Once upon a time,
The heron and the chameleon argued
about who preceded the other in creation.
The Chameleon said:
I looked the sun in the eye
Before you saw the face of the earth.
When I was created,
The earth was so waterlogged and fragile
That I had to walk with extra care in order not to hurt the
virgin earth,
And that is the origin of my stylish and calculated gait.
And the Heron reposted:
There you are!
When I was born,
There was neither earth nor sky.
My mother died,
I buried her in my head.
My father died,
I buried him in my head.
Any wonder my head is so large?
Has the argument not argued itself out?
(Prof. Obiora Udechukwu, from his reported conversation with
a masquerade in Agulu, his home town)
