Death And The Udala Tree Poem by Kingsley Egbukole

Route to procreation is birth of nascent infant
A culmination of nine anxious months
Capped in labour

The route to departure also is death
Though the river course lack not in tributaries
Cutting across the ages
Infants, adolescents and adults

As cries of death in several quarters
Rent the air
I remember the pitiable 'Udala' tree
Which bear many at birth
Lose half at infancy
Another quarter at adolescence
And last quarter consumed
As succulent source of vitamin.

(Thursday 4th November,1999,8.00pm