THRESHOLD OF NOTHINGNESS

He stood still

Trembling in the night

A threshold

Of nothingness

A black face

Washed with sweat

Tanned by the sun

Agleam in moonlight.

Palm frond

Twisted between

Quavering lips

A mockery

Of warriorhood

A tale of strangers

With skin of nzu

And abominable betrayals

Of the calabash

Of the kindred spirits.

His body shook

For fear stood

With him.

Why?

Cried his mind.

His uncle?

Abomination!

Strength fled

His being

And his body

Paid fear

With chills

As his knees

Like drained saplings

Bent to kiss

The earth.

He tried to stand

But the hut

Began to spin

Again the knees

Greeted the earth

And his shackles

Bit deeply

Into his ankles.

How long now

2 , 4 ?6 moons?

The stench of his fear

Made brother

To his excrement

Keyed his senses

As nausea

Like a tempest

Welled up in him.

His arms

Across his chest

Met in a hug.

With head bowed

In conquered submission

The amulet bands

Hugging his arms

Watched

In serpentine impotence

A warrior subdued

He awaited the cockcrow

Into

An unknown world

A fate

Worse than Osu!

SMILE AWAY THE PAINS

Though gray streaks of sorrow

Permeate our hearts

Today we shall roll our carts

Before the sun be blue, we?ll borrow

Sunbeams to shine our smile

And away with all the terrible bile

Of regrets and pains

That pierce so deep

Like the rains

Of tiny needles

On our hearts.

Away with all the night sprites

That haunt our bedsides when we sleep

And fill our minds with frights.

The sunshine has been drawn!

Smile for our new dawn

Of great hopes,

Away from the mires

Of depression bathing the fires

Of unhappiness and despairs

That bind our beings like ropes?