The alien…
As a little boy then
I would inflate my balloon...
In the moonlight
Hoping some ether within its wall
Would propel it to the moon....
In excitement, i watched it ascend the sky
Suddenly it jerked up and down...
It dropped like a bird being made to bleed
By virtue of a stretched catapult
Then, I couldn’t write nor read
…To suggest freefall as the cause
I dashed into the hut in tears
When I saw an aircraft glide skyward
As if its wheels wouldn’t touch the ground again
All grown up now...
Mother Africa perseveres on
The foreign media still defines
Her territory third world
At each flicker of an eyebrow
And beat of and eardrum
Another unpleasant report breaks some statistic…:
Aids; poverty; illiteracy; underdevelopment
Sickle cell: black mans disease!
My feeble hands tighten its grasp on literacy
For sustaining the dream of being an African scientist:
…that would straighten up the twisted logic
And unwind the strands of fate lined across the DNA
...coding a brighter day for Africa:
A famous equation by same perhaps;
Or his profile leaving an indelible trace
In the science textbook
Being read out in a classroom
Up there in the western world
My ambition veers further:
An alternative axiom
Faster in its approach toward the stars
And efficient in power
To enable man hitch his wagon anywhere in space
It has been projected by some
That Africa is as far from her target
As NASA is, from andromeda
Their noises dampen out on reaching my ears;
Their argument loses its heat
On contact with my skin
In a daydream
Scenes of my childhood days are replayed.
…I was chasing a wild goose
Before my feet got stuck to the ground_
My fellow man had gone extraterrestrial from the same spot!
I swore never to forgive myself:
By chance I end up a victim of the false notion
…hide anything from a Blackman; hide it in a book
Watson and crick once quoted the inferiority of the Black race
Yet it is ironical
The tropical forests
Tilted her canopies
To shield their hall of fame status
Like the ozone…
I would never forget the genocide in Darfur:
Rebel militia wiping out the black population…
Like humans exterminating alien invaders.
Spoils of war tower above their land beds…
As another territory embarks on a space mission simultaneously:
A manned shuttle in search of extraterrestrial beings_
The whole world watching as it engages blastoff_
In an instant, many sighted an object glowing like a burning charcoal
On its approach toward lightening speed...
The mission failed
Engines exploded and the capsules sailed…
Nevertheless lives were being bailed
Though the altitude pronounced a death sentence
On the astronauts...
Meanwhile a space saucer spun across the sky…
Cameras captured a shot of holographic projection;
While satellites transmitted the extraordinary scene
All the way to my TV screen:
The earths probe toward the intelligent side of space
Is bound to fail…
Absolute conquest takes a tug of war
In this case the human race will never win…
Whereas Africa is down there hurting.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A




A Perspective on writing Short Stories Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Build the action and suspense in the story and engage the interest of the reader till the climax. The conclusion or the climax of the story is the right place for you to tie all the loose ends together. The perfect end is like the ribbon that is tied around a gift with great flourish.
Online Writing Tools Make Life Easy
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009If you are planning to use photos to supplement your writing, you will need tools like the photo editor to help you. These tools are quite easy to use and can edit your photos and images in a variety of colors, styles and shapes.
What to Keep in Mind when you write Short Stories Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009While a word count is essential when you write your story online, don’t focus too much on it. It may stunt the story and your natural style of writing. Consider the word count only when you’ve finished the first draft and you are starting to edit it.
What to Avoid when you write a Story Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Online stories are different from news stories. They go beyond just dry rendition of facts and events. Make your stories compelling so that your readers are hooked on to it. They should not only read the story, but be able to visualize it with dazzling clarity - like it was actually happening in front of their eyes.
Tips to Make Online Story Writing Easy
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009When writing your online life story, choose short sentences over long-winded, protracted ones. That helps to speed up the pace of the story. With too many long sentences, the reader might get too bored and feel like giving up half way.
Online Memoir Writing
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009However, even the simplest person may have an interesting story to tell. Therefore, it is a good idea to consider writing a memoir; not only for personal satisfaction, but also as a valuable treasure chest of memories to be left for family and future generations.
The Basics of Writing Online Memoirs
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Plan the layout of your memoir. Consider things like your audience, style of writing, and subject. Make a note of the incidents that you are going to mention and jog your memory by talking to friends and family, reading your personal diaries and looking at your old photos.
Weekly Poems: A Political Poem and More
By: Nicholas Gordon | 08/07/2009A political poem about utopianism, a sad poem, a love poem, a funny poem, a poem about marriage, and a philosophical poem, all drawn from my popular poetry Web site, Poems for Free.
TEN MINUTES PAST FOUR
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 01/07/2009 | PoetryBasically, this poem reveals how a victim of fighting in Darfur drew insight on the intrinsic nature of time. It revolves around three minutes past four on his time piece…the beginning, and the ending of the three-year old war. It also gives a food for thought in respect Africa’s position in the time-line of world affairs.
Aurora
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 29/10/2008 | PoetryFor all the panoramic view, the aurora borealis has in store_ for all the myth surrounding it_ it remains a perfect example of a light phenomenon that is beautiful to watch, inspirational to the mind, and harmless to the ecosystem. This …Mankind would need to learn from in other to perfect his technological systems, which would guarantee against environmental degradation, and widespread ozone depletion at the poles.
Ss
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 27/09/2008 | PoetryThis is The tale of two individuals whose paths met as a result of sickle cell disease… They made it thus far having battled the disease for long :Arben lived to see the day where he would play a major factor in curing Tep(the little kid)of the disease... What could have ended in a tragedy ended in a happy note: Arben already the chief medical officer (free from sickle cell disease) in top medical facility in the village; and Tep leading a healthy and secure life under his care..
The Computer and the Abacus_ are They Any Different …?
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 18/08/2008 | HardwareThe abacus and computer serving the same purpose, and sharing the same underlying principle... although the later is much more complex,powerful and efficient due to its rapid developement in pace with the human civilization...
No Name
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 25/07/2008 | PoetryA BOY STREET HAWKING BENEATH THE BRIDGE. LATER ON,HE WAS MANHANDLED BY AN UNKNOWN OFFICIAL.
No Name
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 25/07/2008 | PoetryAN UNIDENTIFIED BOY STREET HAWKING BENEATH THE BRIDGE. LATER ON,HE WAS MANHANDLED BY AN UNKNOWN OFFICIAL.
It is Aids..
By: NWANOSIKE MICHAEL | 25/07/2008 | PoetryTHE STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION SUFFERED BY 'KATE' DUE TO HER CONTRACTED ILLNESS. THE BIRTH OF HER DAUGHTER AND HER EVENTUAL DEMISE...