You Are Magic

All eyes on me but mine bore holes in you

 

Sweetly swirling before my eyes

 

Like gamblers follow their rolling dice

 

Walking on air endless without a care

 

And like a moth's attraction to light

 

My day surrenders to your night

 

Don't notice how green their envy is

 

Bliss like no one can truly give

 

Makes my heart beat in heave

 

All my doubts have disappeared

 

Can only see your graceful allure

 

Bewitching with the charm of azure

 

Take you out of me and the magic is gone.

Emeka Amakeze

My Village Shrine

I placed my feet one after the other in movement

Swirling red African dust settling on my feet

As I eat the distance between me and my destination

The laterite road peters out to a leafy pathway

Noise of occasional passing cars and human chatter

Lost to the quietude of this enigma of an abode

Pulled forward by an invisible force of curiosity

I moved further into the forest towards the stream

From where they say my village shrine reigned

Even before the days of the father of my fathers'' father

And the deeper I went into the belly of the forest

The more fearsome the trees grew to be.

The shrubs became phantoms by tricks of my mind

And the eerie silence became loudly menacing

Running waters drummed to startle as I got near to it

And then, remembering the wisdom of the elders

I liberated my voice to hoarse shouts of the mortals

That the water spirits would go in and grant me safe passage

Between the water that streams life and the land of the gods

Apart from those initiated into the revered cult of priesthood.

The journey ends for the mortals not favoured by the gods

Just as the secret of the owl shall never be made known to daylight

So is the shadowy ancient trail to the seat of my village shrine.

My fathers'' father told me that I was initiated ahead of my mates

And so, I should not be afraid of a handshake with the gods

I shook off the cobwebs of trepidation hanging all over me

Looked around and in a leap of faith and courage

Jumped across the stream and walked into the thick undergrowth

Unnervingly evident that I was all by my curious self

It’s a journey across the fabled playground of the gods

I knew about them – feared messengers of the gods

Right onto my path it sent chills down my spine

I had come too far to tolerate thoughts of going back.

The ape considered me with fearsome judging eyes

Found me worthy of an encounter with the abode of the gods

Left me to my fate and continued on its tour of duty

Cries of unusual birds I did not see bade me welcome

I ventured yet nearer my destination.

Excitedly, I sallied forth into the last of the shrubs

Before the sacred grotto but as nothing prepared me

For the extraordinary spectacle that beheld me,

I was bewitched and enthralled.

I cautiously moved my unwilling legs

Towards the subject of my visit

I sat down on a carved ancient wooden stool

Right in front of the cave and picked a piece of white clay...

Clay of the gods

I crushed a little and applied on my eyes

With a gradual comprehension that

I was really in the presence of a force

Beyond my mortal understanding,

My eyes grew accustomed to the darkness enveloping me

And I beheld it - my village shrine

an Emeka Amakeze poetic expression.

Line Of Sight

Despite all our efforts, they still want us to disunite

Our blood is their delight as my Nigeria they blight

Bringing fight unwanted to force us to take to flight

Unusual fright is in the land but there is none to indict

No light to brighten our paths for none there is the knight

The peace promised is but a sleight of hand in our sight

For our plight is to vote that our wealth be their right

Deafening disquiet of a once powerful home-land in delight

The height of their insensitivity pushes us to self-ignite

Our collective might as a people no more gives us respite

Not with morale as tight as wood eaten inside by termite

I recite our anthem and I realise that nothing is now alright

Our name is bigger than Elephant but we're cowered like ant

Blight rite of passage for this giant of Africa spite

Smite this evil in our land that we shall once again be great

But how could this ever be if you and I don’t make it right

                     an Emeka Amakeze poetic expression

Line Of Sight

Despite all our efforts, they still want us to disunite

Our blood is their delight as my Nigeria they blight

Bringing fight unwanted to force us to take to flight

Unusual fright is in the land but there is none to indict

No light to brighten our paths for none there is the knight

The peace promised is but a sleight of hand in our sight

For our plight is to vote that our wealth be their right

Deafening disquiet of a once powerful home-land in delight

The height of their insensitivity pushes us to self-ignite

Our might as a people no longer gives us respite

Not with morale as tight as wood eaten inside by termite

I recite our anthem and I realise that nothing is now alright

Our name is bigger than Elephant but we're cowered like ant

Is this the rite of passage for this giant of Africa spite?

Smite this evil in our land that we shall once again be great

But who will bell the cat