Awakening of the Dawn

Here breaks the dawn, A tapestry of colors, That strokes the sleepy sky, With hues of orange and gold, Crimson whispers of the sun, Rising from the curtain of night.

Listen close, you’ll hear it, The soft sigh of awakening, The leaves murmuring secrets, The wildflowers stretching, Beckoning the breeze to come And dance in their midst.

For every new day, Is a promise unspoken, A canvas pristine, This world reborn in light, And I, but a witness, To the beauty of life anew.

— Wole Soyinka

• Wole Soyinka