By Victor Uzodinma Chukwuma
20. Mournful lullaby
Among the herbs,
Sat a little bird,
Singing a mourning tune,
The one that touches my soul.
My chequered pages it turned,
Streaming in my valleys,
And my hills past
From their captivity
A thud it was gone,
But the memory entangled
In the cobwebs of time,
Kept greasing my skull.
21. Take Heart
Mother, your journey was short
And painful, take heart.
There, orchard of peace and rest,
The angels shall bestow.
Do not bother, you excelled,
The daily fondle before the sudden exit,
Still water the roots of our lives.
That time turned your warm feet cold,
And your good heart taken from us,
Should not fill you with tears,
For places beyond need no swollen eyes,
But sparkling stars.
Worry not, your purification now over,
Your place is beside stainless angels,
And your spirit will a guardian angel be.
Victor Chukwuma, Professor of Physics, renowned for his immense contribution to the development of Astronomy and Space Science in Nigeria, is a Fellow of the Astronomical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Physics.