Ajise Vincent

Tonight I'd like to welcome the Nigerian poet Ajise Vincent and his dramatic work to The Song Is...



STORY STORY

with culinary grandeur,
he seasoned you
with spices of promises.

Parboiled you briskly
on the cooker
of his affection.

His mouth sheds saliva
like a spring
anytime he perceives the aroma of your person.

Gear up woman,
fraternize amicably with his taste buds
in character, appearance and candour.

Lest he tastes your flaw
and spits you
into the dustbin of avoidance.

BEYOND HERE

i.

I’ve written down a requiem
that sounds like the oration
of a drunk stutterer.
For words are usually scarce
in the vault of farewell.
Alas! Alphabets forsake me.

ii.

Death is like a masquerade
at the village square that beat drums
with skulls of anonymous gods.
Death itself is bias.

iii.

Mama,
your memories are like deflowered scars
pricking my mind with nostalgia.
They are talking-drums breastfeeding
my conscience with beats about the vanity of life.

Mama,
tales of your ordeals enchant my being,
it tickles the nucleus of my core,
it anoints my esteem to do good.

Mama,
life might have abbreviated your herculean odyssey,
life might have placed a full stop
on your unpublished dreams.

Bask in the efficacy of ecstasy,
for your legacy still lives on.
Adieu Mama!


BIOGRAPHY

Ajise Vincent is a Nigerian Poet who derives utility from the smell of coffee.

Since my husband is playing his CDs from the 1990s, I ought to play Sinead O'Connor's version of "Black Coffee," but here is Ella Fitzgerald's instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjOoD94ucEQ

Even though one of the fall/winter contests is for poetry inspired by jazz musicians born in the 1900s and 1910s,  I would like to play some newer jazz tonight.  Let's listen to some Ralph Peterson, shall we?

We'll start with his "Dexterity":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfXIkbq0uO0

Here is a live version of "Four in One": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54SB3GK1n34

I want to go back to the 1990s for this tribute to Art Blakey (who was born in 1919):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9dbNvY9cjo

I will finish up with a couple of videos of Art Blakey.  The first is "Ocalypso."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoqCGc12Rog

The other is "Nica's Tempo":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRy9oR-cgg

Enjoy!