This Height Of Yours  – By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones

(For Ms. Ellen Sirleaf Johnson On That Fateful Night)

With your courageous forays,

A height rarely tried by your stock:

You have attained.

Truthful encomiums- a confirmation of your wonderful repute.

Hearty applause without pretense- a visage of admiration.

Former rivals knock on the door,

Negotiations must commence, walls must be mended.

Your charismatic aura radiates,

Accentuated by your gait,

You have mildened the volatile milieu.

Your coming is timely,

Your sojourn welcomed.

The height of an Iroko tree,

the width of the largest ocean,

And the strength of the elephant.

All are in you, you have got all that.

You have attained this height meant for rare men,

Men who are tough, as tough as the cow hide.

But you are a woman,

The rarest of them all.

You challenged and defeated the men,

You turned a new page in the annals of history.

Things that before now seemed the exclusives of men,

Have through you come to women.

Your echelon of power and authority,

This your strong seat of responsibilities is deserving of courage.

This height of yours is after all an embrocation to the world of women:

My mothers and my wives,

The fertile agents of procreation and givers of care,

The builders and menders of our world!

I love women, although a man I am.

Oh, my woman in power, the first of African queens to become a ‘king’.

You have trod the path of greatness,

Your greatness shall benefit all.

May this height of yours, never go into your head,

May this power you hold, humble you.

This height of yours attained by divine grace and your human workings,

May the troubles you shall encounter never overwhelm you,

For this height of yours shall attract a lot.

My prayers, their prayers and our prayers shall see you through.

– 

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