A SECOND SLAVERY

Osemwenoyenmwen Ogbemudia


 

'I'll tell you my story tomorrow' she said

But tomorrow never came

New songs to our lips did it bring

Songs of separation we sang

Songs enforced on us by those more powerful than us

Those who wield power

Naked power

 

With raw awe inspiring muscles

And we opened our mouths and sang

If we had known!

One step taken in the wrong direction calls for more

And we were reduced to slaves

Not to fair skinned gods

But to gods that are black skinned like us

 

And I cry daily

'Black gods are fiercer'

I have become a slave in the hands of my brothers

Who will fight for my freedom?

When the white gods stood up against us

We wound our hands together

And drew strength from one another

But now we are divided

And we fight one another

Drawing blood from one another

Instead of strength

With our hands raised against one another

On the streets the sight of us churns the stomach

And the heart stops in its track

Oh what a gory sight we are!

Our skin drawn

An over - stretched hide on a surface

 

We are mere ghosts of our former selves

And we say where did it all go wrong?

And we say behold animals dressed in human skins

Beasts walking on two legs

Instead of man eating man

Let us say

Animal eating man.