Poem of the Week: The Me You Love Again- A Tribute to my Beloved Nigeria

By Nehi Igbinijesu Fifty years now passed And still there’s me Yes- the part you couldn’t steal Then dumped muted The core of my earth enthralled Satiated in its own reclusion Away from the fermentation Of hurt, wounds, calumny Of what not I was And strove with malignantly Then warred and thawed Into a lease afresh Like the breaking of dawn Tanning the darkest night With reason, hope and love Of a future redeemed- A Utopian sent from above No fratricides more lurk From lips of funny Jove Sermonizing the assassin Amassing our forgetfulness In silver, bronze and black oil   Then passed a Hundred In flaky lavenders skirts With no tribal markings One dialect bellowed they Arise o compatriots Nigeria’s call obey Yes- the part you couldn’t touch Drunkenness you couldn’t sober Love-preached whitewash Words- empty of words Somewhere lost between me and us Between tribute and pitted stomachs Like progidals far and stray What suddenness doth pain bring Found I the me you love again!     This Poem is part of the anthology of 30 Poems titled: “Dirges of The Niger” By Nehi Igbinijesu.