The beads around her waist;
Tastes of sweetness on tongues,
Sitting majestically on a throne,
A throne of two seats.
.
Eyes saw and went sore,
Hand wished and always wished
To touch the hem and be healed,
Teniola’s magical wand.
.
Suitors came in suits like flies,
Hovering all over her spice;
Some will prefer a leftover,
Raising hands, she turned down.
.
Her nectar at noon was very full,
Overflowing all over barren soil:
A drop at intervals, drop, d-r-o-p,
Barren soil only plaited weeds.
.
Teniola slept on floors with sharp claws,
Her seeds got buried in flaws,
Eagles picked them all up,
Her nectar couldn’t fill a cup.
.
Teniola:
A mat of riches
Transformed to a mat of ditches,
Many holes from many poles,
Teniola slept on bare floor.
.
*Teniola : An African name (yoruba) which means ‘… a mat of riches.’
