by
Noel Ihebuzor
Do not ask the Asaba woman
why she chose the snuff box
reasons are not always logical
the chooser knows best
and though saints shock us
by choosing to suffer, sadists believe
happiness awaits such a choice
Saints are not created by words
nor by fiat but by their works
Heroes are hailed not for their haste
but for their hard choices
Wizened eyes in the present
see shady pasts clearly,
and to such,
the present appears shady, unclear
Would saints sing the Asaba woman’s choice
as a sin, pure without any comma
or would their deep thoughts
judge her lightly as the victim
of a conscience that was in a coma
rationalisation potent as indignation
often bars the doors to truth,
shutters the windows,
sheds shady lights poorly to the realisation
that though choices are always personal,
choices are also always finally weighed
on a scale steeped in ethics
soaked in morals
Reflections 