I kissed Africa!
And I was drawn
To her coolness,
That calmness only
The strong could summon
In the midst of chaos.
I kissed Africa.
And I tasted what was like
The very first nectar from
A honey comb or a flower as if
I were a butterfly or a bee;
That hypnotizing feeling which
Reveals to you who you are
Meant to be.
I kissed Africa!
And nature lives here
Consoling fear with stares
That yeah, she can flourish
In the midst of rubbish
Like the hair that lives by
Our anus, telling you that
No matter where you place
Her in the society she will survive
And no matter how much you try
To shave her out of existence
She will grow.
I kissed Africa!
And I'm glad I tasted
From her tongue!
I'm glad that I drank from her lips.
I'm glad that my head rested
On her bosoms, I'm glad that
She held my the neck
And made me taste the true
Essence of my existence.
She showed me my purpose!
I kissed Africa!
And I loved it.
Like the sand lived
On as a kid in Kano.
Like the air I breathed
From the trees Kigali.
Like the stories that
Kept me alive on terrifying nights
By the Congo mountains.
Like the frozen rain that melted
On my tongue at Gombi.
Like the sandstorm I
Wore as my clothes in Cairo.
Like the rivers I lived in
For electrocuting fish
In the Gulf of Guinea.
Like crab I tormented
By the beach in Madagascar.
Like the tasty afang
I tasted upon the Crossing River.
Like the roasted goat
That satisfied me by the Benue River.
Like the refreshing tap water
I drank in the Libyan deserts.
Like the soul soothing
Songs I heard in Soweto.
I kissed Africa!
And I will tell!
I will speak of her
Glorious gait around
The equator!
I will speak about
Her gong by the bank of
Kamby Bolongo
I will speak about this kiss
Like the story of Tutuola.
I will speak about this kiss
Like the letters of Dennis Brutus.
I will speak about this kiss
Like phone call of Soyinka.
I will speak about this kiss
Like the presidential ambitions
Of Okigbo!
I will speak about this kiss
Like the Eulogy of Sankara.
I will speak about this kiss
For I kissed Africa!