September 15th, 2025
by Sandra Paul
We were once boys,
Running wild beneath the Udala tree,
In a country branded red, green, and black,
Gleaming bright as half of a yellow sun.
Then the blood came—
Splattered across the land,
Vultures circling gory sights,
Rifles, bullets, daggers
Forced into hands
That once knew only the sour taste of Udala.
It rained in '67—
Blood and tears mingling with the earth,
And beneath the Udala tree,
We buried our dead—
Men who were once boys.
About the Poet
Sandra Paul resides in Abuja, Nigeria.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Sandra Paul's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Comet #6,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in Nigeria Poetry Magazine:
Gọlugọ: The Mudskipper
by Sheriff Olanweraju
Nigeria Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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