OLAJIDE VINCENT AJISE

Olajide

Vincent Ajise

TRUCE II

When I saw you, my elders,

breaking the pericarp of the kola nut

shrouding the riddles of peace

I saw the gate of Troy open, embracing

the idiosyncrasies of the Spartans

I saw Medusa gazing into men’s eyes,

converting them to epitomes of glamour

I saw the god of war --- Ares,

in sheol, eating the feces of ants

I969

When the god of war

called a spell upon our clan,

did our beer-bellied statesmen

break the kola nut of peace?

Did they...?

Rather like a random brewer

they fermented diatribes

& bottled tranquility

in the glory of propaganda.

Then, they, Our messiahs,

bought exile and fled

when the heat from roasted cherubs

scorched the rear of their hair. Cowardice.

Now, they have come again

with their gong of prejudice

claiming to be cognoscenti of our freedom.

Now, they have come again

with thirty pieces of silver

seeking for youths akin to Judas.

Wirra! What is the rationale

behind feeding a god

whose corpse is now revered by worms?

What will be the legacy

of a country whose

foundation is to be built

on the relics of war?

What is freedom

without the existence of a future?

Olajide Vincent Ajise

NIGERIA