An Origin-
“We urge the Sudanese army to respect the ceasefire and its conditions to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians. We also call on the international community to intervene and put pressure on the Sudanese army to abide by the terms of the cease-fire.” [CBCN]
There is a firestorm in Khartoum
where bodies kiss the earth in matrimony.
Songs of colored elegy fondle the clouds for
the people who never finish the race,
And for the ones who sprinted for survival
but never get to know what it means.
On this soil, two brothers bound by uniforms
drop the pledge to save a soul: a consecration
of bodies to God for their greed
And an offertory of pain to the people.
The streets are metaphors for dead zones
where we run the temples at the sight of men
dressed in mixed uniforms. machine guns
mounted on their shoulders as an ornament.
Where can we find bread to fill our bodies,
or the clouds to cover our nakedness?
Bullets rained on innocent bodies like snow
on our desecrated skins. the eyes of children
morphed into a wildfire spreading tales of peace.
the voices of mothers are engulfed in heaven.
fathers become lost travelers. their flesh is their
companion as they embark on land that doesn’t
know the names they were once called with.
©Ferdinand
ABOUT THE POET
Ferdinand, Emmanuel Somtochukwu is a young Nigerian poet and essayist. He has written several poems that have brought him to literary scenes and contests such as the Elysian African Poetry Contest which he came out as the fourth runner-up. He is a scholar of language who has a keen interest in arts, humanities, and literature and is also a journalist for LASU Conscience, a media outlet at Lagos State University (LASU). His poems and articles appear in Wingless Dreamer, Eboquills Magazine, Arts Longue magazine, and The Nigerian Voice. He is currently studying English Language at Lagos State University.
