By: Martin Akpan
At The Crossroads
(1)see birds, limping on bug-infested
treetops
Limping in the void of the season
(1)see men in their numbers watching
Wondering and wandering in the clueless aim
The wind stretching its ears amid a din
In the distant Cathedral of the Cross
As ‘Father’ ministers the extreme unction
On a parting communicant before a soulful
Cortege
It is time for prayers of the saints who are
saints indeed
For Angels have jettisoned their holy chores
For a porridge of mellifluous oddity
And demons have taken over the altars of
prayer
With acrobatics of seamy drama and
Razzmatazz
Alas, true supplicants, where are they?
Change Nigeriana
The season is on
The heat of the season
A season of pains
Seasoned with hate
And endless battles
The heat is on
On the wings of the season
Teary-eyed, the season
Empties her bowels
To spread her torment
In a torrent of fire
How many drops of tears will birth
A volcanic rain that can change
The windy horizon of pain
Into a swelling hilarity of gain?
We are for a change
The pain is the change
Its fangs are the gain
Honed by ancestral pride
Of Sect and Tribe
Excerpts from the book: Ripples of Rebirth published by Akpan who is a medical doctor and the state Chairman of Primary Health-Care Delivery System
