Tongues rolling, white robes,
Heavenly voices,
Hands joined, chants, cries,
Confusion.
Ara orun ti t’ajo de**
No sticks, no canes,
No palm-leaves,
No masks,
This is not an Egungun*,
Then astonishment.
Ara orun ti t’ajo de**
Maybe its a rite,
Aimed at making things right,
Or a ploy,
To manipulate our minds,
Cowering in awe of their divineness.
Ara orun ti t’ajo de**
The masquerades have come,
The masquerades have gone,
Were they really masquerades?
Celestial bodies in human flesh, bells, dances,
Then more confusion.
Ara orun ti t’ajo de nitoto.***
* – A masquerade.
** – The ancestral being has returned.
*** -The ancestral being has certainly returned.
Written by: Afolabi Boluwatife Muyiwa
Edited by: Kukogho Iruesiri Samson
