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My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays
My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays
My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays
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My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays

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My Cherished Verses is uniquely written for its style and diction.It is divided into two parts of poems and short plays.The poems are multi-topic while the short plays are skillfully and whimsically written for the pleasure of the reader.
Chovwe Inisiagho- Ogbe is a multi-talented writer born in the ancient city of Benin in Nigeria.As a child she enjoyed listening to moonlight tales and reading story books.She later began writing her own stories and songs.Chovwe Inisiagho Ogbe is not trained in the literary field but took writing as a hobby which she decided to make part of her. She is a graduate of Geography and Law from two different universities.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherXlibris UK
Release dateMar 14, 2011
ISBN9781456885328
My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays
Author

Chovwe Inisiagho

Chovwe Inisiagho-Ogbe was born in Benin-City , Nigeria She holds degrees in Geography from Ambrose Ali University ,Ekpoma ,Edo State Nigeria and Law from University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton ,UK.

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    Book preview

    My Cherished Verses - Chovwe Inisiagho

    Copyright © 2011 by Chovwe Inisiagho-Ogbe.

    ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4568-8531-1

                       Ebook                                      978-1-4568-8532-8

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

    The short plays are works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author´s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons , living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Xlibris Corporation

    0-800-644-6988

    www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

    300357

    Contents

    PART ONE

    Poems

    The Voice

    Mwangaza

    Labour of Our Hands

    If Boro Were Here

    My Brother

    Show Me Love

    Letter to Merkel

    Africa 1

    Africa 2

    Waters of Niger Delta

    Savannah Gold

    Cloaks of Europe

    Warri

    Waters of Cologne

    Evbu

    Kolanut

    By the Rivers of Ethiope

    Sunrise in Huerth

    Ka Chi Foo

    Isio

    Heartquake

    Uvo

    Mama Is Cooking

    Egusi Soup

    Ukodo

    Oghwo-Evwri

    Thank You

    Omiovwo

    Aye

    Ovwa

    O Ga Adi Mma

    Biko

    Drunkard

    The Telegraph

    We Are Children

    Metamorphosis

    Altenheim

    Oga

    Girl O Girl

    Ego

    Na Wa

    PART TWO

    Short Plays

    The Migrant

    The Prophecy

    The Boomerang

    The Circumcision

    Email Palaver

    Sisi Warri

    Omote-Johwo

    Cyber Shock

    Salad

    Auslaender

    Author’s Note

    Dedication

    To the memory of my late father, Frederick Inisiagho.

    Part One

    Poems

    The Voice

    Listen!

    A voice in the desert

    Like the wind

    That softly blows

    One hears it whistles

    Not so loud

    But

    With a powerful message.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Mwangaza

    Mwangaza,

    The light that shines

    Radiant and bright

    Like a torch

    From the hilltop

    When darkness has fallen

    Over the land.

    It’s there for us

    To see and feel

    To light and guide

    And never stumble,

    A ray of hope

    Melting every repression

    And in its stead

    Liberty for women

    And justice for mankind.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Labour of Our Hands

    We must eat

    From the labour of our hands

    Not to be robbed

    Of our harvest

    By those

    Who slept

    While the farmers

    Tilled the earth

    And played

    While the sowers ploughed.

    Let them go hungry

    Until they learn

    Never to feast

    On the sweat of others.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    If Boro Were Here

    If Boro were here,

    I would walk up to him,

    Tell him to give my regards

    To Ken Saro Wiwa.

    They know little men need recognition

    And that they have wishes.

    If Boro were here,

    I would give him a letter

    To take to Lord Lugard,

    For him to explain

    All about colonialism

    And the truth of Bakassi.

    If Boro were here,

    I would send my complaints

    To Awolowo or Azikiwe,

    To Herbert Macaulay or Alvan Ikoku,

    Tafa Balewa, and Ahmadu Bello,

    And let them know their children are disunited.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    My Brother

    Oh, my brother, can’t you see am on fire?

    Stretch out your hands and pull me out

    Before I am consumed.

    Oh, my brother, do you want to be wicked?

    You see, we are of one colouration

    And you walk past me.

    Oh, my brother, do you want to thrust me out?

    Let me take refuge

    In your threshold today.

    Oh, my brother, shield me from rain,

    From sun,

    And from storm.

    Oh, my brother, care for me

    That we may see each other

    Living in peace and harmony.

    Oh, my brother, let generosity be thanked.

    I hunger and thirst.

    Feed me from your bounty.

    Oh, my brother, do you forget

    We are from the same womb?

    Why pretend you know me not?

    Oh, my brother, can you remember

    Those days we basked in the sun?

    Have clemency.

    Oh, my brother, why spit on my face?

    And sit complacently on your throne,

    And let me bow before you.

    Oh, my brother, you can’t treat me thus.

    Draw me closer to intimacy

    That the cord might not be broken.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Show Me Love

    Show me love,

    For I am an African

    With ebony skin

    And kinky hair.

    My journey was far

    Crossing seven seas

    And seven mountains.

    Show me love,

    For I am a stranger

    With no compass to navigate

    This Caucasian land,

    Wide streets, and bright lights,

    Where little white balls fall from heaven

    That make me long for my tropical sun.

    Show me love,

    For I have read books

    Evident in degrees,

    Speak your tongue fluently,

    Yet you put barriers,

    Sending me to an office

    To become a cleaner.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Letter to Merkel

    Dear Angela Merkel,

    I am an African

    Doing my bit.

    I have followed you faithfully,

    Learnt my Deutsch well,

    Excelled in the Einbuergerung

    To make me a German.

    Done one Ausbildung.

    That means I retrained.

    I have gone this far,

    But it did not pay off!

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Africa 1

    Africa,

    A land of wealth,

    Blessed of nature

    Amongst all continents.

    Africa,

    Resplendent in beauty,

    A masterpiece of God,

    The envy of nations.

    Africa,

    You stand tall and distinct

    From the peaks of Kilimanjaro

    To the shores of the Nile.

    Africa,

    You must not cry,

    Nor let your neighbours scoff you,

    And watch your brother die.

    Africa,

    Never you steal from each other.

    We must stand united

    To make are our heroes proud.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Africa 2

    (Our Tears Still Flow)

    Africa,

    Blessed with milk and honey,

    Black soil,

    Soil of paradise,

    Soil of culture,

    Soil of languages.

    Africa,

    See, your neighbours envy you

    From Europe to Asia,

    From Australia to America,

    From friends to masters,

    So they lorded over us.

    Africa,

    They stole your lands,

    We toiled in our own land,

    We saw our mothers weep,

    We saw our children die,

    Our fathers forced to the war front.

    Africa,

    You were ignorant,

    Silent as the Nile,

    Silent over treaties,

    Silent over pseudo-gospel.

    Innocent Africa, you were robbed of your pride.

    Africa,

    Your woes unending,

    Your children are weeping.

    Your bowels bursting,

    Your oars have not rested.

    Mother Africa, arise from your slumber.

    Africa,

    Oh, Africa, you can’t go on suffering!

    Oh, Lumumba!

    Oh, Nkrumah!

    Oh, Awo!

    Come and save us,

    Our tears still flow.

    300357-OGBE-layout-low.pdf

    Waters of Niger Delta

    Waters of Niger Delta,

    Muddy but blessed

    Wealth of a nation.

    The sediments it carries

    Through swamps and mangroves,

    In its river course

    Is mingled

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