He saw a land
But he didn’t know he was going to die
It is called number nine
He bought the land
He built a house
He died nine years later
He left no will
He left two daughters
He left two wives
Alice and the other
He left a hungry pack of wolves; extended family
Prance and pounce
Fight and kill
Who shall have number nine?
Not the girls?
Definitely not Alice or the other
But we wolves have a right to it
The war broke out
No longer was it to be called a family
Alice the blunt woman,
She knew she had a right
She knew number nine was hers
The wolves decided to shut her up
They stuck a knife to her throat but she couldn’t be killed
Then they gave her the drug of insanity
She did shut up
This sent tears and a warning to the girls and other wife
Don’t fight this war
This war meaning the wolves and the land
Pulling knives and holding futile meeting
The constant; wasting enormous time.
Time was flying
Life changed
People were dying
Number nine wasn’t worth fighting for anymore
But the deed had been done
Alice was made to shut up
Just because of number nine
Just because of one flimsy house
Just because she had been Ajayi’s honest first wife.
By Cecil White (Nigeria)
Artwork source: mtc.ca.gov
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