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Iroko In The Wind
You wonder what gives the iroko strength
You wonder at its bole of power
You wonder at this rock of the bush
Standing always in the face of the wind
It will shed leaves when it desires
Or when other trees desire some shade
The iroko appeases the vagrant wind
The thunderstorm of the dead rain-maker
And the rain wind of the forlorn farmer
With ridges barren from desert and devil
Nothing threatens this jungle lord
It is the loyal soldier of the troubled chief
When traitors tryst in the dead of nights
When the heart of stalwarts tremble in doubt
It is the housetop above the jungle trees
Calling out for the lost woman's heart
Calling to cure and end all bleeding
What do the branches wail for now
When iroko root is deep in the earth
What do the branches tremble for now
It is you my love who lets me stand
I die without the sweetness of the earth
Without anchor in the largeness of the hearth
I die without the sweetness of the earth
It is you my love who makes me stand
The spirit of fibers of the iroko spirit
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