Odumegwu Ojukwu
A gallant man of thousand fists
Spirited brave man of Amadioha’s clan
Conversational colonel of the battalion empire
Emperor manned through the honeyed knight
The dialogue of the drums speaks of your strength and might
Cupping the fingers content of Biafra land in height and weight
Your words kill without sword and egbe-igwe
Not a chicken stories were heard of your deeds .
We never receive a message from your in-laws
Of your manhood not satisfying their daughters
Home and abroad, you stood fearless
As tall as the sky without pillars
To a passing year, the stars sobbed of you
In the month of the falling leaves, we mourned you
Not for loss but for grace of rising to bear.
Igbo nation birth not a cradle hands of you
Not even looking at the cock’s comb of fire
Shall your name be trampled on the ground
“Afamefuna” your legacy is kept until the new birth
Great Elephant of the forest of Igbo land!
You’re braver than Okonkwo who died another’s death
Have you seen your status at Onitsha?
Have you heard of your names immortalized at Awka?
Your hands once disseminate delight from
The talkative face of the drum without fear
We have waited this long for another savior but all we see
Are political thieves with two mouths on seats of power
A village protest conducted, but a cup of rice shared deceived us all,
Rice which they packaged as ransom for their sins.
Odumegwu, Igbos are Nigeria Peasant farmers
Long victims of exploitative neglect
Yet, the spirit of Igboism is gone
We are merely struggling and backbiting
On the legacy you left behind the Iroko tree.
Yours Poetically,
© John Chizoba Vincent
Copyright © John Chizoba Vincent | Year Posted 2017
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