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Judith Utuetu Poem
In my dreams;
I see the malicious red flames lick away our prized possessions
and we watched mesmerized,
while it destroyed years of labor.
Years of slavery by our fathers of old
years of suffering by the weak; the coward
years of struggle by the fearless; the bold.
drums of sweat; drums of blood
it was the ransom for our possessions paid
the warm victory earned by a sweat of blood
the wicked raging fire now consumes.
As my eyes this painful sight beheld,
I feel a dull ache in my heart,
choking sobs wrench my throat.
Just then, I start from the bed,
it had been a dream; a nightmare
No, I had dreamt in reality
and the dull ache grows
till it resonates with the sound of pounding pestles.
The red flame was our greed
our possessions; our dignity, honesty, and personality
once again we sold ourselves into slavery, a bondage of freedom.
My heart shatters and I weep for my fatherland
My gaze fixed as it were on the raging flames
I see the smug faces of my fathers
lay curse as they gnash their teeth in pain
angry at the heritage that made fools of them
Silently they watch us suffer
and trampled on by strangers
I crouch in fear, trembling, sweating
and I say a word of prayer,
a plea for help, just for my fatherland.
Copyright © Judith Utuetu | Year Posted 2008
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Judith Utuetu Poem
Feel the slight tremor grow into a judder
then the slides begin to announce her coming
with the water bath and blast,
keep your mind together, fear not; just wonder.
An earthquake.
feel the slight shiver grow into a shudder
then the pulsing heart announces her coming
with the blood flush and flash
keep your mind together, fear not; just ponder
A mind quake.
We suffer death but once,
the quake passes leaving fear and pain in her wake.
Copyright © Judith Utuetu | Year Posted 2011
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Judith Utuetu Poem
The hush of the singing nightingales,
the raucous Owl cries,
the sway of the forest in obeisance to the angry wind,
the roaring thunder and blinding lightning,
all usher in the night of doom.
The generation altering night,
that marked the end of a great people
and like death brought the poor and rich to their knees.
In the dead of the night of the festive day,
fury lashed out her angry arms on all- the innocent and guilty,
plants and animals-
ripping out souls as they lay sleeping peacefully.
Earth, like a starved Boar, swallowed homes,
but unlike the Passover day showed no favor,
as nature, smirking, ruled by terror.
Consuming all in her ferocious anger.
Farmlands were swept into the waters,
mud houses lay crumbled,
The great Iroko was strewn all over.
That night, sounds of woe filled the city,
but with the coming of dawn all went still.
There came silence.
Peace at last; peace of sorrow.
Why? There were no daughters to mourn,
and no sons to fire the gun in salute.
Because none had been spared,
a whole city washed out and swallowed into the earth and seas,
that echoed doom in its silence.
Copyright © Judith Utuetu | Year Posted 2006
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