Epistle Of Episteme: Prologue Poem by Chibueze Oscar Osuji

In talks about wisdom all men claim wise
Orderly beating meadows as do fools
In truth they know not but claim otherwise
As far back-seated students do in schools
For man is ignorant as man is man
Yet all beings he claims to be greater than.

Man, in quest for truth since time historic
Sullen truth been lost deep in time afar
So man butters lies, tells in rhetoric
Each man himself a belying altar;
All darkness for man as love is blind,
The truth of wisdom have been left behind.

Minds have met and minds have exchang'd their wits
To create anew eutopia which turns doom
By the usage by the damn'd and unfits;
One man: Tracer of light; anoth'r trace dark gloom,
Man a builder and destroyer: His own
Causality's law origin: Unknown.

Man hath claim'd to be lover of wisdom
How often have such love been put to prove
The time is ripe enow the time is come;
Man's words: Motionless lies, man's words: Unmove
Lover of wisdom? Men will rather lie
For such love how willingly will he die!

Man and lies jointed in adhesive glue
Hunting for truth in his own irony!
Will such truth ever come true and come due?
Adam's man fail'd us again; agony!
If wisdom key be lost to us and gone
Ignorant key is here for us for one.

Learning is done by man wheth'r strong or mild
His ways be; with old routes or routes refine,
Premature learning 'twill be as a child
Man's learning is earthly; wisdom's divine
'Tis known for man to die ign'rant; unwise
Men argued this; year by year died likewise.

Will mankind find wisdom in leaves from books?
To his eyes come wisdom, science and art
On dog-ear'd pages a curious man looks
And find wisdom a dearly objet d'art,
'Tis not alone in academia's shore,
True wisdom in all things deep in life's core.

Oh wisdom is a lengthen case adjourn
Brief is the life-span for a man to live,
Anon he dies, anon his grave we mourn
His brain doth return to the dust to give;
Ign'rant of the world he left to death's den,
'Fore that time; I'll send epistles by pen.