The earth hums when I walk.
I hear the silent noise of the gods
Who once walked among men.
I’m looking for their footprints
Buried in the sand of time,
And cast over the seas
To find the secret
That made knees drop at the
Sound of their names.
I want to drink from the
Volcano bowl like Ògún,
And grab the tail of thunder
Like Ṣàngó.
Filled with the strength
Of a black panther
Mother said I was pulled out
Of the belly of Ọ̀ṣun,
And I’ve taken this path before
I was born.
I can dig their graves,
And still not find their remains.
But with unwritten words,
I will summon the pantheon
From the ends of the world
With a poem.
Only then would my spirit
Be spoken to.
Only then would my blackness
Be spoken to.
I was looking for the
Gods of Africa, then I found
Myself.
By Elijah Christopher
Elijah Christopher is a journalist at A New Touch Of Africa, is also a creative writer, a poet, and an IT enthusiast. He contributed to the collaborative poem written in celebration of Edwin Morgan Centenary, the first Glasgow poet laureate and Scottish national poet from the University of Glasgow. He loves meeting people and learning about new places, cultures, events, and lifestyles.