{"id":2004,"date":"2017-07-02T20:46:40","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T20:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/?p=2004"},"modified":"2017-07-02T22:30:04","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T22:30:04","slug":"food-poetry-issue-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/food-poetry-issue-7\/","title":{"rendered":"FOOD POETRY (ISSUE 7)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\" id=\"quads-ad1\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n\n <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.1.7.8 Content AdSense async --> \n\n<script async data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\">\nvar quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth;\nif ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) {\r\n\/* desktop monitors *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 1024  && quads_screen_width < 1140 ) {\r\n\/* tablet landscape *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 768  && quads_screen_width < 1024 ) {\r\n\/* tablet portrait *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width < 768 ) {\r\n\/* phone *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}<\/script>\n\n <!-- end WP QUADS --> \n\n\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>FOOD POETRY (ISSUE 7)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SUCH REGALE&#8230;<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> by\u00a0Olajuwon Joseph Olumide<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thump! thump!<br \/>\nThe kingdom of hunger in chaos!<br \/>\n<em>Yeye Abeke<\/em> is at it again, anchor of braais:<br \/>\nHer pestle&#8217;s incessant intercourse with<br \/>\nThe mortar, heralding to banish<br \/>\nAll grumbling demons from their gluttonous dungeons.<br \/>\nCan anything good complete metamorphosis without pain?<br \/>\nSee the white epiphany of <em>Iyanre<\/em> emerge,<br \/>\nAs the knife-dissected yam tuber \u2013 after tried in the boiling pot \u2013<br \/>\nUndergoes a crushed life! pa po! po pa!<br \/>\nSince the demons of hunger have heard the good news<br \/>\nWith their errant ears, nostrils discerning good thing, too<br \/>\nMust testify to the enchanting aroma of Obere, snaking out<br \/>\nOf <em>Yeye Abeke&#8217;s<\/em> steaming black cauldron<br \/>\nWhose sitting bottom is tried on the untamed dancing flames!<br \/>\nThe previous dusk<em>, &#8216;arepa Ogun o&#8217;<\/em> saw <em>Baba Abeke <\/em>off \u2013<br \/>\nPlunge into the frigid heart of the forest<br \/>\nHaunted by a thousand demons.<br \/>\nHis mind of optimistic return reiterated our progenitors&#8217; proverb<br \/>\nSaying: <em>&#8220;with the hope of breath for the mortal nostrils,<br \/>\nMortal teeth will yet munch what&#8217;s beyond the grand flesh of Ajanaku&#8221;<\/em><br \/>\nToday&#8217;s solar eye witnesses the celebrated fruition<br \/>\nOf a brave hunter&#8217;s return.<br \/>\nHow the hovering atmosphere this hour is coloured in regale!<br \/>\nOnly a gullible mind will wonder<br \/>\nWhy the rains of visitors, only torrenting here;<br \/>\nSuch regale that strays focused legs set on the red earth<br \/>\nStretching to various farmlands&#8230;<br \/>\nSuch regale that bewitches me \u2013 <em>Agbeloba <\/em>this moment,<br \/>\nTo disdain the worth of my productive-harvesting sickles<br \/>\nThat once delivered the conceived bulged tubers<br \/>\nFrom the womb of <em>Beyiose&#8217;<\/em>s fertile soil.<br \/>\nIs inner strength, not the inspiration behind the muse to toil?<br \/>\nThat gluttonous dungeon men convey, is a pantheon<br \/>\nWith a capricious god, turbulently contorting intestines<br \/>\nWhen from time to time, its liturgical procession<br \/>\nIsn&#8217;t obliged \u2013 via the threshold of yawning mouth, where<br \/>\nMorsel by morsel is to sojourn into the sacred of the sacred,<br \/>\nWith palm wine of libation paddling <em>erangbe<\/em> down as well.<br \/>\nPlease, let my legs now stray!<br \/>\nThe great hunter&#8217;s yard is the paradise<br \/>\nEvoked on this spur of lost reasoning: kudos to such regale&#8230;<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nGlossary<\/strong><br \/>\nIyanre : sumptuous pounded yam<br \/>\nObere : sumptuous broth<br \/>\nYeye Abeke : Abeke&#8217;s mother<br \/>\nBaba Abeke : Abeke&#8217;s father<br \/>\nArepa Ogun o : Compliments to hunters going for a hunting, wishing them good catch<br \/>\nAjanaku : elephant<br \/>\nAgbeloba : a great farmer whose appellation literally means &#8220;farmer is a king&#8221;<br \/>\nBeyiose : a fictitious village name<br \/>\nErangbe : bush meat<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-1.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"2056\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/food-poetry-issue-7\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-1.jpg?fit=256%2C319&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"256,319\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-1.jpg?fit=241%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-1.jpg?fit=256%2C319&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2056 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n-1-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"11220905_766422303455837_6758728142179950740_n\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Olajuwon Joseph Olumide<\/strong>, a poet and a fiction writer, is a student of Mass Communication at YABATECH. He is a two-time winner of Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest. He was shortlisted for the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize in 2016. He teaches English language &amp; Literature at a private college. He hails from Ogun State.<br \/>\n***<\/p>\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad2\" id=\"quads-ad2\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>MOTHER\u2019S SOUP POT<\/p>\n<p><strong>by Amaka Blossom Chime\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\nLadle onto my plate<\/p>\n<p>not the watery top<\/p>\n<p>the children struggle for chaff<\/p>\n<p>as it dances in the wind.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Father severed the head of our game<\/p>\n<p>mother smoked the tail<\/p>\n<p><em>Mazi <\/em>comes with his white-washed plate<\/p>\n<p>a gaping smile in his skull<\/p>\n<p><em>Ogbeni <\/em>storms the kitchen with a plate in one hand<\/p>\n<p>his sagging <em>\u1e63okoto <\/em>in another<\/p>\n<p>but where is <em>Mallam<\/em> who complained<\/p>\n<p>that his <em>tuwo <\/em>was the size of his fist?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Laughter flows in liquid tunes<\/p>\n<p>oily fingers and slippery throats<\/p>\n<p>of papa and mama<\/p>\n<p>engrossed in tales of woe<\/p>\n<p>of how the economy collapsed<\/p>\n<p>between morsels of\u00a0 pounded yam<\/p>\n<p>and smoked croaker voices<\/p>\n<p>in a dance of\u00a0 history.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cries of bitter hunger<\/p>\n<p>echo from the soup pot<\/p>\n<p>angry plates fight each other<\/p>\n<p>and blood stains the earth<\/p>\n<p>flowing in violent torrents.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Edojah <\/em>will not starve nor eat chaff<\/p>\n<p>our land rots from dark waters<\/p>\n<p>while strangers, the ones we loathe<\/p>\n<p>breed wealth and fresh\u00a0 skins<\/p>\n<p>break the pot and spill our wealth<\/p>\n<p>the remnant survives the pox<\/p>\n<p>the dust becomes their colour<\/p>\n<p>we sucked the same breast<\/p>\n<p>but they suck life from us<\/p>\n<p>a parasite comes from the Sahara<\/p>\n<p>in alabaster cartridges<\/p>\n<p>feeding on mother\u2019s pot.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I will ride the elephant and others will walk<\/p>\n<p>the crown cannot fit the swollen head<\/p>\n<p>the shrunken scalp is not fit for the crown<\/p>\n<p>while kingfishers and king-makers<\/p>\n<p>whose bloated skins<\/p>\n<p>hide a\u00a0 trail of worms<\/p>\n<p>fashion monuments of\u00a0 history<\/p>\n<p>in a rotten enclave<\/p>\n<p>while the package shines<\/p>\n<p>in dazzling luminaries<\/p>\n<p>that outwit the sun<\/p>\n<p>and embezzle the moon<\/p>\n<p>while children, the surviving ones<\/p>\n<p>fight for maggot-infested firewood<\/p>\n<p>to roast the lizards that come home to roost.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"2039\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/spoken-waves-issue-7\/%e2%80%aa234-803-740-7846%e2%80%ac-20170702_133839\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\u202a+234 803 740 7846\u202c 20170702_133839\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?fit=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2039 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839-300x300.jpg?resize=300%2C300\" alt=\"\u202a+234 803 740 7846\u202c 20170702_133839\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?resize=350%2C350&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/\u202a234-803-740-7846\u202c-20170702_133839.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Amaka Blossom Chime<\/strong> is a research assistant in the Department of English and Literary Studies, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.\u00a0 She is an English Language teacher on the School\u2019s Radio programme\u00a0 funded by the MacArthur Foundation, USA. Her poem \u2018Achebe\u2019s Ulogue\u2019 appeared in the Journal of Chinua Achebe Studies.\u00a0 Another Poem \u2018Shakespeare\u2019s Ulogue\u2019 was written for the commemoration of 400 Years of Shakespeare in 2016. Amaka is the Lead Rep. for PIN GO University Connect Centre. Her collection of poems\u00a0 <em>Harassed, <\/em>was published this year.\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad3\" id=\"quads-ad3\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOOD POETRY (ISSUE 7) SUCH REGALE&#8230; by\u00a0Olajuwon Joseph Olumide Thump! thump! The kingdom of hunger in chaos! Yeye Abeke is at it again, anchor of&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[20],"tags":[415,136,379,414,114],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2079,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/pin-quarterly-journal-issue-7-editors-note\/","url_meta":{"origin":2004,"position":0},"title":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 7): EDITOR'S NOTE","date":"July 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 7) EDITOR\u2019S NOTE \u00a0 Creativity, like rainfall, could be cyclical; and at certain times, torrential. It has been proven with all issues of the journal that, poetry and monotony have no cause for convergence. This is made possible with the flexible approach adopted in assessment of\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Across the Oceans\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1706,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/photo-poetry-issue-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":2004,"position":1},"title":"PHOTO-POETRY (ISSUE 6)","date":"January 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"PHOTO-POETRY (ISSUE 6) Street Scene ON THE BOULEVARD OF SURVIVAL By Joseph Olajuwon On the boulevard of hustle and bustle, Everyday people spontaneously flow with the poetry of life \u2013 For survival! Sky-scraper of aims to mount, to catch affluence. Dreams are movable! Whatever locomotive, destiny gifts: Frail Napep at\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Photo-Poetry\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2548,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/nigerian-students-poetry-prize-nspp-2018-the-longlist\/","url_meta":{"origin":2004,"position":2},"title":"NIGERIAN STUDENTS POETRY PRIZE (NSPP) 2018 \u2013 THE LONGLIST","date":"April 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NIGERIAN STUDENTS POETRY PRIZE (NSPP) 2018 \u2013 THE LONGLIST Poets in Nigeria (PIN) is pleased to announce the longlist for the 2018 edition of the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) which closed to submissions on 7th March, 2018. \u00a0The longlisted entries are as follows: SLAVERY | Samuel Irusota (Ambrose Alli\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Activities\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2004"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2124,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2004\/revisions\/2124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}