Oh Wassailer
written by: Karen Essi
@TheAlienObserve
Oh Wassailer,
Brassy fool!
For all your unsolicited roaming,
And for all your senseless braying —
Say what has made you so exceedingly jobless
As to go on wantonly wassailing?
“Behold I have explored this gaudy wreath,
Alas it is a forlorn heath;
‘Damnation’ inscribed on every soul,
Lambs led to the slaughter or rather foals!
So, till I can plough every fieldling,
I shall go on wassailing!”
Oh Wassailer,
You raven mutton!
You’ll wake everyone with your yelling
And for all your syrupy chirruping ——
Why, every JJC in town, knows love has gone for a burton,
But you heartily go on wassailing!
“Ah, there are hearts that wail aloud in silence,
That mourn in glamour’s iridescence,
For they have left orphaned Love standing by the door,
Yes, left him shivering in the cold on the moors,
So, till I can find this cherub a nesting,
I will go on wassailing!”
Oh Wassailer,
You armpit fold!
Ha! For all your blandly rabbiting!
Now you’ll get frostbite from standing
Out there, straining in the cold,
So why go on warmly wassailing?
“There are hearts with which frost is froth
That the fair joyous Star in the North
Never burns there.
And hearts so sad that lack good cheer,
So, till I can cast out the baleful thing,
I must go on wassailing!”
Oh Wassailer,
You brazen dung!
Now didn’t you hear the snickerings?
And for all your fruitless yapping,
Tell what heavenly spirit inspires your song
That you mulishly go on wassailing?
“Alas, there are hearts lost in Gaia’s clangor,
The road they trod tremors,
Yes, hearts so grand that the poor Baby bare
Can find no manger there!
So, till I can present a place to the Baby King,
I shall go on wassailing!
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
In reading this poem, you will come across the word, JJC. JJC is a Nigerian slang for JOHNNY JUST COME. Used to refer to a naive person, or a newcomer, one who is not acquainted with, or unfamiliar with the tradition, rules or tricks, or the ropes of the place he or she is in. Like terms may be ‘Greenhorn’, ‘Fledgling’, ‘Tenderfoot’, ‘Rookie’, ‘Newbie’,…
- Oh Wassailer - December 17, 2024
