Joseph Jeremiah Naye Poet Elegy

Cry Uhuru Cry Freedom

Until the blood
   Flowing in my veins equals
     The blood flowing in theirs 
 The cry for freedom
   Will persist and insist
     Uhuru is my cry for freedom

 Until the tongue
   I speak and my religion
     Is no different than the
       Colour of their eyes
         Uhuru is my cry for redemption

 The cry for freedom 
   Will always prevail over
     Machetes and AK 47s
      Uhuru is my cry for freedom

 Until our villages and towns
   Are properly called 
     In their mother tongue
      And not abused versions
 The cry for freedom 
   Justice and equity will 
     Reach high pitch
      Uhuru is my cry for freedom.

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Tom Pickering November 5, 2023 at 6:58 AM Powerful condemnation of colonialism. I like that way that you reference Machetes and AK47's which are the weapons of modern post colonial strife to emphasize that the legacy of oppression lingers in the current internecine warfare in the area. Very neatly done!

Karen Jones October 29, 2023 at 7:05 PM Very powerful cry for freedom. Congratulations on being a featured poem!

Katharine L. Sparrow May 2, 2023 at 6:55 PM I'm so sorry! Maybe you would comment on my poem about Africa? I wonder what you'd think about it. https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/ive_never_been_to_africa_1151549 Joseph Jeremiah Naye May 22, 2023 at 9:48 PM Thank you for reading my piece, I am not an expert on Africa, nevertheless I have read it and commented on it. Do have a blessed day.

Katharine L. Sparrow March 2, 2023 at 8:10 PM I feel the desperation in this emotional piece. When will we all love and respect one another as fellow human beings on the same road together? Your poem is a thoughtful one. Well done. Joseph Jeremiah Naye May 1, 2023 at 11:52 PM Thanks Katherine, I appreciate your comment, that is what we are going through in that part of Nigeria.