Akin Solanke
Bush rat died, its track got lost
Aardvark died, its burrow grieved
The bottle of gin got broken, gin seller could not get a shot
Olukotun is gone, I miss him.
You, my friend, are gone without looking back.
Twelve days became twenty and it looked like it’s just a day.
I heard your voice in the air
I saw your reflection on the surface of water.
It seems you are at a location nearby
Where you can not touch me.
The Earth is revolving, going and coming
But your remembrance never wanes.
My head is full of your remembrance
My heart is full of your grief.
Together, we got to the Earth’s water
We shared love
Nonetheless, the Earth does not permit perpetuity,
She took you away, put wound in the heart.
Oak fell in the forest
Big fish is gone in the water.
I’m going to speak into the air
It should take my voice to you
Your face has become what I behold in the mirror
Haa, tree branch got broken
The forest bird flew away
My friend, you are gone
Your remembrance will not fade from me
I will remember you in the evening
When the afternoon sun begins to set.
When it’s midday
Your remembrance remains steadfast.
Rest in peace
In this World void of Death
Nonetheless, don’t forget me your friend
When I arrive, please welcome me.
To encounter the elephant, we penetrate the forest
To encounter the buffalo, we must enter the savannah
To encounter the egret, the bird of Òòsà nlá
We must get to the house of white chalk.
Fare well
Until we share the same realm
Until we meet on the last day.
The big judgment day.
Original poem, in Yoruba at
https://toyinfalolanetwork.org/ayo-olukotun-mo-gbo-ohun-re-ninu-afefe/
This is quite breathe taking. It is well articulated and it captures one’s soul. Thanks Akin Solanke for this.
Wao what happened to Ayo Olukotun? He is dead as am now confirming! For some years back I have been searching for Ayo with his last address he gave me when he reached me in 1994.
Ayo and I first met in 1975 to 1979 as students from University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife where we graduated from and moved our separate ways.
We met again in 1987 at ABU Zaria, and for several times between 1989-1991 at University of Ilorin where I was teaching at the Dept of Government and Public Administration with Prof Akinsanya as Head of Department. Ayo constantly visited.and we shared close intellectual perspectives and he was his usual curious and quietly intelligent person with bold and pioneering ideas. Ayo it was that introduced me to Prof Toyin Falola the prolific writer and I contributed a chapter in one of his book publications. Since then after change of profession and several relocations we lost touch and I yearned to reconnect with him and share his introspective ideas, I did not know at what point and when we indeed lost this gem!
May his thoughts remain warm in our memories much longer for he was a devoted and cherished friend any time. I thank Prof Toyin Falola for being a part of this memorial lecture and reconnecting of old friends.