Day 30: Nanando

Updated: May 5, 2019

Na.nan.do n. (/na'nan‚doe/) An ibibio word meaning,
flawless, spotless, blameless, without guile.

This one's for the Chibok girl who touched the sky;
The one who was found buried alive.
Boko Haram, I spit on your pride.
We forget not to remember our kind.


Nat King Cole called you 'unforgettable,'
To Vandross, you were 'the one who holds our hearts.'
Tupac Shakur called you, 'untouchable.'
MJ called you, 'a place in our hearts.'
Martin Luther King called you, 'a dream,'
Maya Angelou called you, 'phenomenal.'
Lionel Richie called you, 'my destiny.'
Will Smith called you, 'the Taj Mahal.'
Joe called you, 'a song I love to sing.'
Boyz II Men called you, 'Beautiful Woman.'
Someone called you, 'the answer in the wind.'

But we call you Nanando.
A name worth its weight in gold.
You're the lyric of our magnum opus,
The theme of our never-ending song.
That's why we call you Nanando;
You're the synopsis of our anecdote.

Akpan