Come, my child, did I hear you right?
Come, sit tight, you give me a fright
Your father, as you well know, left me out in the cold
And right now, I am spent, tired and very old
I’ve lost your father to the sea; your brother to the army
And now you beg for me to let you also fly free
I possess not the strength to fight you
Follow your heart and do what you must do
I’ve known your legs to wander, even before you could walk well
And I’ve never known you to tire; your legs itch once more, I can tell
If it is your heart’s desire; your chosen path with good reason
Though methinks the time is ripe for advice so listen
Go well, my child, but beware of the world
Whatever you do, please fear your Lord
As you go through life you’ll see
That it is not as organized as the bee’s
You will meet with all sorts of influence while out there
Of every kind of vice, please beware
From every conceivable form of temptation, refrain
The littlest forbidden pleasure must later cause you pain
The most angelic faces are most often the devil’s
Be careful: you are bound to find them in life, at all levels
Your heart is your most prized possession; guard it with diamond vaults
It is your one custody most vulnerable to faults
Seek knowledge, and always stick with the facts
But use the good and leave the bad ones intact
Be the last to succumb to a fight
All people, good and bad, treat right
Live your life a simple one; don’t complicate it
That way, you can always rearrange it or make a quick exit
Be wary of an innocent’s curse; hurt no one, so no one may hurt you
Then peace will be your closest companion, ever with you
Enter into no agreement, till your side is safe; no stake
There are crooks about the earth; make no mistake
Trouble is a close friend to one loquacious
Speak concise, but in all, be righteous
Money is mostly evil; those who live for it are doomed
For extravagancy, make no room
Pride is disease to the human being
Be humble on the outside; you can be proud of your humility within
Patience is a virtue: this is most definitely true
If you court it, you will always be in gratitude
Trust no one; have no enemy, have no friend
You will be the wiser in the end
Travel far and wide; travel is good
But no matter how far you go, do come home to your roots
Go safely, my child: for now, goodbye
Be gone with you! Be gone! I’ll say you some prayers, even as I cry
Wow I must confess this is a masterpiece. Nice work ma
Shit! What wonder! Such masterpiece! Wow! Wow! I lack the words…!
Thanks!
These lines could only come from a caring mother,Hannatu Adamu. This is delightfully delicious. Sound advice, from a mother to a child. Spectacularly composed.
I may have written poems about mothers, yet I am not one. Imaginary situations or other peoples’ stories can actually inspire good poems. All the more reason why your compliment is such a great honour to be received.
I may have written poems about mothers, yet I am not one. Imaginary situations or other peoples’ stories can actually inspire good poems. All the more reason why your compliment is such a great honour to be received.
From it you can draw a picture of a bowed African mum, making good her offspring. These lines did it for me: ‘Pride is disease to the human being
Be humble on the outside; you can be proud of your humility within’
Well done Hannatu as always.
Thanks as always! Much appreciated.