Poem by Chukwuebuka Jude Igbonekwu
Part I. The Sky Looks Shy
The Story of Tongue
The sky looks shy each time it opens its eyes and shines white – And tongue loosed fetches its dews deposited on earth – Transcends, up above as incandescent Flower The heaven glimmers in a ceremony A found love for her – But tongue loosed disparages in boast: She is, lust in control of one heavenly fetch – But the effervescent light shines in the heart And walks in a path not seen, Cast tongue from heaven down below – It roams a world in boast and hunger in rage And drenches in servitude – And pry for love each time she opens her eyes and shines white, And never again will tongue utter a boast.
Part II. “Faith” is the thing that never trades
“Faith” is the thing that cannot trade – That is steadfast and surpasses hope – And heaves an unwavering conviction – It is utter belief And hailed as a man – But what is a man if he changes? Faith is the evidence of things hoped for – That weaves conviction more than hope – To trade faith for the world Must be with a thing that surpasses her – It has not been seen for a man true to himself To trade his faith for the world – No – there is not a thing that trades faith – It has not been seen Nor – will it be found.
Part III. Writing of Life
the Shakespeare curse
In this hut, the shit was eaten by skulls Begives cruelty and scorn, not at least a line To hold, oft’ compassion comes F’ ye’ not – Humble of the heart, that is. A curse in that, there’s no line F’ ye’ that eats – Yet today, our moaning faces for compassion plea It has no care, the shits And faces of Will.
Part IV. The Bee Hug
The black bee the buzz The scintillating call she calms And hugs a more luscious flower making succulent There’s blood in the anther and honey for all Not a stigma for man’s eccentric desire not a no! No! To kiss a flower is the impregnation of a new man The bee hug has sucked out the fear No sleep no stigma new anthers and forms The flower of a succulent man The hug of a buzzing black bee
Part VI. My Grief is Too Loud
In loving memory of ‘Sofia Elizabeth Gambino’
My grief is too loud to bear In the vain hope for you – ‘Sofia Elizabeth Gambino’ Death never holds us closer to our loved ones It grieves us apart, grieves us to follow the course Too many loud voices are griefs, drumming aloud, Echo voices in the depth of the heart. Each day I measure my grief by the number of voices Wishing a reincarnation of you But wishes in a state of grief, an invitation of tears that sits aloof But hoard must be grief little to scream for a passage. ‘Sofia Elizabeth Gambino’ A passage of you ‘Sofia – My grief is calm now, too quiet to hear.
Chukwuebuka Jude Igbonekwu hails from the Eastern region of the Igbo community in Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria. He is a free-thinking writer and poet who looks to change the landscape of African literature. He currently writes from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
