Poetry

Heleen van de Ven

By

Ani Kayode Somtochukwu

To the guardians of grace

You that know the way of kings

That claim to see the stars and dance

You know I see your lies

I have drank from the cup of rivers

I have lived and died a thousand deaths

I see your lies.

I know there is nothing beyond the stars

There is no control of will

No desecration of nature’s control

No false hope.

You that heal and raise the dead

Do you think you do good

Do you believe you guide the flock

I see your lies.

You are fractions of mad power

You are guardians and hiders

Of truth, of destinies crafted false.

You lend the world your hate.

You lend me your hate.

I kill for your words, honesty’s perversion

We all do, we cling.

We forget grace when it’s hard

Remember when it’s easy

Like the hope from our lives

And share to the faithful, the love

But to those who need love

Who need grace

We shut our eyes and forget our grace.

We forget to remember to love.

Mourn me, Sister

I am an unwanton breeze

A broken white petal

Tears of brimming pain

Of elegantly rich regrets

I am a loving growing seed

That will tomorrow, shrivel dead

Trampled troubled, broken.

Sister please, tell my story when I’m gone

Tell my brothers that I fought

Tell my mother that I loved

Tell my father that I brawled.

Tell the tale of my days, do.

Of my life of being what I am not

Of the shame of being what I am

Of the joy of ending it all.

Listen Sister, don’t stop listening

Listen to my dying words.

I did not live my truth

Dangers smothered my words, my truth

Fear smothered my love, my life.

Sister, tell my father and the world

Urge them to mourn, play dirges

Tell them I deserve to be mourned, loved

I am human, save this ill

I am flesh and blood

I have life, till I took it.

Sister, bid them cry.

Only humans are wept for

Bid them preserve me human

Sister, bid them mourn

I am human.

Ani Kayode Somtochukwu

Ani Kayode Somtochukwu was born on the 29th of July, 1999. He likes to see himself as a short story writer, novelist and poet though he has nothing in print, YET. He lives in Enugu for now and is currently studying Medicine and Surgery at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.