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IFEGI-OKU (WEEK 32) - "The Celebration" Part 3 of 3 |
WEEK 32: THE CELEBRATION, Part 3 of 3
The crowd, in the meantime, checks its tongue
To hear Obi say it, all become convinced
Of his utter foolishness to goad The Gods
The Griot can't help it, he has to step up
"Pardon, Master Obi," the round man begins
His wide girth rocking as he swallows mirth
"There was once a man who goaded The Gods
By speaking of sons who were yet unborn.
"The Gods drew straws for they thought him cheeky.
Half said 'yeah' to bequeath him heirs,
The others drew nays, bequeath more girls!
In short – why do you go against what is plain?
"Some things must be prayed for than gotten through bribes.
"Yeaaaeeeeeeeeeaahhhhh!" roars the crowd as one
His three lesser wives betray sneaky smiles
Which Obi will remember soon after this day
The round man continues, "Some shamans say,
All the sons born a man are held between his legs.
The fault does not lie with the wives he collects."
"Yeaaaeeeeeeeeeaahhhhh!" the crowd roars again
The round man's not done, "And speaking of wives,
Why would you unwisely mock the three upper ones
By upgrading the last in front of our sight?"
"Yeaaaeeeeeeeeeaahhhhh!" a third from the crowd
"And where are your girls?" the round man continues
"I speak of the eldests whom you've shut behind doors.
The youths here today did not come for the meat!"
This last is received with bountiful laughter
As they await eagerly answers from the host
Still stuffing their faces with his food and wine
"You've said quite enough, stupid ungrateful!"
Obi says, quite incensed, "I owe you nothing!
"You are rude besides for querying me thus!
My family's politics is for The Gods and me.
'Tis not for nosy neighbors who look like buffoons,
while jeering at me and eating from my table!
"Be careful, you all, less I wrest my beef from you!"
The crowd laughs quietly, but clearly tensed
Their eyes go uneasily to the food in the center
The earth does not yield as she does for Obi
"We are here to make merry," Obi says at last
"Eat and drink. Those boys will surely come.
Only time will tell if my words here today
Are musings of a madman or words laced with truth."
To disarm them further, he toasts his lesser wives
"And to yee, My Other Wives, yee too are splendid!"
The wives fail to flower for they know he means it naught
This too he shall remember soon after this day
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