The Poem:
Not even a flicker of sun rays;
Nor a jot or flash of lightening
When the threatening relief-carrying rain
Harassed the surface of my windows’ curtains;
These harrowing twenty-and-one days gone past.
This unsavourable scenarioCompelled a staccato-dialogueBetween Grandpa and Grandson—GP and GS
(Bracing almost Breathlessly from his usual dashes into my ‘palace’ these few weeks)
GS: Sorry Grandpa, you are not smiling as you used to do
GP: Is the sun smiling outside there?
GS: I don’t understand, never seen the teeth of the sun before.
GP: Ok then, what is the colour of the dress of the sun from where you came?
GS: Grandpa, what is all these? I never saw the sun wearing a jacket or T-shirt.
GP: Is the sun yellow or red?
GS: O, I get it. It is the colour(s) of rainbow, Grandpa.
GP: What is the colour of rainbow
GS: Many different colours
GP: Like Alagemo, the deceptive Chameleon?
GS: ‘Don’t know the Chameleon. Never seen one.
GP: I see, you couldn’t have—From shuttles from Jo’Burg to London,And to Lagos and Dubai, and on and on and on. You could not have encountered the changing colours of the Chameleon. No problem, what are the colours of the Rainbow?
GS: Teacher was sure of it. He even taught us the song and it is on song-ready lips of every pupil. You don’t know the song Grandpa?
GP: (Feigning convincing ignorance) Never heard of it son. Sing it to me. Might just brighten my mood.
GS: Alright, Grandpa. Like this:
Orange and Blue
Yellow and Green
And Violet?
These form Rainbow.
Got it Grandpa?
GP: Almost, but that makes five colours?
GS: Yes, though don’t know the colour of the last—Violet, the very last one.
GP: It may be Teacher’s joker?
GS: What is joker? like a joke?
GP: No, something you must go and find out for yourself, from home.
GS: You are home, Grandpa,
You’re the old man in the house.
You must know it then, tell me, tell me or I won’t give you my cookies.
GP: Ok, I tell you but don’t tell your teacher that I told you.
GS: Told me what?
GP: That there are more than five colours on the Rainbow’s garments.
GS: (Bubbling with excitement). There are, are there? Tell me Grandpa. I’m dying to hear it.
GP: I see. I won’t tell you then. The way you show excitement, I am sure you’ll tell your teacher who told you.
GS: I swear (ops!) No, you told us not to swear! I promise I won’t tell him.
GP: Violet has blue and purple colours. Different from just blue and different from just yellow.
GS: Blue and Yellow colours, in one colour? how possible?
GP: We call it a little to the blue and a little to the yellow.
We once had a government like that.GS: Like violet, blue and yellow?
GP: Yes and No.
GS: Ha, Granpa, you are confusing me. I’ll tell Grandma not to bring your food this afternoon.
GP: Ah, no! Don’t do that, son. I’ll simply collapse and die.
And you will have no grandpa left.
GS: No Grandpa. Don’t. Don’t even go there. You won’t dieBut tell me about this government that is like the yellow and blue of Violet.
GP: The government said; ‘Don’t go to the left and don’t go to the right:
Go a little between left and right.’
GS: It means go nowhere then?
Does the Violet in rainbow go nowhere when the body moves.
GP: No. The violet is what we call a combination of both; Bluish-Yellow.
GS: My teacher will hear this tomorrow.. (dashes off)…
*June 14, 2019. Twenty-one days after my domestic accident.
The Story Behind this Poem:
The poem was inspired by anguish and trauma. On June 2, 2019, I slipped and fell badly around my dining room in Ilorin in the early hours of the morning. I broke my right ankle and was in Plaster of Paris (POP) for six months. I could not leave my room for weeks. On several occasions, my first grandson would come in, half oblivious of my state of incommunicado. He would banter away in hilarious conversations on just any topic under the sunless room in my bedroom.
The Poet:
Professor Olufemi Obafemi obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria (1975); MA (English) from University of Sheffield, and PhD English from the School of English, University of Leeds, England (1981).
He has been a Professor of English and Dramatic Literature of the University of Ilorin since October 1, 1990 until his retirement in April 2020. He was Head, Department of Modern European Languages (1990-1993), Dean, Student Affairs (1993-1997), Member of the Governing Council of the University of Ilorin (1990-1998), member of the Governing Board of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (2000-2008) and member of the Governing Board of the National Institute of Cultural Orientation (NICO), in Nigeria.
A prolific playwright, novelist, poet, literary and theatre scholar, Professor Olu Obafemi has published numerous scholarly studies, creative books poetry and a novel and journal articles in national and international outlets. Some of the books of scholarship include the landmark study on Nigerian theatre titled ‘Contemporary Nigerian Theatre, Politics and Aesthetics in Nigerian Theatre’ and ‘Aesthetics and Ideology in Nigerian Theatre’ , ‘Politics and Aesthetics in Nigerian Theatre’ , ‘Public Discourse’.
Some of his creative works have won notable prizes.
He is a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA), Fellow, English Scholars Association of Nigeria (ESAN), Fellow, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (FNAL).
He was the Chairman, Board of Directors of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). He was the past Director of Research of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State, and the immediate past President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters.
He currently serves on several NUC and TETFund Committees. He has been recently appointed as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, and a Member of the Advisory Board of the NNLG Prize for Literature and Literary criticism.
Prof. Obafemi was the sole recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), 2018.
