outflow of love;

autumn-turn to an oasis of love-

through open heart of activity

fill with love when life

may be dormant or hibernating.

Be Peaceable:

Preach peace and live peace,

be peaceable with everyone

by your deed and action,

hate and division-keep away,

let your life manifest peace,

let your speech promote peace

and concord,

let your action engender

peace,

seek peace and pursue it.

Be a peacemaker

Not a peace breaker,

settle rift among parties,

Temple of Justice,

never corrupt

three siblings of peace:

fairness, equality, and justice,

deny no one.

The roadway of peace,

never make crooked and

pathway of justice,

continuously make smooth;

people seeking justice

do not turn back,

people without justice

offer hope.

Cheaters remind-

no fraud last forever and

no dishonesty gains

remains eternally;

tell cheaters to reconcile

with their past,

encourage cheaters to

seek forgiveness and

abandon former course.

Tell cheaters to make

honesty a friend,

hardwork a colleague, and

perseverance a confidant.

Be Humble:

Humility let your heart

display at all times,

modesty-your tunic in

public and private domain;

make your humble spirit

visible through conduct,

let every soul see

humility flame

blazing in you,

let everyone see servility

in you and

let every soul bless your

spirit.

Know your strength,

recognize your limitations,

if endowed with

extraordinary ability,

build no temple of

pride and

never rent room from

haughtiness.

Assembly of haughty

do not visit,

gathering of arrogant,

never be present,

hoity-toity- do not

make friends,

proud-keep at arm’s

length,

supercilious and uppity-

keep at bay.

Be deferential-treat others-

with humility and respect,

be submissive and yielding,

remember honor and

influence are temporary,

but character is permanent.

Reputation is your public

identity and real name,

birth name a-mere tag-

that becomes a permanent

identifier after death;

let your dealings be

covered with meekness.

Hard Work:

May hard work define

your essence,

may it create a unique

personality in you,

let it serve as magnet

to draw men closer

to you,

odorous smell in public

square;

let your palms advertise

you,

let your fingers proclaim

you far and wide,

your industry-let it market

you.

Let your ingenious hands

carry you far-flung,

your ingenuous heart

promote you beyond

seas and oceans;

your intuition be

propellant and

your instinct make you

excel.

Be A Teacher:

Be a role model by

your character,

teach, train, and

instruct inexperience,

be father to the fatherless,

teacher by example,

nurture, nurse and nudge.

With you is knowledge,

understanding, and

discernment,

in your mind is wisdom;

on your palm is discipline;

give knowledge to deserving,

share understanding with

modest,

by wisdom train inexperience,

in love discipline the erring.

Be Generous:

Open your gates to the needy,

open your doors to the poor,

spread your tent to cover

everyone;

fatherless boys-become father-

make orphans leave your

courtyard with smiles,

widows listen to them, and

may they bless your

soul for making them happy.

Physically and emotionally

challenged,

empathize with them,

disturbed help carry burden,

distressed souls,

lighten their yoke,

hopeless-give hope-

wailers-wipe their tears.

Agitated-calm and make still,

trouble mind-comfort with

assurance,

needy-never send them

away empty-handed-

hungry-you feed-

thirsty-give water,

sick-offer help-

sojourn-invite into your

home-

tired-offer cold water,

bereaved-console,

encourage, and inspirit.

Be Strong and

Courageous:

Be strong in face of

adversity,

never cave in,

never give up,

never be consumed

by momentary trouble,

power in you-make alive-

strength in you-make visible-

your heart turn to steel,

your mind-turn to

orchard of ideas.

When body is weak,

make your spirit strong,

give it-wings of eagle-

strength of a young lion,

power belonging to behemoth, and

wisdom of a man.

When it seems everything

is gone and

hope for tomorrow is lost,

rely not upon yourself,

surrounds self not with

negative thoughts

but let providence directs

your steps.

Power will be renewed,

strength-you’ll regain,

life returns to NORMAL.

SILAS OLA ABAYOMI