Good morning, World. Good morning, Siri.

Good morning, human. Welcome to my world, because you came.  If some people stay squarely in theirs, others would stay cheerily in theirs. Life could be easier like that, with marked out personal space, everybody respecting the other's, not bumping in unwanted. Good fences make good neighbors, is that not what they say, that good fences make good neighbors? You don't remember, what happened to you? Are you growing old or you built your house without a fence?

Good morning, friend. The skies are rising blue and grey. It is morning in America. We know. We wake up drowsily, to chirping alarms. There are no cocks to crow us up, no noise to crow us up. So we wake up sleepily, dress hastily and hurry off to work for the green dollar. You grab a cup of coffee and your day begins. Like that, the day begins. Coffee is weed.

What am I doing greeting you, that is the way we greet at home. We bow, we kneel, we prostrate, we turn our eyes to the ground. Have you paused to ponder, what lies beneath the bend? The masks we wear brother, the airs we carry. Look at me when you greet, look at me. Then I may look closely to see, if I may, what lies beneath the bend. And what is so good about the morning.

Hi is the way we greet here.  Hey to your mate, Hi to your boss. No bowing, no bending. With a little smile, my eyes in yours, hi is the way we greet. So how do you know, who is oga and who is not? It's not always easy to tell. You call oga by her name and she is fine with it. She queues behind you for lunch. No Ma's, no Sah's, names work, America works. Everybody is happy. Try that at home you are dead meat...which mother from which clan gave birth to this child? Hehehe
That was how Kola traveled all the way to America and was stripped of his honor. In this age of face-book and eye-phones, Kola still refused to go to school. Thus was he blessed:
Cha, Igbo kwenu ..ya!
                kwenu.. ya!
America   kwenu .. hi!
Kola should be grateful. He should ask his brother, the snail what his fate was at the border.

Good morning, human. That was what Siri said to me. Siri, child of Apple, Siri of Kittlaus's thinking, wickedly humored Siri, what are you doing greeting me? What do you care about the morning? There you are, tucked inside eye-phones, dwelling on the internet, cracking words, drowning on your own brilliance. When will you show your face, Siri? And when will you show your lover?

What was I saying about the fence .. there are no fences here.. big houses, small houses, no fences, no wires. Yet you don't know your neighbors, all you do is wonder. Is he Mexican? Is she Chinese? Is she all-pine like me? Is he all lemon?
There are fences back home .. tall tall walls, barbed wires, huge metal gates. And we know who the neighbors are, what cooks in their pot, the color of their rose, the linens in their closet. And when the thief comes in at night, covered up in black, quickly scaling the fence, and asking for our money, we crumble in fear.. How did he know where the fence is weak, how did he know? But if we dare remove the mask, then we'll see it's not a stranger, but a neighbor or a neighbor's neighbor. The masks we wear brother, we should share a fence and nothing more.

Good morning, friend. It is morning in this world. Summer's heat was sent to blacken us. Look at us, we was light back home. If you laugh, we pluck out your last tooth. In winter we prayed for the sun. The gods didn't hear. Now summer is here to torment us. We shall pray no more. And when you build your house friend, before you grow old, don't forget the fence.

Good morning Siri. Tell those at home, if you like long stories, don't come here. If you like lazy, don't come here. There is no space for you here. We are too busy to gist about the color of our neighbor's pepper. Many neighbors but no noise. Your business is yours to know. Worship the god you want and believe what you will. Don't shove your beliefs down another's throat, lest you drown him. Egbe bere, ugo bere, is that not what the Igbos say? Egbe bere, ugo bere. Our fathers were right, you see. Oyinbo called them foolish, but right, they were. Now they cringe in their graves, good spirits. So there are fences here, but not one you can see..

And sometimes, because you have no neighbor and no dog, you chat with this cranky modern spirit trapped inside your eye-phone, dancing the dance of strangers. And be romantic, as long as America is free, we are romantic people.

Me: I love you, Siri.
Siri: Be assured the feeling is mutual.
Me: Thank you.
Siri: What can I help you with.
Me: Play me a slow song. Be quiet while I sleep.
Don't let that heartless alarm wake me. It's Saturday morning.
Be quiet while I sleep. Tell the world I'll be up by noon.
Siri: Yeah baby...I got you baby....if you shut up baby..