The Destroyers of Builders - Ekanpou

By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

I sit on the bank of the river everyday like snipe upon water-weeds, no thought held except a void for new thoughts to sprout.
Waters whoosh in the river;
Pellets and shards fly over the void  and the river.
The waters are whooshing;
Towards designated destinations the pellets and shards  fly like suicide bombers.

Pellets and shards flying, waters whooshing...
They are verbal arrows borne of envy and vendetta;
They are verbal stones borne of tribalism and nepotism.

Behind the void two figures emerged.
They are Dr. (h.c.)Tompolo and Dr. Otuaro, the designated destination for the arrows and stones.
 Over the heads of Tompolo and Otuaro, they pass because no bird perches on the head of Akpobirisi tree

Beyond the reach of fish-catchers a slippery Okili fish slips.
Deadly arrows greet Tantita everyday;
Deadly stones  greet Amnesty everyday;
These arrows and stones lose their strength in flight before landing like suicide bombers.
Spent forces they are, standing lonely before the hosannas heaped on Tantita and Amnesty like sandbank.

Mortals  toil daily to darken Tantita;
Mortals toil daily to darken Amnesty;
 The toilers lose their worth and force everyday like deflated balloons.
The deadly arrows and stones are more responsive to the destroyers than the builders.

Dr. (h.c.) Tompolo and Dr. Otuaro are builders.
Over their heads deadly birds and bees only drone without perching.
From where I sit, overlooking the river, the aroma of Tantita announces her ubiquity;
From where I sit, overlooking the river, the aroma of  Amnesty announces her ubiquity;
Yet Tantita and Amnesty are all wordless in announcing their ubiquity.
Right before the builders the destroyers crumble with their deadly arrows and stones.

Words have aligned with silence; 
Only deeds and actions tintinnabulate, telling Tantita's and Amnesty's story in Nigeria.
Right before the builders the destroyers cut themselves into rings like milipedes;
Right before the builders the destroyers are blinded by the radiance of Tantita and Amnesty.

Dr.  Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.