I
Oja ale,
The sun gradually leaves the scene
to get some rest in a faraway abode,
for us to creep out of our slums
to trade pettiness by the roadside.
Our voice, like the buzzing of the bee,
defies the defiant silence of the night
sweetening the ears of passers-by
whose weary feet halt at our stands.
Atupa, our constant companion,
illuminates our trades with fortune
drawing the attention of sojourners
to the good that lies in our goods.
II
Oja ale,
an egalitarian eager to meet the demands of all,
a practical democrat fair and just to all,
a socialist loathed by bloated capitalists,
an illegally legal arm of commerce.
Oja ale,
a necessity necessitated by
the nagging needs of the masses;
an ageless, formless and 'homeless' structure
withstanding the winds of modernism.
*Oja ale- night market
*atupa- local lamp
Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom
Oja Ale, is Kolade's most published/anthologized poem for 2015, featured in ANA Review 2015, on PIN Website, Praxis Magazine, EGC's 31 Days of Poetry and Communicators League.
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