Tribute to Chinua Achebe

With heart-felt sorrow do I dip a quill in an ink To write a tribute to a great man. To a soaring eagle who laid down his wings However, words are grossly inadequate To give a tribute to fallen hero, A Man of The People, An Anthill of the Savannah, A man who watched Things Fall Apart, A man who once wielded The Arrow of God And finally remembered that There was a Nation. He was a blessing to the Igbos, A blessing to Nigeria, A blessing to West Africa, A blessing to Africa, A blessing to the world. One whom the world would never see. The burning candle of African literature has been extinguised And the flag of the literary world hangs at half-mast. His death isn't just the fall of an Iroko But the transition of an iconic and quintessential literary salamander It is not the time to weep but the time to smile A time to celebrate a hero. There is time for everything. A time to live And a time to die... Adieu Prof. Chinua Achebe.