A Poem by Ejiofor Ugwu

Blood RainWednesday, May 9, 2012.And you got in late,You smelled potatoCrushed and chipsAnd you birchedAnd did you yawn?No, you saw the brimsAnd you looked backAnd then you sawEmpty spacesYou saw crashed piecesOf dead ratsAnd they stared back at youAnd you blinkedAnd left In a daze of that nightThey are here againAnd you can see themAnd then you left in yourMemoryAnd you have seen beyond youAnd you saw it aloneBut they stare at youYou decided to liveAgain – the longAnd the last of allYou saw flies inThe open soresCommuning in thePeace of now,And you killed after-nowYou did not want to see againYou would want themGushed out for the last timeYou knowThey are now spentThey are spent in deadPlacesYou loved them beforeAnd you would wantTo go againYou like the loreOf dancing scarsThe scurrying petalsOf flesh drainedIn yesterdayThen you came backAnd you saw them tooYou saw the treesGrow in the memoriesYou saw the shallowLegs of water liliesYou saw that they areNow naked in the sunAnd you saw their nudityAnd you saw your soulBare and longingFor your real selfThen you left againThey are naked to theirSoul too!You saw the bowels of theAntsYou scurried through the rottenEntrailsAnd you voyaged throughThe recesses of dark claysAnd of strangulated bloodAnd you might evenWant to vomit once againThough you drankFrom the dark springIn the heart of the ritualsYou would need to die,Again-You have seen the spillsAnd you are now onYour rite of passageYou have seen theStraying flesh of broken soulsYou have gone deep in yourHeadBut you would not need To mention the imagesIn your head spinningWith pictures of new artThe new calling in theRite of blood-The blood culture of theThe hot-footing NowYou would not want toMention any – evenTo Edna –as she sat Sprayed in false art –You looked away fromThe restless clitorisYou do not think itShould worth yourself –Your lonely self – Your world, whichYou just want to liveAlone –at least for nowAnd neither did you seeThe sagging beasts-You purposely made this choiceBut she deceived youAnyway –You believed what you sawYou only sawA pair of inflated shamAnd you are okay with itAll the same –And you have told herOnce –She begged you to taste herAnd you tasted andGot drownedAnd that, for you,Should be a matter forAnother you-You are okay with the selfYou have today –You want to live in your worldFor once – the acridSmells of flesh have deadenedYour lobesAnd that is why youAccept the patches ofBlood on the padShe may be getting rebornBut you don’t careThen you came back againAnd you looked at the dealIn the blood stream –The weak nerves curlingSheepishly and begging for mercyWhich you haven’t gotBack since you drankFrom that cupOn that gray moon-“Baby, forgive me for thisLast time, I am dying in mySoul – help me outThis once andYou can even throw me outThrough the holes, mySoul would rememberThat I once loved theWrong soul and I willBe reborn…”She sang and you lookedAway as she drenchedYour lips with wets fromThe deep vents-You saw a mermaid riseBut you looked awayShe lost her wing andGot them back butYou have left againYou have travelled toThe home of yourReligion – Blood!You saw that it makesNo difference if itIs left to dry foreverIn the deserts of savannaOr spilled in the ocean,For you, they areJust the same-There is no differenceAt all-Blood or no blood!And you even wonderWhy you drink itRather than let itSpill and flow forPlants to grow –There it must have beenReborn-And that exactly is yourOwn truth-No matter what they claimTo be theirs –You don’t seem to careAnd you have succeededIn giving your ownDefinition, just likeThey take it that theirsIs the best and nothingElse should surviveAnd you smiled atThemBecause you thoughtThat is the height ofFolly –And you only pity yourMotherAnd you could still seeDark patches of sweatAll over her body asShe struggles to get outOf the wooden houseIn the grave – pushingAnd spitting at theBuilders –long left toRot awayYou pity her because sheOnly strives to leave Her new abode andTry another –And you know within youThat by so doing, she hates all And then you caughtYour depth religionAnd you wish toStart with:When madnessEscapes into the publicDomain andSuddenly you broke the penAnd spilled the inkOn the first letterThat appearedAnd buried it there –For another you© 2012Ejiofor Ugwu lives in Nsukka, Nigeria. He is Poetry Editor for The Muse, a journal of creative and critical writings at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka since 1963, No. 40. His poetry has appeared in the Drumtide magazine, USA, and The Muse.

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