hiddennuances.com Blog

08.14.08TUFIA!Posted in Social Issues at 7:50 pm by OYALI

Cutlass and gun
lightening and thunder
the last brine drops flow
and voices crack
we inhale the acrid smell
of our burnt flesh
our blood flows the streets
mothers wail
fathers sigh
children gaze ahead
they see nothing
we eat ourselves
to promote peace
our sects say so
TUFIA!

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8 Comments »
Ayoola (administrator) said,

August 19, 2008 at 12:50 am · Edit

Hi and welcome to this blog site.

This poem is thought provoking, “we eat ourselves to promote peace?” Is it a strange religious sect or the predicament of the “brine filled” tragedy dominated Niger-Delta?

Ayoola

OYALI said,

August 19, 2008 at 7:32 pm · Edit

Incidentally, I was not thinking of the Niger-Delta when I wrote the poem. My inspiration was the recurrent religious crises that have been punctuating our history, especially the Kaduna 2000 one. Thanks for your comment. I’ll keep in touch.

OYALI said,

August 19, 2008 at 7:32 pm · Edit

Incidentally, I was not thinking of the Niger-Delta when I wrote the poem. My inspiration was the recurrent religious crises that have been punctuating our history, especially the Kaduna 2000 one. Thanks for your comment. I’ll keep in touch.

OYALI

Administrator said,

August 21, 2008 at 12:33 am · Edit

Hi,

What brought Niger delta to mind was “the last brine drops flow” brine being salt water. Anyway it just shows how a poem may deal with a subject so well that it’s application can be universal to similar situations. The way Niger Delta militants are “cannibalising” (we eat ourselves) each other also focus my mind in that direction.

However, clearly it applies to religious riots and even the Junkun/Tiv crises and the fulani indegene crises of the Plateau state about 2years ago.

Keep posting!

Ayoola

OYALI said,

August 23, 2008 at 4:46 pm · Edit

The ‘brine’ I refer to here is tears. We shed our last tears before we give up the ghost. Anyway, that goes to show how more can be read fron a seemingly simple line of poetry. Thanks for your comments

Administrator said,

August 23, 2008 at 8:54 pm · Edit

I am kicking myself anyway I should have figured out that form of brine.

OYALI said,

August 25, 2008 at 4:18 pm · Edit

I must confess that you are good. Very good. I have not been able to fully surf the site to get your data. My email is uoyali@yahoo.com. Kindly send me yours. Thanks

Administrator said,

August 26, 2008 at 12:04 am · Edit

Thanks for your compliment. I think you are really good yourself and I’m happy to have somebody like you on the site. Let’s build this a community of poetry loving people on this blog to encourage each other.

My e-mail is ayoolaoke@hiddennuances.com.

Ayoola