Naija American Girl: An old poem of mine

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

An old poem of mine

The Mystery of Music

It’s odd how a long forgotten melody

can jog the dormant memory

and make the heart ache for times past.

If scent is the strongest sense tied to memory,

then sound is the second

and music in particular –

plunging the mind into a state of

wistful reminiscence

realizing that today has become yesterday

And yes, today, will become

another yesterday.

2 comments:

MyneWednesday, March 03, 2010
Nothing brings nostalgia like music. I think it even surpasses scent. Nice one.
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AdminWednesday, March 03, 2010
Thanks Myne. Yeah, there's just something about some songs that just take me back....... :) Or :( sometimes.
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Naija American Girl by Chidinma Ogbuaku

Naija American Girl,
complex mix of two worlds
who knows the things that cross your mind,
the solace you seek but seldom find?

Many people born in Naija,
their hearts burn so bad,
to come to America
and when they get Visa they’re glad

But for those of us born here,
Na wa for us oh!
Because of the many things
we should but do not know

“You mean you can’t speak Igbo?
You don’t cook fu fu?
Why are you not studying
medicine in school?”

And when we go to school
and the teacher takes roll
We hear a very familiar phrase
that we’ve all come to know

“I’m really gonna mess this one up,
please forgive me in advance,”
Then they struggle through our name
But they don’t have a chance

“Chi-chi-deen-num-muh… O-o-ga-bu-ah-ku..”
They struggle and struggle with all their might
and when they’re finally through

We raise our hand and let them know
just how to say our name
some of them will hardly try
which really is a shame

We can get down with black Americans
'till they start talking ' bout slavery
Then we feel the need to boldly interject
"Oh no, that wasn’t me!”

“My ancestors were never slaves,
they weren’t forced across the ocean,”
Then our black friends look us up and down
and start a small commotion

“Oh so what, you think you’re better than us?”
they ask with animosity
They roll their eyes and start to cuss
And we wished we’d just let it be

We can hang with our Naija folk
'till they start speaking their native tongues
We catch a few thing here and there
while they all joke and have fun

Now having a foot in two worlds isn’t 100 percent bad for few can do the things we can
We can switch our greetings from
“Ndewo, sir” to
"Ay, what up doe fam?!”

The line we walk is a fuzzy one
from what we do to what we say
It’s a very curious little thing
that really comes with age

Naija American Girl
complex mix of two worlds
Who knows the things that cross your mind,
the solace you seek, and sometimes find?

Chidinma Ogbuaku 2009