By Ogbonna Nwuke
I haven’t lowered that gaze
Since you set my heart ablaze
An’ lit the tiny lantern
Of hope, joy, grace
It burns,
The tiny lantern burns,
It burns in our heart
Where thoughts of you reside.
In your absence
We sought to enter your presence.
The benefit of a sentence
From the throne of Eminence
Our soul stills await.
Shall our heart remain broken?
Where have you left us to?
When shall you return?
We’ve walked the undulating plain
Down the sandy seashore,
Sought your voice in the wind,
In the clatter of the thunder.
We have walked the hills
Gone down several valleys
Swallowed bitter-sweet pills
In search of a loving arm;
A soothing balm.
Like cattle, set loose to graze
Our appetite for you has grown
Yet, our heart has not lept for joy
Across the land, across the sea
Our eyes haven’t found you
Since your departure
Yet our heart beats for you
When shall your peace return
Dear Shepherd?
We still wait
For the return of your grace;
Return of that bountiful smile;
Which lit the pathway
Upon which we walked
An’ built the engine of praise.
We wait,
For the arrival of the new moon
Knowing you shall return
Someday to our neighborhood.
Our weary feet take us slowly…
Surely unto the path by the turn
Which bore the promise of dawn.
When shall you return
To gather the flock
Dear shepherd?
Struck by rays
Of a gleaming fire,
Which bore witness to our vow
And the testimony of our how,
Our soul stands before the cliff edge.
A nation of nations
Staggers through a deadly storm,
Chased by the fury of smile’s surprise,
But your people show strong promise
Against forces of separation
Despite signs of confusion.
Peeping through the veiled haze,
Which bear the mark of darkness,
We can feel the surging light.
In the distance
Cometh a radiant ray
Across the lingering sky
Draped in colours of the rainbow
Which shall arise
When it is ripe
From the fountains below
To embrace the suns above
