Ukpa tree ukpa tree
I know your strange story
Of how you brought worry
To our fishermen
Who fell you by the fen
It was long ago
Father told me so
You were huge and strong
And your body was long
The men hacked you down
Nobody knew you had frown
Yet you lay still
And they began to till
They cut and dug you out
Yet you did not shout
A fine canoe they were making
You lay still watching
Night came and they went away
Until the next fateful day
They returned to found you not
For you had ran away, or blurred like a dot
After searching and searching
The fishermen found you standing
In an hidden boundary
Between another man’s country
Ukpa tree ukpa tree
Nna-nnaukpa ukpa tree
Kufre Udeme is a strong-willed writer with an artistic commitment to beat the blind criticism of Africa. Since 2007, his writings have been published in local and international publications, including All States, The Evangelist, and Update Newspapers. His poem “The Obama Nation” was published in 2011 by Fullosia Press. Please visit www.kufreudeme.blogspot.com to contact him.