— for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
Heavy downpour can only delay the visitor,
After the rain, he must leave.
I am the caged dog at the gate.
They eat the meat I killed,
And throw the bones to me.
They eat the meat I killed,
I eat the bones and laugh at them.
They eat meat and add flesh,
I eat bones and grow strong.
Tomorrow, I’ll be at the gate
When their children return from school.
They’ll come to touch my head
Thinking we’re playing as before.
Nobody should dare say to me
“Don’t bite your pound of flesh”.
Dreams of long ago do not die!
No matter how long he’s caged,
The dog still dreams of faeces.
Caged dog doesn’t bark, it bites!
CHIME JUSTICE NDUBUISI (CJN) hails from Udi in Enugu state, Nigeria. He is a humanist and a poetivist. He is the Poetry Editor at African Crayons. Some of his poems have been published in The Muse, a Journal of Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Nigeria, The African Eyeball Anthology of Poetry, Rhythms of Truth Poetry Anthology, Songs from Unsung Poets Anthology, Lyriversity, and on his Facebook page. In 2016, his poem ‘An Open Letter to God’ was longlisted in the Babishai Niwe Poetry Prize Award Uganda. ‘To Kill An Angel’ is his first published chapbook. He is @legendaryCJN on Instagram and Twitter.
