Strike Not Jide Poem by Ekwueme Kelechi

Before you strike the last stab
Remember our years of love in Upendi
Forget not the curvy face of the day
In delight of our meeting
The first time we met

Jide, remember all your strikes on me
Which I carefully nurtured
Into those duplicates of ours
Reject the cloth of that man
That boasted of the demise of his found rib hanged on the wall

Let the wind of my speech appease your heart
That the innocency on my face
Rage not
And be nicknamed
The skin of my lips

Ji-i-i-d-d-e, so it pleased thy heart
That I partake on this forced journey
A journey that has not my permission
I never deserved it
But my humble eyes shall bow to thy fortitude

(c)EKWUEME KC