A PRAISE SONG FOR ALA
excerpt from poem by Julia Chinyere Oparah
This red earth
claims me
runs through my veins
calling me to surrender
a lifetime of unbelonging.
Sinking to my knees
in my father’s compound,
I feel the dark coiled roots of unspoken bitterness
Loosen their grip on sinew and bone
Releasing my ribcage.
I take my first breath
Drawing the cicada-laden dusk
Deep into my belly
Letting go of memories
of an ancient hunger
I have not claimed this red earth
She has claimed me
She has renamed me
placing unfamiliar consonants on my tongue.
Daughter of Umochoke
Blood of Mbierre
Child of Obazu.
She does not ask me to swear allegiance
Does not demand that I choose
or forget.
She is not jealous or possessive.
In moments of stillness
I hear her whispering
words of comfort and solace
In a language I never learned.