Ode to the Elders
A Poetic Collection By Melekwe Anthony
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Swimming Up I have seen trees grow and boats roll Fleeing home while walking slow Whether our sun shines or our men die One truth about time will always rhyme Zig-Zag, Zig-Zag. The second you stop, the horrors imbibe. Zig-Zig, Zig-Zag When the ghosts come calling, I will clutch my prize. As we crave passage through walls Standing fewer than a herd of sons Without roof, windows or doors, the blood stains of our warriors sing on; Zig-Zag, Zig Zag These crumps worth fighting for and fastings ended in blood. Zig-Zag Zig-Zag All the last survivors hum. Spinning Lights Have you danced yet? To a burning pyre? Under moonlit skies and adoring eyes Singing tunes of soulful lies Drowning out your neighbor’s cries. Have you seen Mountains? Towering high In unspoken pride to echoes of worship and bitter sighs? Amidst reigns of vivid signs Isn’t tyranny the pleasure of kings? Doesn’t your knee itch for necks to hold still? Under dark whisper-less nights, dead men step aside. These lights were not bred or demanded. They fall on lilies and roaches untested. Peasants crawling low while queens shuffle on thrones. No one can claim the tide. Freely given, quickly taken. In this company of flies, only maggots will thrive, UNDER ONE ROOF Clay pots break when shadows fall On a mission for devotion, all his enemies will burn For country without mercy, fighting on we make our history. Coming so in this testament of song, for all the chieftains we’ve lost. This legend of our small roots live on, dinning happily in the memory of kin to come In mystery as creed brothers chime on – “We follow orders without question or they will cut off our tongues.” None of them will see the demons we saw or miss the brothers we mourn. For the lives we took and ours we gave, these fruits will bear fruits.
Melekwe Anthony, an accomplished journalist, has made a resounding impact with his captivating feature articles published across three continents. His extraordinary works have graced the prestigious pages of renowned publications such as Adelaide Literary Magazine, Pride Magazine, The Yard, Dark Moon Digest, the Hindu College Gazette, Dead Talk Live USA, and Multiplicity Magazine.