By
Noel A. Ihebuzor
We are the broken ones
ones about to be broken
about to break again
soft wood stuck
between hammer and anvil
Debris like cloud dust
from fleeing time now
float in our semi-circular
canals, our tympanic membranes
tampered, in shreds and tatters
Swirling dusts of rage,
coloured by clan and clime
by breed and creed
cloud our vision
we see hazy in the enveloping mist
where truth lies supine
and lies triumph
Wise counsel struggles for hearing
but is ignored, the midwife of truth
has been sacked, a vicious grip
holds the throat of the sooth saying parrot
and trampled truth struggles still to rise
Let Him and Her that hath even one ear
listen and hear
let even the blind
see and read these prophecies
scripted hazily on these patchy papyrus
with ink drawn from the veins of the dying
Let Her, let Him
even the clumsy with a broken tongue,
a struggling stammer
sign sing these messages
to a deaf world
For in hearing,
and heeding
in reading, decoding and recoding
in listening and speaking
lies escape, recovery and renewal
and new beginnings
May the bond
of the heart bound in hatred
be broken, shattered
scattered in the dust
let scattered hopes regroup
to oppose doom and destitution
and broken hearts begin to mend,
rebuild, re-bond and rebound,
binding all bile and bitterness
casting them to funeral pyres
of unending infernos
***Feeeling blue on a Friday and worrying about my country!
Reflections 
Oh, so sorry. I would worry too.
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yes, Susan, it is truly worrying.
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There is a paradigm in life:
Take a simplistic view and all you see is just black and white and the true complex nature of life is pushed aside. It is a fact that we are what we are not by choice – Igbo, Yoruba, English French. None of us choose to be what we are but for a mixture of chromosomes at the heat of passion. We must not worry about bigots whose fathers are their sons.
The second part of the paradigm relates to taking life too seriously. We miss the fun that life can offer. The best way is to learn to laugh at ourselves, at our failures and at our nature. In doing these we acknowledge our place in the universe, We are not Captain Universe, we cannot do all things. But while laughing at my follies, I really do not invite others to laugh at me because they would be crossing the threshold, rather they should laugh at their own shortcomings and we all should then move on knowing our frailty and mortality.
Borrowing from a famous Rabbi, I think if we Nigerians can start seriously doing a few of the things I list below we may heave a sigh of relief:
1. Fight for justice whenever and however we can
2. Use our time wisely – in other words be part of the solution. If you can create jobs and change minds and lives
3. Live up to our potentials – believe that you can. Do not look onto others to solve your problems but work with people to reach your potentials and age is never a barrier
4. Look for God – a person who believes is likely to have hope
5. Love enough – never give up on love for yourself as God made you and for others as God made them
6. Be Humble, be proud – By being humble you acknowledge that you are not better than other people. By being proud you acknowledge that God did not make a mistake making you whom you are.
These are times that try men’s souls.
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Tony, this is deep and well thought through! Thanks for sharing these wonderful views on life and living.
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We are survivors
Yes the black survivors
Like Shedrack, Meshak and AbaNegro
Burning in the fire but we never get burnt
Talking and preaching is done
We got to live up! – Marley
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Biko Nwannam, Gbam! Gbam! Ga na iru! Oku na ere, nwa awo na ala!
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We are beset by bigotry everywhere we look in this country. While we can’t give up or pack up and leave, we are at least able to speak out in condemnation… We are simply an endangered species here…
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so true, Obinna and very disturbing.
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powerful and profound lamentations
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