land reeks of despair.
From this stage on, the remaining parts of the poem lay out as product of a traditional
African poet whose verbal weapon of sarcasm and ridicule is intent on exposing the folly
and betrayal of a collective trust on the part of the autocracy. “Triumphal Entry II”, for
instance, is an eloquent interrogation of both the present and the past with respect to the
questions of history. Again, the memory of the Civil War comes to mind in the list of
random mention of burning issues affecting the country. So: “Blessed is the mortal/ And
the councils of war”. Not only does this call to mind Okigbo’s prophecy about the war in
“Path of Thunder’, it also affirms the notion that such harrowing memory hardly goes
into oblivion. But beyond memory, Oguibe’s criticism of state visits and the vanities of
such a culture also indicts the complicity of the West especially Britain as a colonial
power. The fact that the series of “blessings” also extend to the “Queen of England” goes
to justify this assertion. Ordinarily for a “majesty resplendent/ upon/ the throne of God”,
one would expect that a similar, if not the same radiance would be ascribed to his
subjects; but here they are: “The poor, the hungry”. Yet “Blessed are the travellers/
Without travelling shoes” (15). The same imagery of paradox runs through the parody of
Christian mass in the last two segments of the poem. The evidence of this paradox resides
in the understanding that the same king who “comes riding on the bones of men” is the
same that is being implored to bless all, including “the poet and his gun” (16). But at the
end of the poem nobody is at a loss concerning the non-performance of the regime. The
ultimate revelation is nothing but promises that are never fulfilled:
And blessed are we that prostrate at his feet
Blessed are we who are blessed to see
The stream of sirens and the gleam of his grin
Blessed is the cloud of dust he leaves in his wake
Blessed are the shards of his million promises
Blessed is he that cometh in green
Blessed
Is his name (17)Nonetheless, the above only plays a prefatory role as seen in “Who would Listen to the
Poet?” another piece in five segments. The poet in the first part takes a bow before older