THE MOMENTS THAT GREW WINGS II

Sweetie, I want to know... please tell me, why we now loathe each other,
Tell me why we fight ourselves and hurt each other,
Tell me why we can no longer dwell together,
Tell me why the love of my life is gradually slipping away from me, forever,
Please tell me why those joyful moments grew wings and flew away,
'Cos I'm tired of fighting with my destiny, the one with whom I belong together,
So baby, please let us put the past behind, and revive those moments of love and passion everyday,
'Cos it's you I want to be with forever,
And I'm sure besides you, there is none other.

THE MOMENTS THAT GREW WINGS!

The crossing of our paths was destiny,
I was sure our love was meant for eternity,
Because from the first instance our personalities found unity,
My soul found joy in your entity,
I thought our lives was like a spaceship headed for a union of veracity,
Baby, when I kissed you it was in purity,
When I hugged you it was in loyalty,
And when I set gaze on you it was with ecstasy,
Even when our bodies and soul fused, it was in spirituality,

But as I write, with so much pain my heart,
Staring at your beautiful face across the room, wondering how we grew apart,
I can't help but ask what happened to those moments we shared, and why our lives are falling apart,
I can't help but question this silence and distance that now lie between our hearts,
Honey, please tell me, what happened to us? Why do we fight and hurt our love-parts?
Where are those days that beautified our lives, and made it like nature's work of art,
Please tell me, why did those moments grow wings and fly away?

THE SORROWS OF CHILDHOOD, A NOVEL Cont'd

Two

Tragedy

    Oba Ewuare, also known as Ewaure the great was the greatest warrior legend and the most outstanding king in the history of the Benin Empire. The title, ‘Ewuare, or Oworuare’ means ‘it is cool or the trouble has ceased’ and as a result the war is over. A title symbolic of an epoch of reconciliation, reconstruction and the return of peace among the warring factions in Benin kingdom, long before I was born in the 17^th century(around 1435-1440 AD). This oba or king subdued 201 villages in Southern Nigeria, including my ancestral home of Nri, and thus formed the ancient Benin Empire which declined around the period of my childhood, after 1700 AD. The Benin Empire was eliminated in 1897 by the British. However, the tragedy of this period was not in the decline of the Benin Empire, but that of the ancient and peaceful people of Nri, that raised my forefathers.

    As a testimony to their peaceful disposition, the Nri people were against slavery and the slave trade. This jeopardized a long standing relationship that existed between the Benin and the Nri people, for they supported and partook in the slave trade. In the 18^th century, when the slave trade was at its peak, the Benin and Igala slave raiding empires became the main influence in the Nri people’s relationship with the western and northern Igbos, the Nri’s former areas of influence and operation.

    Upper Northwest Cross River Igbo groups like the Aro confederacy and Abiriba peoples, as well as the Awka and Umunoha people used oracular activities and other trading opportunities after Nri’s decline in the 18^th century to become the major influences in Igbo land and all adjacent areas. This included parts of Igala land and places west of the Niger River, indirectly affected by the Benin kingdom. The Arochukwu people of the Aro confederacy even enslaved their own ‘brothers’ by treating them as Osu, or outcasts. Usually, inhabitants disguised themselves as forest spirits, and chased visitors who usually ran into the shrine to ask the deity for help. Once they did this, they were considered Osu, or outcasts, and enslaved. They then served in the shrine, as servants of the chief priest, and ripped of their belongings. They continued in this state, until the chief priest chooses to let them go. However, upon their release, former slaves still bore the stigma of having being Osus, or outcasts.

     Prior to our capture by the Benins, our forebears had heard of slave trade dealings undertaken by the Benin. Some neighboring villages had been victims of the Benin invasion. When our forefathers heard of the intentions of the Benin, they placed armed warriors at the borders of the village, to inform the Igwe, king and villagers of any attempts by the Benins, and ward off the invasion while the villagers escaped. However following countless failed attempts by the Benins to capture the Nri people, they decided to employ different measures that took my people unawares. And with this measure,  preventing an invasion was like building castles in the air, our forefathers explained to our own fathers in the native Igbo proverbs.

       Tragedy finally befell the ever influential and peaceful Nri people, like a dreaded disease, when our ancestors were captured by the Benins, after hundreds of years of resistance to Benin imperialism. As opposed to the earlier plan, the Benin warriors laid secret ambushes around the entire Nri kingdom. So while we ate and drank, we were under the constant watch of the Benins. They even disguised themselves and traded with us, speaking our local dialect, while working as spies for their monarch, oba Ewuare.

      It was the eve of the eke market day and children were gathered by the fire in the cold of the evening listening to folklores from their parents, while the traders sat under the canopy of the odala tree, discussing how sales had gone in the market, when suddenly, Ogidi, the leader of the warriors placed at the entrance of the village ran past our house, raising clouds of white dust, that appeared red in the fires, screaming in the native Igbo dialect,

    ‘Habiawala O, ndi Benin na oba Ewuare. Gba unu osor oo’ he screamed saying;

    ‘They are coming, the Benins and oba Ewuare. Run for your lives!’

   Ogidi was however too late, for before he could get to the market square, half of the village was surrounded by the Benin warriors. Some villagers were taken away from their sumptuous delicacies, some caught in the middle of performing their manly duties in bed to their wives. Some women were even dragged naked from the local raffia and palm leaves constructed bathrooms. It was a moment of severe pains for pregnant women, some of which had miscarriages. Fortunately however, my mother who was pregnant with me at the time, managed to escape a miscarriage. I guess the gods had a date with destiny for me.

      Our Eze, king was ripped of his crown and throne, and the council of elders, the Nze and Ozo title holders, dissolved, and the entire kingdom set ablaze. These were the beginning of sorrows. In a moment, the raid was over, and here our parents were, under captivity. Our glory lost, our pride stolen, and our culture and tradition thrown to the dogs. We thus became part of the ancient Benin Empire. That was a day, descendents of Nri kingdom, will never forget.

GRASS TO GRACE, A NOVEL Cont'd.

CHAPTER THREE

THE CHALLENGE

      It was barely a week to the certificate examinations. The timetable was already out and the studious three had long covered their syllabus and were already prepared for the examinations. They’ve been attending extracurricular classes, lately which Abayomi’s parents arranged for them, and this had gone a long way in aggrandizing their knowledge in the core subjects like Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. This also gave them the confidence they were going to be recipients of the scholarship award sponsored by the Oxford University.

      However, for the boys, Gbenga, Kole and Eze, things were relatively different and easy going. To them, it was like three months to the exams because they were still playing and lazing about, jumping from one compound to the other causing mischief. For Gbenga he was sure his father was going to pull some strings in ensuring that his son gets whatever he wants in the examinations. But for Kole and Eze, a boy from Igbo, one of the major Nigerian Ethnic groups, that formed the eastern part of the country, they hoped in Gbenga to provide them with materials they would use in cheating, during the examinations.

       Monday, July, 17, was the examination day. For Kunle and Bisi preparations were not very easy coupled with tedious household chores they had to carry out on a daily basis. However, determination they taught brings success. They were thus determined to get what they desired. The day before the examinations, Bisi and Kunle had rounded off their chores in good time and went in to sleep. They got up early the next day and took an hour in going through some possible examination questions. It was really stressful for the serious minded students, but if it is rewarding, then it was worth doing they thought.

        It was time for the examinations and all preparations had been made by the school’s examination board. The paper to be written on the first day was Mathematics and the papers had arrived earlier than expected. Finally, the examinations commenced at about 9 am in the morning. Bisi, Kunle, and Abayomi were brainstorming and providing solutions to the questions being time conscious as well.

       On the contrary, it was hell for Gbenga and the others. Gbenga’s hope was shattered because his parents had embarked on a business trip to Lagos state, a state on the western part of Nigeria, which used to be it’s capital. But the two will always find a way out. The day before the exams Gbenga had copied a number of Mathematical questions into a sheet of paper and mad three copies. They were stealthily copying out the solutions into their answer sheets when the eagle-eyed Mr. Inyang, a supervisor from the examination council spotted them from the front of the class.

                  “Stand up you fool” he shouted.

                  “M-m-mee, do you mean us sir” they stammered and shivered.

                  “Yes! I mean three of you’ he replied looking berserk.

                  “Give me that paper” he said. They handed him the paper with shaking hands.

                  “What? Malpractice, Get out of this hall now and go straight to the principal’s office” Mr. Inyang, a man from Calabar, a south-eastern Nigerian state, took the boys to the principal who became infuriated after hearing their offense. This was because he had previously warned that no student should bring shame to the school’s name by involving in any act of malpractice. But as it turned out, it appeared he was pouring water on a duck’s back by his warning. The boys were immediately expelled since failure to do this will mean cancellation of that subject for the school. Mr. Kwame was not willing to let that happened knowing that so many hopes were tied to this exam.

        For Gbenga it was like nothing had happened. He arrogantly walked out of the principal’s office without scruples over his actions or fear over his parent’s reactions. One would not blame the arrogant child; his parents brought him up that way. Little wonder, the good book says “train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old he would not depart from it”. For Kole and Eze, it was like the whole world had come crumbling down on them since their parents were not well-to-do. They realized they’ve been misled and had wasted their time and parents little money all along. It had by now dawned on them they had jeopardized their future. Beggig for a secong chance was like building castles in the air, so the two went home sobbing. Just then Gbenga appeared.

                 “Come on boys. This is not the end of the world, we still have hope” Gbenga said trying to encourage them.

                 “Oh spare me that” Kole responded angrily.

                 “You caused it all. You can now go home to your rich parents who would probably send you to another school elsewhere” he finished up.

                 “And never you come close to us again” Eze added.

     The boys departed on different routes. Pitiably enough, they had to learn their lessons the hard way. However, the rest of the exams were successful for those geniuses, Kunle, Abayomi and Bisi. At the end of the examination they envisioned themselves students of the prestigious Oxford University. They were optimistic.

SEPARATED BY TIME

You call me "brother", but you don't bother if I prosper or suffer,
We shared a common history and a common story, but now you've turned indiffernt to my misery, while you prosper,
Our bond you disintegrated, our history ignored and our brotherhood scattered,
You let the hands of time steal your conscience, and allowed the system to define you personality;
So while you're served in a gold-platter, I waste away in the gutter, and you're not bothered!
Remember the days when we battled the hands of oppression and resisted the claws of brutality, together,
Remember those nights when we stuck together through the cold of discrimination and the frigidity of alienation, I thought our brotherhood was forever,
But you let the waters of chronos and the streams of chronology erode our brotherhood,
And now you even seek to use me, cruise at the heights , while I rot in the hood,
You fight for yourself, work for yourself and live for yourself; so while you reign on the throne,
I struggle by myself, wallow in pain all alone, on my own,,
You even fight against me, and point a gun to my face,
You would kill me and let another take my place,
But I ask, Oh brother! Where has the love gone,
And to what land has the bond flown,
Have we been separated by time?
Why do we fight ourselves, and kill ourselves?
Why do we waste our destinies and whisk off our future,
I know this hate that now grows on our inside was not in our nature,
So please let us fuse the separation of time,
And bury the discord that now exists in its prime,
For time will always come and go,
But our people, our history, our story and our race will remain forever!

 

WOULD YOU BE THERE?

Would you be there?
When "all is well," becomes "all is in a well,"
To say "I love you my dear",
I'd like you to take a moment,
And reflect on this,
I'd like you to take some time,
And cogitate on this,
'Cos when I'm cruising on the top;
And crawling at the bottom,
When I'm riding on the mountains;
And rotting in the valleys,
In every whether and condition,
In the midst of my sorrowful plights,
And painful nights,
When the sweet turns sour, and better turns bitter,
Through it all and in it all,
I just want to know if you'll be there,
I just wanna know if you'll be standing by my side,
If yes, here, take my hand and let us unite in a life-long bond,
But if no, there's the door, please leave while you can,
So you don't break my heart and tear me apart!

WOULD YOU BE THERE?

You said you loved me,
And I believed you,
You promised you'd be a friend and a lover,
And I didn't doubt you,
You professed your love for me before many,
And I wasn't embarrassed,
But before we walk down the aisle,
Before I make you my soulmate,
I have a question in my heart for you;
Would you be there?
To comfort me,
When my heart lies bare,
Would you be there?
To console me,
When troubles on all side,
I cannot bear,
Would you be there?
When after the glorious days,
Come the gloomy nights,
And sorrow is all there is to share...

THE WORLD WAS SILENT WHEN WE CALLED!

On the shores of peace, in the land of our fatherland we lay,
Sharing laughter peace and joy everyday,
Then they broke into our land, and our peace they seized,
With thundering marches from within, our rest ceased,
In the twilight of a happy dawn, attacked by those into whose hands, our lives entrusted,
Our joy in the twinkling of an eye, was gone,
In the break of a glorious dawn, wounded by those we trusted,
Our unity broken in two, was no longer one,
The sun wailed for our troubles,
The moon cried for our struggles,
But the world was silent when we called,

When the hands of brutality attacked our mortality,
When the bullets of inhumanity shot us into eternity,
When our daugters were rapped and shattered,
And our sons killed and battered,
In the midst of the genocide,
Within the suicide and regicide,
Our hearts bled,
And our tears turned blood, we shed,
We wailed to those to whom we pledged allegiance,
But they responded with negligence,
We called to those with whom we had a commonwealth,
But they responded with a silence similar to death,
The world was silent when we called!

THE SORROWS OF CHILDHOOD, A Novel

One

Where it All Started

      Nights after nights, as we gathered by the fire, in cages; our hands and feet bound in fetters and shackles, we listened with grief, stories our parents told us of how we got to where we are now- the dungeons of slavery. They were sorrowful folklores of how peaceful we lived in the brotherhood of family and communal life, before we were ripped of our freedom. As I lay on my sick bed, well-stricken with age, my life passing away each day, I remember with mixed feelings, life in this turbulent period in history.

     Our forebears used to live in the ancient Nri kingdom, the oldest kingdom in Nigeria , in the Awka area. It was founded in about 900 AD in North-central Igbo land. The Nsukka-Awka-orlu axis is said to be the oldest area of Igbo settlement and therefore homeland of the Igbo people. This ancient kingdom is still considered the cradle of Igbo culture. The Nri people are children of the historical and mythical divine king, Eri( founder of Aguleri of the Umueri clan in the Anambra river valley). It was a center of spirituality, tradition, learning and commerce.

     Yearly sacrifices, like the Iriji ohuru, new yam festivals, which is also known by other names like Iwa-ji were observed on chosen market days to celebrate Ahiajioku, the god of agricultural increase. These occasions attracted people from the neighboring villages, as well as big cities, and also united the kingdom. They also carried out spiritual rites aimed at cleansing the land of evil spirits, and warding off the invasion of these spirits. Some of these rites were carried out to cleanse those who offended Aja-ana, the earth goddess. The Nri people also believed in reincarnation. They believed dead people could come back to life, as babies, and that some evil spirits existed as newly born babies, trees, streams and rivers. Twin births were therefore regarded as Alu, a taboo, hence such babies are usually sent to the evil forest and left to die, in order to cleanse the land, and prevent the wrath of the gods. They thus believed in gods, goddesses, and deities, like; Ayanwu, the sun god, Igwekaala, god of the sky, Amadioha, and Kamalu, gods of thunder and lightning; others included Ikenga, god of fortune and industry, and Agwunsi, the god of divination and healing. These gods had shrines and laws, headed and interpreted by the Dibia, chief priest of the village. The Nri people also had high moral values; young girls were encouraged to remain virgins until marriage. Virginity was every maidens pride, and breaking it before marriage, an abomination.

        More so, the Nri people were agents of peace and harmony, whose influence stretched beyond the Igbo land. Their influence in neighboring lands was especially in southern Igala land and Benin Kingdom in the 12^th to 15^th centuries. As great travelers, they were also business people involved in long distant Trans- Saharan trade. The development and sophistication of this civilization is evident in the bronze castings found in Igbo Ukwu, an area of Nri influence. The Nri people also engaged in farming, hunting and local craftsmanship. They married and conducted marriages in their typical peaceful state as they enjoyed the vast vegetation and fertility, nature blessed them with. The large acres of land, numerous palm trees, Iroko and mahogamy trees, bread fruits, Ukwa and Ube trees, were evidence of nature’s love for the Nris. The land was also a center of commerce, and other villages came to trade with them. There was also a very peaceful and strong relationship between the Nris and the Benins , until the 15^th century, when the Benin kingdom became a threat to them, under the leadership of a powerful monarch. This period began a historical evolution in the existence of the Nri kingdom. But my memories did not begin as I sat in the cold cages of slavery in the Benin kingdom. They began years later, as I lay sickly on my hospital bed, comparing the present situation of Nigeria , to its situation centuries ago, when I was a child.