She had her stall by the corner of the dusty inroad
just four sticks square and palm fronds for roof
a cool shade from the biting sunshine
we call her Mama Leaves
because she sold bundles of leaves and large shards of banana leaves
she would wave at us as we walked by to school
and when in the afternoon we returned she would still be there
though most of the leaves would have been sold
she did a brisk trade
corn meal, cassava porridge, bean cakes and a lot more
came cooked and wrapped in fresh leaves
at the markets the butchers wrapped beef cuts in leaves
kola nuts, pounded yam and even slabs of pig fat came in leaves
and you've not lived until you eat charcoal-grilled
pork bellies with pepper sauce off a banana leaf
yes! Mama Leaves had reasons for her wide pleasant smiles
some days her teenage daughter would sit beside her
sprinkling water on bundle of leaves to keep them fresher
I grew older and went away to college
I no longer wore shorts but trousers now and some fur
had begun to spurt under my top lip and my voice was hoarser
and mama Leaves was no longer at her stall
no bundles of large green leaves in buckets in front of her stall
no neatly squared cut banana leaves laid heaped
on that old weather beaten table in her stall
the rustic olde wooden shack now had corrugated tin side panels
as also the roof
and inside her daughter now sold gaily coloured plastic bags
and thousands of small clear transparent cellophane
I asked my mother what happened
where is Mama Leaves, where are the Leaves, where is her smile
young man, mother replied, we have to move with the times
The Ministry of Health says leave wrappers are unhygienic
cholera, Tsetse fever, small-pox and all kinds of transmutable diseases can be easily spread
now we wrapped everything in plastics
they come from England and all the civilised top nations
look around you, see how everything is nicely wrapped in plastic
Mama Leaves has retired, her daughter now sells plastics
that's progress and modern civilisation for you, young man
when you're older with your own family you will thank plastics
last year I drove my Mercedes past my childhood home
my car came minted new plastic wrapped from Germany
the locals call such cars 'Tear Plastic cars'
as you spend days tearing off plastics from headlights to console
to gear stick to steering column not to mention the seats
Mama Leaves stall was no more, in place an asbestos built store
they sold Alcohols, Coca-colas, tapes discs, all things plastics
all things imported from England and all the civilised top nations
Mama Leaves and my mother are no more
my mother had said
"that's progress and modern civilisation for you, young man
when you're older with your own family you will thank plastics"
I wonder what she'll say.....today!
