Time Ran Out

                                  

 

The world shattered within in my body

And the spirit of the earth

In mirrors of graves sent me

Hurtling through the unknown

Pieces of the elapsing worlds

Of rebirth

 

Ten candles burn in radiant fey

Of storm and stone cakes

Sash and sachet

 

I am a nursery plant

The clay, the seed and the dust

 

I am the lost memory

Kindled by time & recollection

Like enduring a thousand

Tongues of fire in my brain

 

Few minutes ago was

My beginning and the end

Time compressed- zeroed

Split second – no- eternity

And-infinity static - death

Of time and of self- of being

And the illusion of living

At the entrance and exit

In the inertia of transiting time

 

ME - split into a million fireflies

At light speed through a soot- dark

Endless refrigerated tunnels

 

A hungry home, house of starvation

A sharp and splitting,

Hacking headache-Hyperglycaemia

 

The angels, upside-down, trotted

Throttled multiplying in colourless

Cassocks running without feet, cause

Or gaol...surgical gloves in hands

…a motorised stretcher…syringes

and oral – drips…rehydration packets

...late for the spirit...res.u.scitate

 Life became a hesitant ticket

 

Felt them through closed eyes…

Several needles went in and out

   

Staggered across the threshold and fell

 

Body was Celsius of volcano

My ears ringing and pain raged and raved

Overpowering, unbearable and unlimited

Rattled my body; spasm riddled and throbbed

Through with seismic tremor

Liquefying and dissolving my being

 

A soft wet hand like methyl-soaked cotton

Pressed against my forehead and I felt

Generous tears streaming onto my face

Uttered a muffled whimper amidst

Hiccups of breaths: Mummy I’m dying

 

Then a voice spoke:

 

My - only, my companion, the gallant one,

My beloved. Tarry, my traveller.

 Can’t do without you

Shall die if you leave!

 

Niagara of tears fell

A faint whisper tailed off into

The voices multiplying in my head…

Lost the voice… became water-weak

From the feet… was melting into nothingness

 

 …A distant voice... a far call

The 13^th planet...darkness…

 

a strange calm, balm flowed

pleasantly slowly through my body

 …jelly, liquid, air and vacuum…

Still quietness

 

Levitating above the topsy-turvy

Little angels ...children of Crosses and

Crescents trying to save- the invisible

 

Split, two selves of Trinity

 – shouted to them- stop trying-

no- floated to the ceiling and

Became a flower and a candle

 

…the rains and the earth

And Mother Teresa wept

 

Every space became light

And I, lightning, flashed through the void…

The new earth of pure silver sand

And atmosphere of emerald

And rainbow of pure carats

And calm music of the soul

And the laughter of non-being

 

…more tears and multiplications

Of helping, hapless dazzling dashing spirits.

 

Jolted to eruptions of sneezes…

Mum, no seafarer returns

Only a loving mother entrusts

Her Moses to the Pharaoh  

In a world of routine wretched guardians

 

Hunger is our right, love…

The ventriloquists took away

Our voice and gave us

Endless hunger and mirage

 

The last candle flit

And I was the spirit

Of forgetfulness            

            

 

                                           Biodata

Musa Idris Okpanachi, Ph.D. teaches English Linguistics at the Department of English, University of Maiduguri. He has been widely     published. His poems appeared in            Vultures in the Air: Voices from Northern Nigeria (1995), Kunapipi (17(2) 1995 Denmark).. ‘Code of Silence’ (a poem) was broadcast over the BBC (London) Arts and Africa programme, 1995. ‘Daybreak’, his    short story appeared in Gombak Review, 1997, (Malaysia). He was featured in Five Hundred Nigerian Poets vol. 1. His poems appeared in Pregnant Skies (2003), Pyramids (2008). His novel, From the Margins     of Paradise is being printed. Okpanachi is listed in Bernt Lindfors (1990-1997) Black African Literature in English (James Cury) and was published in Presence    Africaine (Paris) 1997. His collection of poems, The Eaters of the Living published in 2007 by Kraftbooks (Ibadan) won the Association of Nigerian Authors/Cadbury Prize for poetry (2008) and was shortlisted for Nigeria Literature Prize (2009).