Logan Abassi/UN photo
By
Ngozi Olivia Osuoha
Punctured Nature
I am mother nature
You widen my exposure,
Listen now dear earth
Listen, hear my breath,
I have been punctured
And even captured.
I am fake pregnancy
Courtesy of chemicals,
Protruding tommy-balloon
Total womb-vacancy
Wild human radicals
Finally breeding baboon.
I am the breast
I cannot suckle again,
My milk is sour
I am no longer for feast,
Because I am in pain
So they turn to flour.
That is not the least
I am the sacred breast,
For breakthrough
They puncture my walls
Cut me through
And plant their balls.
I am the foetus
They flush me with drugs
For them to focus
And maintain their hugs
With a deceitful kiss
Yet they dare not hiss.
I am the buttocks
They Pierce me from top
Insert heavy blocks
There, they never stop
They put me a wedge
And build round a hedge.
I am the eye
Normally, I am black
Now, me they dye
Send me to the back,
As though I am useless
Yet, it is not their success.
I am the skin
Natural, I am beautiful
But they wash me thin
So sometimes I look fearful,
Black, white, green, blue
I even gum like glue.
I am the ozone layer
They pump gas into me
Wail for climate change
Chant it is strange,
Turn a soothsayer
And say I sting like bee.
I am the land
They bind my hand,
Mine coal and drill oil;
So they foil, soil and boil
Because they torment me
And I cannot flee.
I am the ocean
My own musician,
I make each piece
And it gives me peace,
Wave, storm, tempest
I revenge against my rest.
I am the wild animal
They claim to tame
Even when they are canal
Just for their fame,
When nature gets me angry
I devour because I am hungry.
Aura Of My Pen
With words really weighty
And rhymes too touchy
In lines very hearty
I pour them to be happy.
It goes viral
In a wrinkle spiral
Starting very casual
And becoming cordial.
Aura of my ink
Scent of my palm
Ornament of my finger
Perfume in my hand
Estrangement of my letter
Elasticity of my pen,
Charisma of my note
Enchantment of my piece
Charm of my words,
Freshness of my thought
Power of my spirit
Cooking pot of my anger
Rage of my libation
Wrath of my weapon
Fire of my desire
Steam of my wish
Seed of my prayers
Flame of my passion,
Hammer of my strength
Trigger of my mission.
East, west, north and south
Drawn from Africa
Blown across Mediterranean
Within America and Europe
Beyond Asia and Australia
Sahel savanna, rain forest
The hills and valleys
Mars, mercury, earth
Saturn, Uremus, Pluto, Jupiter
Neptune, Universe
Wonder, If I had no pen
Many A Time
Many a time, a guru is neither made from a zombie nor cookie, either junkie or rookie.
Many a time, a beginner is neither willing nor fulfilling, either forced or reinforced.
Many a time, a nation is neither united nor excited, either agitating or retreating.
Many a time, a people is neither progressing nor advancing, either retrogressing or regretting.
Many a time, politics is neither service-oriented nor divinely motivated, either selfishly instigated or greedily incited.
We Appreciate
(The Fallen Heroes #Nigerian Army)
We salute your bravery
As you fought ‘slavery’
We admire your courage
For rising against bondage,
We appreciate!
You were always gallant
Ever ready and combatant,
Alert, obedient and vigilant
Neither lazy nor reluctant,
We appreciate!!
Golden heart you had
Never were you sad,
Fatherly mind exhibited
Your borders you protected,
We appreciate!!!
Families lonely; beds cold
Children ‘scattered’ spouses on hold,
Homes bored; relatives troubled
There you were, jungle doubled,
We appreciate!!!!
You slept in the forest
Had nothing like rest,
Vowed to keep the peace
Only death made you cease,
We appreciate!!!!!
Some devoured by beast
Some, no time to feast,
Yet you were not conquered
You were only murdered,
We appreciate!!!!!!
Some blown into ashes
Some given numerous lashes,
Captured, made prisoners of war
Given death undilutedly raw,
We appreciate!!!!!!!
Very far and dry
Thirsty and hungry,
Hands in cuff
Heads blown off,
We appreciate!!!!!!!!
Some given medals of honour
But families live in horror,
Some buried with national flags
But bodies torn like rags,
We appreciate!!!!!!!!!
Some actually got drowned
Yet they were not crowned,
You were really fantastic
In fact, outstandingly patriotic,
We appreciate!!!!!!!!!!
Never cared about the swamp
There you built your camp,
Slept without any lamp
‘No surrender’ was your stamp,
We appreciate!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank God for history
It is a form of victory,
Forgotten or immortalized
Comforted or traumatized,
We appreciate!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Irony
The criminal; the prosecutor
The wolf; the shepherd.
The angel; the lucifer
The saint; the satan.
The lover; the hater
The friend; the enemy.
The leader; the beheader
The preacher; the butcher
The helper; the killer
The colleague; the saboteur.
Ngozi Olivia Osuoha
Ngozi Olivia Osuoha Is a Nigerian graduate of Estate Management with experience in Banking and Broadcasting. She has published over one hundred poems in over ten countries. Her two longest poems of 355 and 560 verses are available on amazon, THE TRANSFORMATION TRAIN and LETTER TO MY UNBORN respectively. She is a passionate African ink.