Man-made his god
Prayer for the World
“Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges and the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.”
- Rabbi Harold Kushner
And we root our hearts to the earth,
Praying to a god blurred in a decorated portrait.
Blood draped from his garment of geriatric.
If he does what the ivory-skinned says he does,
Perhaps the fables of the ebony night who knew him late,
But chains himself as the owner of this same god,
By reason he left his ancient and chased after another,
In a draped garb of the conquered and terror.
Allah,
God,
Yahweh.
In many tongues, people find names for him,
How he meets them and how they want him identified.
Our grudges are visible in how they treat man-to-man,
Where we kneel to communion with god.
Man-made his god and killed his neighbour,
And call it; this is the way to serve this our god.
Original sin
What are they after, our souls, travelling on the decks of decayed ships crowded in with sallow women and crying babies unable to forget themselves either with the flying fish or with the stars that the masts point out at their tips;
- George Seferis
gods so love the world that they sent out their men,
From across the seas & tributaries in ships.
Who went about & brought them back – children,
Those who are to till God’s earth not –
Until it yields bountiful seeds in & out of season,
To when their usage is over from God’s work.
& he gave them gifts of new names & homes,
Floating them ashore into a land, the Freed-town.
In a place where home is a mirage to live on,
& where they gazes at every face of the deep.
Seeking to live where their language is submerged,
Beneath the sea without a trace of their homes.
The origin of the original sin against our fathers.
John Chinaka Onyeche is a multi-talented writer. He is a poet, essayist and teacher of African History. He has authored numerous chapbooks and full-length collections of poems such as: “Echoes across the Atlantic,” “A Night Tale at the Threshold of Howl,” “We Returned to Kiss the Cross,” “The Broken Fort,” “A Good Day for Tomorrow’s Coming,” “Stateless,” “25 Atonements,” “Chapters of Broken Tale,” and “The Gathering Of Reeds,” (which is scheduled for publication in March, 2024 by Ethel Zine Press), Time & Songs Of The River Men (2024 by warrioresspublishing.com), Symphonies Of Mired Songs (2024 by southernarizonapress.com). His literary prowess has earned him recognition as a Best of Net Nominee 2022, and Pushcart 2023. Beyond his literary pursuits, Chinaka is a devoted husband and loving father of two charming children, Sobeife and Chisimdiri. He hails from Nigeria and primarily writes from the city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Being a graduate of History and Diplomatic Studies from the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, his literary works reflect his academic discipline in that they discuss issues bordering on African history: slavery, colonialism, nationalism, and post-colonialism, with recourse to how they foreground the future of Africa. He can be reached via any of the following media handles: rememberajc.wordpress.com, Facebook at facebook.com/jehovahisgood, Twitter at twitter.com/apostlejohnchin, and Gmail at apostlejohnchinaka@gmail.com. His works and profile can be explored through his linktree handle: https://linktr.ee/Rememberajc.