The Baobab Tree

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A Japanese version of the poem published in the book, "Soccer Grannies" by Jean Duffy.

On an hallowed spot at home,
Stands a tall, mighty baobab. 
Steeped in myth and legend 
With a hefty girth,
Thick, and wide  arms. 
It stands bare in the rainless moons 
But is cloaked green with the showers. 
From every house, it calls us; 
Girls and boys, men and women
The old and the young, 
The nimble and the slow, 
Birds, bees, beasts, and bats. 
To all and sundry it welcomes 
With food, sweetness, and shelter. 
In its arms; shrouded or naked, 
Or under its shaded bare ground, 
We play, we laugh, we rest, we court.

Read: Village Boy Impressions - The Seasons at Home

In the rainy season, the baobab tree is usually cloaked green 
The baobab tree stands bare in the dry season

For the fresh nourishing leaves
Our mothers fight the caterpillars.
And for the lip-smacking nectar,
We wrestle with the bees at dawn.
Fearing neither their ominous hum,
Nor the eventual virulent sting.
Devouring the budding flowers,
Into tummies that squirm in protest,
And for the fruit, fresh or dry at last,
We climb and climb and climb
Passing from limb to limb
Until the entire land lies at our feet.
Looking down, our legs quake in fright!
Our young hearts pound furious,
And our feet are jelly.





Hail the mighty baobab!
Hail the mothering love
Peerless in height and size
Great in aid and shade.
Defiant in the parched land
Neither the drought nor the flood fears.
But the mighty Harmattan mocks
And the fierce blazing sun scoffs.
Blooming or shedding the greenery
At her own sweet will and time
And her fruit are constant in season.
Anger or malice she knows not
Neither a grumble nor a wail she utters
But within her big beating heart keeps
All the pain and scars of a harassed land.
If we but learn her ways,
We should be twice blest over
In this harsh and remorseless world!

Japanese Cover page



Get the book here 










Location: Sandema, Ghana

Comments

  1. Alims Elijah Ayaawan (via Facebook)3:35 pm, April 03, 2017

    Great piece of poetry. We are reminded of the things around which our lives revolve around but which we seem oblivious of.

    ReplyDelete

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