My Cherished Verses: A Collection of Poems and Short Plays
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About this ebook
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.
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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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.pdfMwangaza
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.pdfLabour 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.pdfIf 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.pdfMy 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.pdfShow 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.pdfLetter 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.pdfAfrica 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.pdfAfrica 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.pdfWaters 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