NOT BY POWER
Assuming you’ve read
All the books
In the world
Assuming you’ve been
To all the nooks
In the world
Assuming you have
All the knowledge
In the world
And you have
All the privilege
In the world
And you assume
The place of a god
Seeing every other person
As a worthless fool
And in the end,
You lost your place
In the sight of God
To those souls
You saw as lesser beings
It will be
A hard way
For you to learn right away
That everything you have
That anything you are
Is just a privilege?
From God.

LOOK INWARDS
Forward,
Never backward
Inward
Think always
For what can help you
To always be moving
forward
Can always be found
inwards
Be refined inwards
To be fine out wards

WHERE DO I GO

There is war
In the countryside
People
Were running
Some on foot
Some on bikes
Some on trucks

Some came out
Without clothes atop
Some came out with
Just their mats
Some came out
With
Food for a day
Some came out
With
None at all

Men, women,
Children,
Young and old
Everybody’s running
They’re running
To escape  hurt
They’re running
To escape death

The next village
Caught the fever
And soon
Every where
Was tensed

And again
People
Started running
Everybody
Young and old
This time
They’re not
Running because
Of war
But rather
Rumours of war

But
One woman
Refused to run,
She said
I am not
Running
To anywhere
You can run
To anywhere
Even
Where you’re
Running to
Is death not there?
Everything that lives
Must die some day
My life
Is in the hands
Of God
If my time is come
Let me die.

LIFE IS DEATH

Life’s expensive
Only the rich
Live it with ease

Death is cheap
Death is free

Every body
Can afford it
But   very few
Will touch it
If it had
Been a matter of will

But unfortunately
Very unfortunately

It is tied
To every life

SAME OLD WORLD

The sun
Still rises
And sets
Everyday
On that
Same points of old.

I’ve never
Seen it rise
On The west
North or south
Except the east

Neither
Have I seen it set
On the east
North or south
Except
On the west

Every dawn
Darkness
Gives way
For a new day,

Every dusk,
Daylight
Gives way
For the night
To take over

None stands on
The other’s way
They all obeys
The dictates
Of creation

It rains
It shines
The green
Flourishes
And whiter
In due time

Bats
Still flys
At night
Carnivores
Still feeds
On flesh

None
Has eaten grass
Since
Creation day

I’ve never
Seen sheep
Nor cows
Feed on meat

The earth
Is still
The same
Old earth
Nothing
Has changed
On its own

Only humans
Change
And change
Them

Once Godly
People
Suddenly
Turns evil

Once kind hearted
People,
Suddenly turns
Devouring beasts

Once brotherly
Neigbours
Suddenly turns
Most feared
Foes.

Humans’ change,
But
The sun
Still rises
And sets
Everyday
On that same points
Of old.

AN ECLIPSE NIGHT

Once
On a moonlit
May evening

Everywhere
Suddenly became dark
With only stars
Twinkling on the sky

The moon
Is turning red!

There was
A kind of panic,
Immediately,
Chants rent the air

Christian children
Sang along
The streets

Muslim children
Chant and
Beat their drums

Almajiris
Chant
Their prayer
In front of mosques

There was an atmosphere
Of fear

They said
That God
Is angry
With humanity

Because
There is
Too much bloodshed
On the land

So they must
Pray
They must pray
To appease God

So that
The sun will
Leave the moon
Alone

And the night
Will
Once again
Be free of
Darkness and fear

Some
May laugh
Their heads off

Knowing well
‘Twas just
An eclipse

But they’re
Wrong
While those
Who saw a
Reason

To pray
Are right

Our world
Needs a prayer,

So that light
Will shine
Again

And
Our world
Will be free
Truly free

Free from hatred
Free from deception
Free from greed
Free from ignorance
Free from immorality

Yes,
Free
Free from all the vices
That suddenly
Turns our moon

Red
And make
Our world dark

Yes
Our World
Needs prayer

OWN ENEMY

Disease and
Disaster
Are no longer
The only
Killers of humanity

People now die
Because of
What they believe

While some die
For the reason
Of their
Skin colour

Some die
Because their eyes
Are red

Some die
Because of shibboleth
Some die
For the sound
Of their names,

And some
As well die
Because of their
Political inclination

‘Tis no longer
Disease
And disasters alone
That kills
Humanity

Humanity
Has joined
The army of
It’s enemies
 

Charles Njoku, is an African poet, artist and singer. He has been published throughout Africa. His only western publication thus far has been in Fusebox magazine in a section entitled “Terrorism In Nigeria And Abroad”.
He was born at Odume, a rural town near Enugu in Southeastern Nigeria. He currently is in the recording studio working on his debut album.
Check this space for further details.