Gold and Mirror
Whoever called one gold, the other mirror
Must be a she, yes,
One who had sagacity and audacity
To have played a game with past name
I think she is a she, a feminist she
But how bold is gold; how minor is mirror?
Gold, from time, is a jewel. It is to mirror
What heaven is to hell, comparing them is an error
Like to parallel lines
Gold is a symbol of possession
With value measured by secret
And the fewer, the fairer.
Mirror is inferior
To gold which is bold
Seeing too many faces with
No economic value; the more you grow,
The less you need your image
Trying to be aware of its damage.
Given the chance to choose just one,
Go for gold – mirror is too minor!
* Kayode Isaac writes “In my part of Nigeria, the South-Western people known as the Yoruba, the father is often regarded as one's 'mirror' and the mother as one's 'gold'. In a male-dominating culture such as ours, the man has 'absolute power' and has too many commitments to have a personal, deep relationship with his immediate family, hence this poem.”
