"THAT COUNTRY", An inspiring poem you can't afford to miss BY Nwosu Evans Paschal

THAT COUNTRY

A home of steadfast humans

Though some live through their noses

While some live not to die,

Some live as Lazarus


Where is this canoe heading to?

Is it plunging into darkness?

Is it going to die?

Are we going to die with it?

We smell fear in the tides


This canoe had been here

When we sailed alone,

When others built theirs’,

We helped some aboard

To sail them across


Now they have speed boats

They have ships, cruisers

Yet we are still sailing

Slowly, fearfully with hope

In this same canoe.


The heat from the fire in the North

The shouts from the south

The blows from the West

The East is together with the South

Shouting and about to break away

From this canoe


Are we going to make it to the land?

Are we going to sink?

Are we going to kill each other?

Are we going to break and divide?

Or rather just build a big ship

Out of this big canoe


The sharks and whales that guard us

Are hurting us

Though we feed them

Sometimes they hit us

Fight us with the same teeth we bought

For them to destroy our enemies


Yet our captain and the senior crew

Do not caution or scold them

Should we kill them?

Should we punish them?

But we have no teeth and no authority

Though we can use our hands legs

But most times they fail us.


Who will save us?

Where is our savior?

Mohammed!!Jesus!!The gods!!!

Only we can save this canoe

God can save us not without our wish

We know our duty if we listen

Without bias to that light within us.

Some use Mohammed and virgins as alibi

Some use cattle’s safety

Some simple selfishness and greed

Some seek for acceptance and fulfillment


When this canoe sinks

It goes down with us

If only we can reason together

We will even own the ocean

NWOSU OLISAEMEKA EVANS PASCHAL