In the days of our fathers...
Ezem?? would have arrived with a white ring around his eyes and a staff with shrieking bells
He would have opened his goatskin bag and extracted the tools of his trade
Tools that would have ended this madness and restored order
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Cowries would have rolled on 'an?'
White, straight lines of 'nzu' would have appeased the red earth
'An?' would have also been drunk with libation and the crimson red blood of giant cockerels
Obese kolanuts would have funneled our prayers into the heavens
And '?f?' would have gone up in supplication to 'Chukwu-Okike', the creator who lives in the heavens yet his long garment grazes the earth
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In the days of our fathers...
The gods would have whispered into Ezem??'s ears
Ezem?? would have untangled the cause of this virulent pestilence
Yes, he would have resolved this macabre riddle and divined the malevolent spirit that has wreaked this carnage
He would have waged war on 'Ekwensu' and procured our redemption
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In the days of our fathers....
The cry of the 'ogene' would have rallied our people
The persuasive voice of the '?ja' would have entreated our 'chi' to keep a watchful eye
The uplifting lyrics of 'mbem' would have lifted our spirits
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In the days of our fathers....
Ezem?? would have fought this cowardly pestilence
This pestilence that has imprisoned us in our 'obi'
This pestilence that snuffs life out of the 'okenye' on the day life is sweetest
This pestilence that came from 'olu', a land from which we are separated by seven rivers and seven seas.
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In the days of our fathers...
Ezem?? would have made it clear that it is possible to walk around the pepper tree but its stem cannot be climbed
He would have won this battle for us
He would have issued handwashing instructions
But the instruction would be for us to wash our hands clean before eating pounded yam at the victory feast
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But the days of our fathers are long gone...
The modern day Ezem?? arrived wearing a white coat
We jubilated as she reached for the contents of her bag
We eagerly waited on her to extract the tools that would redeem us from the clutches of the malevolent spirit
A hand sanitizer emerged and we were admonished not to shake hands with our kinsmen
Indeed, things have fallen apart.
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Osita Abana, March 21, 2020.