Mféálí, Flying About Poem by Ifi Amadiume

A hungry woman,
Loving, desiring,
In gentleness, she is
Denied the full sweetness,
A drop of a top-up,
Ọ sọ̀ na ntụ̀lị̀ ntụ̀lị̀,
Only in bits and pieces,
Only given here and there.

Slowly, adorned in beauty,
Like flying flowered petals,
She gains in flight,
As if to say,
Catch me now if you can!
Dangling, elusive,
She lets go her once full
ị̀tè m-jị̀lị̀ biá bílí ụ̀wà
Her beginning nectar pot,
Holding her down,
Fastened to thirsting,
Desiring the full sweetness,
A drop of a top-up,
Ọ sọ̀ na ntụ̀lị̀ ntụ̀lị̀,
Only in bits and pieces,
Only given here and there.

In lightness of flight
Beyond the pain,
She no longer remains
Wallowing in one garlanded garden,
Full of intoxicant love nectars,
Weighing down her aching body,
Breaking the fragility of the
Beating heart of love,
Longing to stay true,
Only to be denied the full sweetness,
A drop of a top-up,
Ọ sọ̀ na ntụ̀lị̀ ntụ̀lị̀,
Only in bits and pieces,
Only given here and there.


In the sweetness of flight,
She no longer remains
Breakable by flimsy lies,
Tearing up by careless goodbyes.
In the sweetness of flight,
She stretches out mesmerizingly beautiful wings,
Invitingly colorful like a thousand fluttering flower petals,
Now it is her choice when to descend,
Which deserving receiver to mount,
Growing even more beautiful flowers
In the forever loving gardens of life.

(Ifi Amadiume, West Lebanon, April 14,2018)