Africa

         AFRICA
(to africans in diaspora)

         africa here i come, africa
africa of the black soul
the soul of an ancient culture
the culture of your timid tribes.

         its your voice i hear africa
your voice of the talking drums
your beaded drums and the royal trumpeter
the metal gong of your town crier

         i have come to see your music dance
i have heard of your ageless minstrels
have i not heard of your swinging hips!
i have heard enough and have come to watch
wouldn't you dance for me africa

         africa here i come africa
would you not show me to your tribes
the timid tribes of your sweetened tongues
the varied tongues of your virtuous men

         africa, black soul africa
tell me about your gods
your gods of the sky and of the mother earth
your gods of the hills and of the rivers abound

         show me to your kings africa
your kings of the ancient dynasty
the ancient dynasty of rusted spear and shield
africa, here i come africa

         HEAVENLY GUEST

         heavenly guest
heralding thunderously
in its own awake
pelting on men
as well, the gods
gathering itself
drop by drop.

         as rivulets you flow
passing on slopes abound
downward,
it's rhythm goes -
romancing all corners
cutting out its lonely paths
along our farmstead's.

         beside your gathered pools
we stand
with tears of joy
naked
we danced
we played
making mounds of wetted soil
splashing
little you, unto us

         seasonally guest
you have grown -
at length,
in breath,
we are in you
you in us

         CONCEPTION

         My father,
out of your seeds
emerged i,
millions of us swarm across the eggling waters
looking for her, that harbours
and, i the chosen morphed into fluids
...the races of life began at conception

         dear mother,
days stumbled into months
egglings, from your womb harboured me
and the fluids formed into being
enshrouded in you, body and soul;
eating and sucking all day long
...this, is the making of me

         ...DETENTION

         distanced we sat, barred from
spoken words
masked, our lives became one
volume of thoughts race
our troubled minds
ideas,
morphed into forms
flow among us

         ...unspoken,
we had said volumes
neither by mouth nor scribbles
of our dried fountains
we have rocked minds;
and shared unchained thoughts
... who can seal or hold in captive
a troubled mind

         DRAUGHT

         tensed we watched
as our fathers before us, has done
we watched as dawn streaks across the neighing sky
another day has come
with it, hope that lingers

         we watched as the crops, whither
as the herds stifle by the river beds
we saw the cracks all around us
and, the sun
scorched harshly upon us

         we watched as the skies refuse
to fall its tears and to succor our parching thirst
the field has broken, in piece!
threatening,
to welcome our weakening bones

         MAN

         i appreciate
adore
praise
envy
the habitats called man

         i worship
sanctified
consecrate
glorify
God, that created man

         i'm disappointed
betrayed
disgusted
dismayed
in the very nature of man

         poems by Chime, Hilary Uchenna

         Chime, Hilary Uchenna works as a creative artist in Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated as a painter in the Fine Arts Department, of the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu. A traditional artist to the core, who gradually has transformed into the world of digital arts. He trained as an interactive multimedia developer, his works span from illustrations to image, video and audio editing. He has worked extensively on several multimedia CD titles, he exhibits occasionally, and have his works in private and public collections.

         To him poetry comes naturally, he believes it is an extension of his canvass and 'paint' he must, either with colours or in words. He draws his topics from his immediate environment and imagery from Igbo folklore. He is currently preparing a collection of his poetry and short stories which he hopes to publish soon.