An Eyeful of Neverland.

By Onyeka Chimmuanya

They say I = My People

Well, “My People” have a saying:

Monster’s child may see a monster where Monster’s mother sees her child.

“Invader Zim” photo by oc.image 2021

The God Who Answers By

[a FLASH & a BANG]

Y’all surprised?

Sand in your food, food in your nose, hands over your eyes?

It’s no news. Flies follow Corpse when death arrives.

Fish long for the ocean, unable to see

Your America.

Saint Nicholas demoted, his canon steeped in myth

Elves wielding steeples which double as selfie sticks

Naughty nooses spotted as lawless lowlifes applauded

Marauders breaking gods in a feat of iron and clay;

The Paper, as yet, preserved but the principles have decayed —

Hello! I’m Confusion.

I’ve lost my insular Illusion of diversity, inclusion

Of progress, of statehood, of reason and rhyme

Eyes have been shined, mouths have been cured

of less-than-hopeful ideals, miseducation of heroes

Petering out of pawns over generations of evil.

To be in pain almost all the time

Parents-to-be, left thinking photos a puny fee

For the priceless gift of Olympus,

Grateful to bleed out over lifetimes

to ever so slightly un-parch their seed;

Seeing now, no African or american planted Iroko Tree.

Remove the Mask in view of all — abomination aside

No such thing as over-wise, the world must finally recognize:

See! Monkey does what it decries!

No bones broken despite how blue the bay of pigs

Door opens wide when homeowners seek first admission;

Armed guards and burglar alarms when black people start thinking

Or their tail-light starts blinking

Twice more than allowed, or they voice their thoughts aloud or

Gather ‘round singing of grace & how sweet they find its sound

When one finger brings blood, the whole hand may well hold a knife

When one finger brings oil, it’s not just that one you wipe.

So rend your garments, you morally starving

You people whom crime pays

25 cents a day to raid capital letters and raze Capitol stakes

We wage Third World War over Tw*tter and

Plasma-membrane TV, regurgitate stale talking points we’ve consumed selectively

This, of course, par for a country

(run by criminals fiending for pardons)

whose suspects, too often, are largely in charge and,

*sigh*

what a mess.

In my country, we have a saying:

He who gathers ant-infested firewood should be prepared to dine with lizards.

Insurrection has brought its own stool to your tall tower,

and me I’ve had an eyeful.