echoes of idoto (a poem) by Su’eddie Vershima Agema

Today, in Idoto, a small literary festival is being held in honour of Christopher Okigbo. It is nice to know that poets and artistes find the grace of remembrance. One of the poets there gracing the event isChijioke Amu-nnadi who has kept pouring one new verse after the other on his road to that river, Idoto, self-confessed mother that inspired our Okigbo. I drank of this river, drank of Okigbo, took some amu nnadi too, and a few lines not worthy of any of them came up. Here’s my sharing.

echoes of idoto (a poem)

(inspired on amu nnadi’s wall; a poem in chants for christopher okigbo)

suddenly

From here…

the field grows as sounds bellow
verse echoing
okigbo’s chants

no longer will collected thoughts
stop at few pages
for a lengthening grows
from idoto’s river
as spirits bestride the trove

let the wind whisper words
let the sands salute spirits
let the river renew rites

at heaven’s gate
new verses and old merge
as the rivers flow
testimony to the waters
of that one who now has blessed us all
ending even imagined drought…

From http://sentinelpoetry.org

suddenly
there’s a shrill…
the field grows as sounds bellow
the elephants march
silencing every tertrach
there’s an echo…

and our hearts beat the verse