Forgive Me Poem by CHIGOZIE DANGOL

Mother, how frail your bones are now,
The children you bore before me have all sinned
against you!
I have sinned too,
They made me do,
With their lies and falsehood!

Mother they promised as much I could remember,
Things would be alright and they would never
abandon you!
Mother, so many nights we slept on empty stomach,
Yet they bled you dry!

Why mother, I ask why?
Those strangers who came with their mirrors
And showed them their painted images
Lured them away from your sweet breast
Promised them a future unknown

But mother in all these you kept mute and watched
them plunder you!
I remember brother came into your chambers and
forcefully took fathers treasure!
In all these you still loved and not curse.
For your treasures,
Brother killed brothers and forgot that all was vanity!

I remember the tears at night
How could they? Sons from your womb!
Mother your silence encouraged them and now they
are uncontrollable,
You forgave but I did not forget!

Today, you are wounded and feeble
But now they can't and won't stop
So I resolved to take mine by force
They were deceived but I would avenge
My brothers I would slay one after another
My sin would make them pay.

Mother, can you see the blood on the floor!
My innocent brothers I have slain
Not because I wanted,
I would they rather not believe my promises too.

Today we remember your pain
And tomorrow their pillage would blossom,

Is it right or am I deranged?
But how could they after all these,
Hold their heads up high and say we are sons of the
same womb!

I am lost between my love for you and the bond with
my brothers,
Yet my hands are stained and I would not stay,
Forgive me mother,
But my brothers abandoned and lied to me
Therefore their sins.. My vengeance

If you think I am evil mother,
Forgive me,
My brothers are possessed by the oil gods,
And I can no longer go hungry
Forgive me mother,
But I will kill all of them.

Not only for what they did to you
But for what they intend to do to your unborn son's
and daughters,
If you were still strong,
May be you would reason with them,

Mother, things fell apart,
The centre no longer holds,
Between I and my brothers,
We will sure end it all!