He is a believer Indeed a reader of the word Having heeded to the bible Then why do you want to crucify him? He chose a saint as his mentor What is wrong with that? A saint that sinners accuse While he is undisturbed as he enjoys his sainthood. A saint that has a stainless record But the heathen still accuse him of doing 738 miracles: Ranging from fraud, racketeering and money laundering That there amounts could be used to feed this hungry world. Since iron sharpens iron What concerns a monk with a Casanova? Or a nun with a seductive lap dancer? Or even an angel with a fallen angel? His name is Zuma and he made his monument to stand in Owerri And to live longer than the ancient Zuma Rock Why shouting for making him a Chieftain in Igbo land? Don’t you believe in ‘One Africa’? Why shouting for lavishing honours on him? He decorated him with the Imo Merit Award and you are talking But you still believe in Grace- an unmerited favour...

(A throw back on the martyred Somtochukwu Ibeanusi- a 10-year-old lad during Eke-Ukwu Owerri Market demolition and his immortalization) O, yes!  Mission accomplished Devil is your mentor But you're better than him Because you kill, you embalm While he steals, kills and destroys. You are holier than the seraphs Despite that they sing round the heavenly throne With their voices of innocence Still, they can't dare your holiness Because when you talk, mighty trees fall And mountains run For no one born of a woman has your conscience. ‘Pope is infallible’ in proclaiming the “Ex Cathedra But your infallibility cant be dared by even the holiest Pope Because you take decisions without looking back Even if the poor drowns in the ocean of penury While you merry in your holiness None is your business because they made you their king. My blood you spilled like rancid red oil Not respecting the gods of the market Anyway, you must have blinded them from seeing My...

(Their message for Nigeria at 57) If you like call me a Fetish Priest That only communes with the dead Or hears the chants of the gods No problem, a Poet is a living ghost; He is a man that has no life of his own Because in his veins and arteries, runs the pains of the citizenry. I had decided to conceal my mouth Since my voice has no melody But since I was on my own, emitting heavy snores Awolowo, Azikiwe, and Tafawa visited in my sleep I have no fear to deliver their unanimous voices. They: “We fought like lions And delivered you from the white man’s dungeon With our sacred sweats, we pushed for your Independence But now, what are we hearing? “We sowed the seed of patriotism But you withered it immediately it emerged And sowed your numerous seeds of nepotism We enthroned justice But you have dethroned it and enthroned injustice. “On the sacred alter of peace We wedded Nigeria But today you have divorced peace And got wedded with war, terrorism, ‘herds...

WHERE ARE THEY? (The python dance ballyhoo) Where are they? Where are the voices that the globe deifies? Have they lost their tones? Can’t they speak now and quench this fire? What of him that has read all the books on earth Even the ones written by the gods; Can’t he demonstrate the glory of his white hairs? Or has he lost confidence in his quill? But I know it isn’t possible. What of that handsome man blessed with oratory echelon? From where our foods are produced in baskets; The sound of his bucal cavity used to resurrect the dead So can’t he echo his voice again And resurrect this dying national peace? From the area the sun rises regularly The road is forced to drink the blood of her sons Plus tears of the unlucky that puncture her eyes And you tell me that things haven’t fallen apart? Please let Achebe exhume himself, and defend his book now. This is not the time to say “Not my business” Rather a time to say “It is my busines...

LET POSITIVE PEACE REIGN Peace is a sweet honey That no beehive produces Only produces from the heart; A heart free from grudges. The more heads roll on the floor The more innocent blood stains the land The more mourners are increased daily The more we give positive peace a hot chase. Beating up a child and tell him not to cry Brings peace but a negative one Or otherwise called ‘peace of the grave yard’ Please allow positive peace to reign. Using war to end war is good But only on the day of Armageddon But since Christ doesn’t even know the date Let’s give room for positive peace. Peace is a gift And we have it in our hands Let’s enter the negotiation room Else the land of the silence will be filled with innocent blood. Respect human blood! Give room for negotiations! Give room for true Democracy! Give room for rule of law! Copyright ©Francis Onwuchuruba 13/09/2017

WHY THE INNOCENT LAD? If you wanted a blood like a vampire That gulps down blood like a red wine Morning, afternoon and night Why not go to the abattoir where genuine blood is wasting? If you must shade the blood yourself Like ‘Dinta’ (hunter) that scouts for deer, rabbit and others in the forest Why not target one of the miscreant animals from the highlands That eats up our crops and fights our farmers to appease your blood thirst? Why targeting the innocent lad? Why spilling the blood of Somtochukwu Ibeanusi like unwanted red oil? Why desecrating Eke-Ukwu Market with his blood? Why causing others eternal injuries with your bullets? Do you want to attract the anger of the market gods? His blood, your riffle spilled His destiny, you untimely threw into the belly of death His family, you have forcefully fed with undying tears At ten, what sin has he committed against you? And yet you’re telling us no life was lost Why? (To condemn the shooting of an innocent lad...

WE ARE WAITING FOR YOUR BILLION BILLION We’re waiting for your billion billion We’re waiting for your million million That will be announced to us by your prophet; A messenger that is more truthful than the sinless angel. We’re waiting for your billion billion We’re waiting for your million million Because our ears are already itching After all, no truth or lies blocks the ears. We’re waiting for your billion billion We’re waiting for your million million You used to appease the raging rats That invaded your office while you tarried in your health excursion. We’re waiting for your billion billion We’re waiting for your million million You used to buy exotic ‘rat meals’ Instead of patronizing your sheep Hawking our Aba made ‘Otapiapia’ on the streets with empty stomachs. We’re waiting for your billion billion We’re waiting for your million million You used to sweep away the rats’ mess Plus their urines that using detol, water and your broom could have done the...

BUT OJUKWU NEVER TOLD US On that Monday morning that NEPA became a saint And blessed my area on like before So reluctantly I prepared to set out from my tent Since he was to do a live broadcast after his voice was missing for three full moons. It was 7:00am and NTA sang the national jingle Followed by his beautiful face that his sickness had starved us And behind his throne was the national flag that stood still Then he opened his gap-toothed mouth to calm our nerves. He was never known for lengthy words But amidst his speech that lasted about five minutes He revealed a secret only him and the dead could attest A consensus he had with the late warrior in his hometown Daura at midnight. The late warrior was his guest for over two days according to him After he joined Partisan politics in 2003 And in great depth, they discussed the nation’s fate Whilst we ignorantly slept, and were deeply snoring like a pregnant toad. “…We both came to conclusion that the country mu...

RATS RULING A NATION Hunger engulfed a wealthy kingdom Anger began to walk naked on the streets singing its anthem The poor cry and stone the rich with heavy words While the rich cry, but still cruise their loots. She became sicker and couldn’t sing As unknown sickness caressed the King And since her hospitals are still under-aged to handle his case His ‘eagle’ took him to the ‘heaven on earth’ to be treated by the ‘angels’. Days came and died Weeks came and never survived The trending full moon died as well And another one was born, still he never told his ‘angels’ farewell. Hunger wore heavy war shield and fought innocent stomachs Hate speeches preach gospels on her busy streets Quest for a referendum on everyone’s lips Still his voice was stolen on his sick bed by the wicked ‘Hyenas’ and ‘Jackals’. Animals had an emergency convocation And concurred never to dance the tone played by hunger and starvation Since the wicked ‘Hyenas’ and ‘Jackals’ are eating the ...

RATS RULING A NATION Hunger engulfed a wealthy kingdom Anger began to walk naked on the streets singing its anthem The poor cry and stone the rich with heavy words While the rich cry, but still cruise their loots. She became sicker and couldn’t sing As unknown sickness caressed the King And since her hospitals are still under-aged to handle his case His ‘eagle’ took him to the ‘heaven on earth’ to be treated by the ‘angels’. Days came and died Weeks came and never survived The trending full moon died as well And another one was born, still he never told his ‘angels’ farewell. Hunger wore heavy war shield and fought innocent stomachs Hate speeches preach gospels on her busy streets Quest for a referendum on everyone’s lips Still his voice was stolen on his sick bed by the wicked ‘Hyenas’ and ‘Jackals’. Animals had an emergency convocation And concurred never to dance the tone played by hunger and starvation Since the wicked ‘Hyenas’ and ‘Jackals’ are eating the ...