the cock i never see
crows each
new day to announce the sun.
a goat bays,
his bell ringing
just below the compound wall.
morning birds
sing solitary music
to clear Benin City air.

children on the way
to school
sounds
rent the stillness of the Sun's rise.
a woman sings as she draws
water.
Whitney Houston
songs startle
on the clock radio.

African city sounds begin ...


         Nigeria