I am Ofentse of the noble house Hajane,
First of his name.
The ancient crocodile of the deep,
whose gaze pierces the shrouded abyss.
Seeker of knowledge beyond the verse,
where even gods dare not tread.
The adjudicator of truth,
whose words are more binding than oaths.
The drake residing in a cavern of still waters,
The erudite of the first man,
keeper of forgotten lore,
The custodian of formless chaos.
The night bleeder of the brown ones,
Tamer of whispering shadows.
The protector of the known,
guardian of ancient texts.
And mender of ancient edifices,
whose stone remembers the hand that laid it,
and the blood that sanctified it.
In the deep halls of the Black Citadel,
where the light of day is but a fading memory, I dwell.
My wisdom stretching across the eons,
my dominion rooted in the silent groves of lost knowledge.
Beneath the stars, cold and unyielding,
I trace the lines of prophecy and undo the chains of fate
with a single stroke of my hand.
The night is my kingdom, the dark cloak that shields me.
For in the silence between breaths,
I unravel the mysteries of gods and men alike.
I am Ofentse, and the stars themselves shall bow before my name,
as the ancient ones did when the formless was still young.
Lingering upon my walls,
Motionless.
Heavy clouds of souls mixing with the water below
Cold sense ran through my blood
...
Love eludes me my dear.
I've yet to taste its splendor.
I've yet to thrust hard and long into its mound.
And let its wet facade cascades over its fragrant skin.
...
I am an African child.
How do I know this?
Because I listen to sounds of life long lived.
Do not cite me any parchment of thine god,
...
I gave my name to a snake
Just to discipline of its sake
I never knew what it meant
But for reasons to unbend
...
"I'm afraid to liveā¦"
Cried a woman
"In a world seized under the arms of those who proclaims themselves my superiors.
I am afraid to live,
...