The moon is playing hide-and-seek
Behind the clouds. A mellow smile
Lingers on the lips of the sky
Tides tease and tangle
At the water's edge. The buck eyes
The doe with a deep, alluring passion
Sun mo bi, Ologuro*
I am in the mood for love tonight
I can hear pigeons cooing
In their coop. I can hear alapandede**
Swapping notes in the shady eaves
Oge*** taunts the wind with its restless tail
In the narrow lane between the walls
The baobab's bulbous boon is swinging in the wind
Sun mo bi, Ologuro
I am in the mood for love tonight
Touch my tale
Smell my song
Behold the dotted lines
On the pages of my skin
Unfurl my flower
Unravel my rave
Sun mo bi, Ologuro
I am in the mood for love tonight
Stir little fires in the furrow between my ridges
Plant me, a song, in your loamy acres
Palm my memory, mold my mask
Let rasping leaves caress the fruit
At the branch's edge. Quench this quest
With the magic of murmuring moments
Sun mo bi, Ologuro
I am in the mood for love tonight
Settle this score with the argument
Of the heart. Uphold my plea. Roar
Heavenwards on the wings of my song
See my face beyond the mirror
Plumb my soul. Undread my dream.
Say my name. My name, my name. Say my name. . .
Sun mo bi, Ologuro
I am in the mood for love tonight
NIYI OSUNDARE
Niyi Osundare was born in 1947 in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria. He is a prolific writer and highly valued literary critic. In December 2014, Osundare was awarded the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) for academic excellence.
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