Poet of the week: Patrick Tagbo Oguejiofor

Ah, My Brother

(For Ikeogu Oke: 1967-2018)

Ah, my brother

So this is the story

The landing from Golgotha

Of stolen offerings

A place where my heart is at home

Ah, my brother

So this uncontrollable fire

Has at last razed the forest

And the ancient house

Passed on to us

By our forebears

Ah, my brother

So this is the tempers

Of a forsaken god

The consuming fever

Merciless in thunder

Ah, my brother

So the wait is over now

For twilight tales

Though its sundown

Fate has swallowed us whole

And we are left with bloodied tears

Ah, my brother, so our

Vain prayers to faithless priests

Now haunt our nights, and dreams

Fouling the dry harmattan air

This potent sky, of blood ritual rites

Venomous silence of inept leaders

Ah, my brother, like mad strangulated orgasm

A shameful secret is laid bare

A secret known to children

And blind spectators in dark night

Brings to memory the snake in the thatch roof

Ah, my brother, so the children are nowhere

Near their playground this sundown

This beautiful bright night, but

While we wait for a gloomy dawn

I offer you my gifts of

Drums, flutes, kolanuts, this poem

And the melody of silence

To subscribe to your laughter

Beside your tombstone

Where we wait for you, speechless

Thunderstruck

27th November, 2018

Patrick Tagbo Oguejiofor, a former chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Abuja Chapter is the author of ‘Blood Drops’, a collection of poems shortlisted for the 2018 ANA/Cadbury Prize for Poetry. He wrote in from Abuja.