The archive Serener silences beg our scorch Poem by Tope Omoniyi · 1984 And we grope in mutenessSilenced in the noose of oiled barrels.We are silent, we are dumbObscene winds corrode our silent soulsScars of bodypress usurp sanctuariesOf winepressSerener silences tell our blistered peaceEndgates and bodypresses tell tales of silence. Tope Omoniyi EDITOR’S NOTE Originally […]
The archive The poor souls Poem by Aishatu Umar Wali · 1992 I saw them,On the bumpy, battered, brokenroads,That ghastly, ghostly, gloomy way,With its cracked, curvy, crookedbends,Which send you tumbling to theother world. I saw them,Compacted,In a rickety, rackety, rowdy van,That silly, smelly, stinking cell,Which hoped and danced and made,Some noisy sound,And sang a thousand […]
The archive The victims (For the Bosnian muslims) Poem by Mohammed Garba Bawa · 1993 Torture and terrorThey tasteWithout breakMadness and horrorUnlimitedThey witnessOppression and aggressionThey faceWithout respiteSadness and sorrowThey feelWithout endWill and strengthThey possessYet without armsThey’re helplessOur collective conscience being deadAnd our listening ears now deafJust as our watching eyes close againTheir yells for help […]