DIDACTIC: "WORDS MY FATHER TOLD ME" BY AJAKAYE STRIDA

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́.

From what I and your mother bestowed into you,

longevity is shining within you.

You have no reason to fail till the end.

My child, to breathe is not a crime,

stop overthinking and begin acting with wisdom."

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́.

Give work to your head,

the spirit of your head would laugh last.

Only your flesh belongs to womanhood,

just a sex it is, you are a man within,

your sex is not a determiner of the doors you shall open."

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́.

The men outside the door of my house

would never see you as I do.

To me, you are a dear daughter,

your beauty sits me in a boat in the stormy sea.

I wonder how you will pick the puzzle of unreal admirations."

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́.

Before you were born to this world,

I suffered like suffering is pleasurable,

just so that you wouldn't suffer.

Just as you mention my name everywhere,

recreate 'Ajakaye' honourably for your children."

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́."

"I am sorry for not telling you how beautiful you are,

that rapist deflowered you,

he was the first man to admire your elegance.

I am sorry for not being your friend early enough,

your elder siblings didn't have the same stories,

you were just scared of approaching me,

for I am your father and able to be your grandfather.

I am sorry that you cried for each penny

I paid for you to progress.

It was only for you to value prosperity

and take responsibilities in time."

"Má fi ara rẹ pọ́n ilẹ̀ lọ́dọ̀ ọkùnrin,

ọmọ onílé ọlọ́nà ni ẹ́."

"I am no longer with your skin

for old age has blown its trumpet during my sleep.

You feel my hard legs no more

as you used to, each time you kneel before me.

My enemies are your enemies,

my enemies never looked at my eyes,

for me, they will never face you in honest hatred.

Your glory resurrects my abstract glory,

they feel failed that a glory as yours carries my name, 'Ajakaye'.

For each time my enemies smile at you,

don't call it Love, it is Fear."

© RASHIDAT OLAMIDAYO AJAKAYE

STRIDA... guiding you to striking confidence in academic and creative writing!

2026

- Nigeria 

The poem presents a father’s repeated counsel to his daughter, urging her not to abase herself before men and to recognize her inherent worth, strength, and destiny. Through didactic repetition and intimate confessions, it addresses gender, identity, trauma, parental regret, and inherited honor, affirming that her sex does not limit her potential. Ultimately, the poem transforms paternal guidance into a legacy of resilience, warning against false admiration and redefining love, fear, and glory through lineage and self-worth.