Trauma is a Lullaby in Igbo | Nwodo Chukwu Divine
~ Between 1967 and 1970, over 2 million Igbos were killed in the Nigeria civil war
The bombs tore through nnem oche
leaving her son, daughters scattered
one, my mother,
who lingers near me now
like the murmur of the forest
Igbo spirits come like afterlife ebony
i feel them watch me by the fire
singing to my ears in the voice of nkita
reminding me of the stories
of how to mend a tear in my wrapper
of the brutality
of lost memories
stories fit for honoring the fallen
nnem oche stays with us
War’s refugees sing only of hunger in a minor key,
they search for solace in the ruins of dreams
Fragments of lives shattered,
Yearning for a rest swallowed by bombs
nne nnem oche shielded us with her weathered hands
gave my uncle a smile stretched thin
saved my mother from the vultures circling
taught her the igbo way. the way etched in the map of starvation
though stories are all i have inherited,
never felt the sun on ancestral soil,
only the sting of displacement.
Yet, survival is the greatest birthright,
passed down like heirlooms bought with blood.
And i know i’m theirs for in my blood,
the current of their relentless river runs deep
In nna’s diary,
Aunty Nneamaka hides in the bushes
escaping soldiers searching for young girls
finding refugees
Aunty Adaora, a scar on the right side of her face,
grieves for a life stolen for a table adorned with sorrow
though gone, we gather each evening,
seeking rest in the charred remains
I see Uncle Chigozie, the cracks in his smiles,
there are others whose names rustle in the woods,
some woven in the smoke
Chioma, Uzoama, Ebele, and Nkiru,
their brother, Chibuzo,
Ogochukwu, Nneka, Ndidi, and Kelechi,
spirits watchful upon my sleep,
Shards of a shattered whole,
before the exodus, before the silence.
papa tells me trauma is a lullaby in igbo
i braid palm fronds singing this lullaby
of a people who loved their land
And fought for their people
Words in italics are in the Igbo language.
* nne nnem oche – Great Grandmother
* nnem oche – Grandmother
* nna – father
About the Author:
Nwodo Divine obtained his Bachelor’s degree in English and Literature from the University of Benin, Nigeria. He is the chief editor of Akpata Magazine and also evaluates submissions for the Word’s Faire. Nwodo’s works have been published or are forthcoming on Poetrycolumn, Heavy Feather Review, Bacopa Literary Review, and others. He tweets @chukwudivine_ and is on Facebook @nwodochukwudivine.