On a voyage,
He had gone,
The town awaits his arrival,
Pestilence and sicknesses,
Have taken their seats in their midst,
Havoc and misfortune,
Are their guests on each day,
The atmosphere is tensed,
Darkness looms over the town,
Their priests can attest to it,
They claim to feel it and see it,
As thick as the clouds,
They say it is,
A higher power,
A higher authority,
They say can only mediate for them,
Can only atone for them,
Each day,
Crying and wailing,
Come from each home,
Fear and panic,
Have stolen their hearts,
No one knows who will be visited next,
Death toll is on the rise,
Children and adults snatched away,
When will he come?
What has caused his delay?
Is he lost in the land of the spirit?
He said,
He has lost strength and power,
And needs to go and fellowship,
To commune with the lords supreme,
Have they debared him from coming?
The king summons the priests,
To inquire and know what has befallen him,
The people await outside,
Their homes are no longer safe,
The wizard was late,
He comes out of the blues,
His visage transformed,
His face shining like the sun,
The people heave a sigh of relief,
Help has come for them,
A solution has come
for their many troubles,
How about the lost?
Can they be brought back?
Can they town wear back its former glory?
These answers they await.
Thompson I. Emate is a graduate of University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. His keen interest in creative writing particularly prose and poetry has seen him spend most of his leisure time writing these two. He has his poems,”Foot Soldier” and “Lilies” published in a youth magazine.He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.