AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 203 THE HOOD IN NOSTALGIA (A POEM) Ifeoma Ezinne Odinye, PhD Department of Language and Literature Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria Email: ifeomaodinye@gmail.com ie.odinye@unizik.edu.ng The wind sings dirges of ancestral savannahs coloured in green and grey on wet bellied soil with exhausted antennae. The Hood, my former earth had a smile like the twilight yearning in desire to meet the dodging sky every night— A natural gesture wheeled by fate in a widening gyre of pure innocence. In Hood’s stead, Anyanwu, the Sunshine was before noon bearing a shower of warm beaming rays. It gave Hood’s children a push onto their knees. This push lifted their hands and legs to grab the best of the land The land they gently nurtured in God’s muse as seasonal visitors; A joyful season; an expression of exceeding luck for harvest. The Hood was a system with life where everything was moving in lines Shedding ceremonial roles, Afternoon respected the Morning Evening honoured the night. Plants fed continents with roots and primaeval fruit. Perfection stood in white robe The past with memory. mailto:ifeomaodinye@gmail.com mailto:ie.odinye@unizik.edu.ng AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 204 The Hood had merry beings and warrior friends incubated in Iroko—the strong gaint Udala, the mother of many children that breastfed all with her juicy milk Nkwu, the special one that graced every homestead like ancestral warriors Uni, the sweet one coloured in ripened yellow apparel Akpu, the benevolent one that fed millions without complaint Ji, the King of foods who graced many ceremonies with grand aura of a kind A memory clouded in sweet reality. The Hood had an aura of royalty A palace decorated with nature’s flowery friends, roots and nuts The feeble Nchuanwu scented the meandering pathways accompanied by Ugu, Mgbolodi and Arira Onugbu, the bitter one graced every pot with special taste for meals Akwu coloured the soups in milky reddish yellow Ede thickened water to coat the balls of fufu meant for throat journey A special memory—the one flavoured by Ogili and Ugba. The Hood had sailed with her league of friends for decades until she stretched her hand to welcome a stranger from far land. Under Hood’s silent watch future coiled in the air Uncharted, hearts are notched with kindred spirits of baobab and obeche trees yoked in crafted jealousy, a totem of gentle civilization silenced by ferocious invaders. Dark powers stood in the way of the Hood, armed with unusual sense, iron and powder A sensual fear; a metal fear in python-like coil throbbing the heart of the Hood in chains of dark clouds. Fate and faith played in swirling vortex Innocence and maturity fought in solitude tangled in a long witted battle— a long tale sprayed in inhibition. The passage with memory. AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 205 Now, time stagnates here, retiring goodness to rest in the morning; the goodness Amadioha sentineled the east in past glory until justice, unity, peace and love were wrenched on dark alters occasioned by undelightful company of unchained barking dogs The flowery palace was replaced with hardened gaint bricks in all corners Sugar replaced Uni in sweet savory taste Plastic, rubber, paint, chemicals and chaff became special delicacies! Everything embraced a new lyric; a new dance! Now, Hood’s children are coloured in a new ascent masked with concentrated madness in the world, a pattern with no pattern Hood’s life is deformed; the body is severely damaged with deep wounds The Okro stem is now tougher than its owner The once tender yam tendril can no longer be guarded Rain falls amidst sunshine Things fall apart, the old and young dance together in nakedness Both slavered into modernity of a joke! There are no adults; there are no children All foods are for all—sweet, bitter, sour, tasty, tasteless! Blowing the thought-pipe, memory rolls the picture of the past with clouded innocence: Men and women joyous in sacred gatherings free from mischief Kings robed in justice smiling in satisfaction Boys and girls in meandering lonely paths laughing without insidious intent caught in between exhausted shivering after a long fatigued dance under the cool blazing Sun; under the dazzling watch of Amadioha, the All seeing, the All knowing! Now, the rhythm has changed The fear of Amadioha no longer stirs the pudding of the heart Hearts stare downward in cloned worship Children sing like adults glued in praise Men and girls stand here and there stirring the chocolate pot that doesn’t burn in the open Women and boys agitate in motion bustling in active service A claim of modernity cowed into grace! AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 206 Now, the Hood’s map is lost The leaders are standing still at the centre Parents are driven by the wind in continental drive Children spread in surfaces of different shapes— So free moving up and down; down and up! There is no direction! Everyone, a master on elevated social standing; slaying alone in elevated thoughts of the known and unknown. Peace sleeps without waking! Trouble plays without resting! Murmuring covers everywhere—a pandemonium! Memory slipped in at intervals gracing Hood’s children with deep thoughts about past and present Souls stared in heavens indulging in fantasy of the past mind strolled to futile hope holding tightly to the best in the past hood when deep dimples graced young cheeks frequently after rattling in groups with friends under the cold rain. The silvery drops of rain glowed their hearts into one leaving pieces of joy sparkling in their hearts. Like the green forest, their hearts widened like giant grasses catching fun in freedom. Now, they have deserted the Hood; they are blinded by dazzling energy of making giant strides A modern effort that almost blinded their eyes by force in far cities— a money call with sharp cannibal teeth; A fast life with fancied security cloned in black countenance. In reluctance, they smiled broadly recollecting the golden path graced with purity The thought of Hood suppressed their pain of seclusion; Children forced out of the Hood in search of self and future. Mixed up in feelings, they scooped up their emotions to follow the future refreshing their joys of Hood journeys in endless giggle to re-open the moments that melt the heart. A dream to catch the fallen star after escaping the prison! AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 207 (GLOSSARY OF IGBO WORDS) Akpu (Cassava): A tropical root plant which is the source of tapioca. A staple food common among Igbo people Akwu (Palm Nuts): The edible seed of Elaeis guineesis, the palm oil Amadioha: A deity (god) in Igbo religious worship Anyanwu (Sun): The star that the Earth revolves around and from which it receives light and warmth Arira: Slimy edible green plant rich in vitamins Ede (Cocoyam): The edible root of the plant malanga used in thickening local soups Iroko: African hardwood obtained from several African trees of the genus Chlorophora Ji: The edible, starchy, tuberous root of that plant, a tropical staple food Nchuanwu (Scent leaf): Special naturally scented leaves for cooking special food in Igbo land Nkwu: A tree of the family Arecaceae usually characterized by having a single stem or trunk, directly fromwhich several leaves or fronds give a shape like an outstretched hand Ogili: A special native dark condiment made from edibleseedpods mixed with otherlocal ingredients for cooking delicious Igbo soups Onugbu (Bitter leaf): Special edible green bitter plant used in making local soups in Igbo region of Nigeria Udala: African star fruit known for its sour taste. It is believed to be a friend of all; a potent source of childbearing AJELLS: Awka Journal of English Language and Literary Studies, Vol. 7 No. 2, 2020 Odinye 208 Ugba: A local delicacy made from cutting edible seedpods mixed with local ingredients Uni: A small yellowish oval-shaped fruit commonly known for its long lasting sweetness on the tastebud. It is called a sugar fruit.