"I Grieve"

A fan of poetry, I wanted to feature the work of Ogbonna Osita Daniel, a young poet who lives in Nigeria and writes under the psyeudonym Daniel Mentor.

The above is the first stanza of his poem, titled “I Grieve,” which he wrote in 2023 on the eve of elections in his country. The poem ultimately encourages voters to make the best choice.

Here's the full poem:

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I grieve for my country, I grieve

Our eyes have seen our ears

We have eaten of our own dung

Is this curse or blindness?

Blindness it must be in part

'tis emptiness we row

Round and round in futility

While aliens occupy the deck

We know not, we see not

This place is horror, I grieve

But I see

For I am the voice of conscience echoing in the mountains

I see it all

The blood of my country men running in rivulets

The chartered bones of carcasses

The men and women lynched in their own farms

The empty schools whose children

now surfer in the jungles of terror

The travelers who give providence their souls

The rich to his plenty, the poor to penury

I see the glory of my country dying

The youths hopeless

Accustomed to accept the terror thankfully

To stay indifferent

To the cruel constituted kleptomaniacs

I see the citizens blinded

Divided along party, tribe and religious inclinations

But there are those who shout in silence

True compatriots, ultimate citizens

Nevertheless relegated

This place is horror, I grieve

We are besieged by cruel constituted kleptomaniacs

Where vultures hover, rottenness lay

I am the voice of hope beckoning to my countrymen

Arise to this revolution

This is the time to jettison tribal and religious loyalty

Cast your stones to the foundation of a new city

The country of our dreams

Unity must equally be sought

And peace measured by equity

Harken to the voice of conscience calling

Be strong O' youths

You are the lifeblood of this country

Unveil the blindfolds and see for yourselves

Hardship knows no religion nor tribe

Arise O' Compatriots

And though we grieve; this country is ours

We must all harken to the voice of conscience calling

This horror, this grief must end

--Daneil Mentor

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SCATTERED LIGHT, a novel, sequel to WINTER LIGHT (Nov. 2025)

THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD a historical novel

BLISS ROAD, a memoir

WINTER LIGHT, a novel

THE WIND THIEF, a novel

GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS, a resource for writers

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