Songs of Anisha
“Precipice,”
by Nduka Echezonachukwu
The woman in black says her life
is a bottle uncorked by force.
Her scarf is an almanac of obsequies
tied to forestall memories.
She is both blood and poison praying
for a democracy that feeds on human flesh.
“Loss Or No Loss,”
by Emmanuel Sigauke
It’s possible to lose
What you protect too much
There never is a guarantee
That what you protect is your protectorate.
Walk now –
Go out there
Breathe the fresh – perhaps not – air
Of this mute town.
But to reason on protectorates
Disrobing your roles now
Will not be the best way
To show that you reason.
You reason best when you stroke
Reality at the core – seek truth
Then like pervasive cicadas
Sing for the shock of a new day.
Embrace the shock
Dance with the shock
Cock the guns of your courage
And wake up, bruise the knee
In partnership, peruse, then read the day.
It’s possible to lose
What you don’t protect much
As there is guarantee
That what you don’t protect is your protectorate.
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