


































At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  1 

 

 

 
 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 2 

 

 

 

At 

 SUNSET 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ifeoma Odinye 
 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  3 

 

First published in Nigeria in 2018 by 
Arise and Shine Press, 

6 C.M.O. Shopping Complex, Regina Ceali Road, 

Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. 

08067561837, 08066671534. 

 

 

ISBN: 978-978-971-041-6 

 

 

Copyright © Ifeoma Odinye 

 

Telephone: 08032617858 

 
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in 

any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, 

photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior 

permission of the copyright owner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 4 

Dedication 
 

 

 

For the voiceless and defenseless 

With whom and for whom 

I became a poet 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  5 

 

Introductory Quote 
 

 

There will never be a first-rate poet or a 

first-rate critic who lacks a first-rate 

ear; and no one will ever acquire a first-

rate ear without working for it… 

Poetry, alas, like painting and music, is 

an art- it is not a form of happy self-

indulgence; and to master an art or even 

understand it, one has to labor with all 

of one’s mind and with at least a part of 

one’s body. 

                

  (Yvor Winters, The Function of Criticism) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 6 

Preface 
 

This collection has been written for everyone; teachers, 

students and all lovers of poetry. In writing poetry, I 

have fairly adopted a unique style consistently laced 

with deep meanings, personification and strong 

imagery. The poems in this collection are simple and 

in some ways clouded by hazy thinking and fuzzy 

rhetoric. It is lively, engrossing, thought provoking and 

alluring. The individual poems demonstrate my 

personal emotions, involvement and love of the 

creative art! 

 

At Sunset articulates and encapsulates the rigorous 

challenges facing Africa and different societies of the 

world today. It voices a resounding call for a new 

generation of morally conscious individuals to 

embrace their challenges and positively change our 

mundane world. In At Sunset, I rattled the world’s 

challenges with a deep sense of passion. This 

collection also contains the award winning poem in the 

2018 Annual EWC International Poetry Competition, 

‘Zion’s Zest’ which clearly captures the contrived 

human insensitivity over human existence. 

 

I have – though very carefully spoken for the voiceless 

and defenseless. At Sunset is set to rekindle a 

consciousness for self-reflection and world liberation. 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  7 

Contents 

 
Dedication                                                                   3 

                   

Introductory quote                                                      4       

 

Preface                                                                        5 

                                                                          

  

 

 

Woes of my Land                                        10 
 

Before Sunset               11 

 

The Sunken                                                               12 

 

Zion’s Zest                                                                14 

 

The Second Coming                                                 16 

 

Martyrs                                                                      18 

 

Afra my Afra                                                             20 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 8 

 

Songs of Childhood Memories                  20 
 

Memories (Nostalgia)                                               23 

 

Epigram on a Girl                                                     24              

 

Early Morning Melancholy                                       25 

 

Songs of a Simpleton                                                26 

 

 

Songs of Reflection                                     28 

 
In the Dark                                                                29              

 

Mystery                                                                     31 

 
The Fool                                                                    32 

 

My Dream                                                                 33 

 

Reflection                                                                  34 

 

The Waste Land                                                        35 

 

Madness                                                                    36 

 

I am                                                                           38 

 

Freedom                                                                    39 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  9 

 

 

 

Woes of Man                                               40 
 

Scars of the Mind                                                     41 

 

On bended Knees                                                     44 

 

Solitude                                                                    45 

 

Deceit                                                                       46 

 

A Phone Call                                                            48 

 

Confusion                                                                 50 

 

A Valediction to Dolly                                             51 

 

 

Songs of Liberation                                    53 

 
Now’s the Time                                                       54 

 
Xenophobia                                                             56 

 

Zenophobia                                                             58 

 

The Voice                                                                61 

 

The Poet Said                                                          62 

 

Arise                                                                        63 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 10 

 

The Dance                                                        66 

Accolades                                                         68 

 

Sunset in Afra                                                   70 

 

To my Country                                                 71 

 

Sweet Spirit                                                      73 

 

Dread at Dusk                                                   75 

 

My Song                                                           77 

 

 

Songs of Hope                                       79 
 

Hope                                                                  80 

 

Echoes                                                               81 

 

Sacrifice                                                             82 

 

Flag of Dawn                                                     83 

 

Vows                                                                  85 

 

No More Trembling                                           87 

 

Exultation                                                           88 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  11 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Woes of my Land) 
 

 

The land is mute now 

With none to put new songs 

To our lips and our voices grow hoarse 

So let us listen to songs of today 

 

 

Ezenwa-Ohaeto 

 

“A Kind of Songs”- Songs of a Traveller 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 12 

 

 
Before sunset  

 

Before sunset, poetry births words 

Words formed from squeezed and weathered faces 

Wrinkled by life’s unsteady visions 

Drifting high and low, Low and High.  

 

 

Before sunset, poverty kissed many lips 

Lips that once kissed princes and princesses 

In high towered embellished houses 

Moving up and down, down and up. 

 

 

Before sunset, birds remained silent 

The silence that awakened the owl  

In the mid-day under a scorching sun  

Shining bright and hot, hot and bright. 

 

 

Before sunset, people embarked on a pacing chase 

A game of luck, a game of chance 

In the world’s driest part and plain 

Humbled by hunger, thirst and want 

Want of food 

Want of money 

Want of water  

Want of shelter 

Want of want. 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  13 

 

 

 

The Sunken  

 

We are the sunken 

We are the stuffed children 

Leaning on an empty column 

Paralyzed legs infested with poliomyelitis 

  

 

 

We are the sunken 

Once, leaning on a fence with nice big slats 

And space around, so free and roomy 

Legs well-guarded, fixed firmly on the surface 

Waiting for a falling star! 

 

 

 

We are the Sunken 

Echoing together Thomas Hardy’s Natures 

Questioning 

Questioning the moonlight that once sprayed 

happiness on eager faces  

Sun that brightened the face after a mid-night’s 

sorrowful pangs! 

 

 

 

Tell me where all past years are, 

Or who cleft the devil’s foot, 

And kissed the Angel’s forehead like Judas Iscariot? 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 14 

 

 

The Sunken  

 

Tell me, I say, tell me 

Tell me why weathered faces stare with visionless 

vision 

Tell me why frail men turned gods over night 

Unleashing fire and brimstone on earth’s sojourners? 

 

 

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think; 

This is strange, falling like dews upon many 

generations 

When men survive only to await tomb’s silent 

embrace! 

Tell me, I say tell me 

What then God were to such men? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  15 

Zion’s Zest  

 

In the hollow of earth’s arms,  

I share the open secret of life’s misery 

The lurking secrets of my generation 

Sprayed and scented on the blue airy surface 

Which only time and time could tell 

The wagging tales of pains and gains 

The twisted tales of clans and wars 

Tales of cows and colony! 

Tales of lies and deceit! 

 

 

 

Under the canopy of earth’s balled frame, 

I will not keep silent! 

For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent! 

Until priests, kings and conquerors bring their palms to 

be read! 

Palms smeared with blood and water 

In pretense or in one communion! 

Touching heads; round heads fixed in square shaped 

helmets 

Bowed in painful ecstasy ready for the unguarded 

hour! 

Hour of fear and pain! 

Hour of dreaded evil and death! 

 

 

 

Turning and turning in the earth’s widening gyre, the 

ancient path departs 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 16 

Zion’s Zest  

 

Leaving the falcons and falconers without a guide 

Things fall apart, the earth cannot conceal 

The falcon’s tale of untold pains 

Tales laden with death tolls unnamed and untamed! 

Tales of lost vegetation! 

Tales of sights and sounds! 

 

 

 

In Earth’s womb the chord forms tight strings on fetus 

neck  

Lurking and waiting 

Lurking and waiting 

Earth’s new born in blood-red and coloured water 

Crying, as they strike the chords with unguided palms 

Palms that bath newborns with acid water 

Straight from the earth’s scooped bowel 

Burning and burning in endless circles. 

 

 

 

Today, I cry for earth’s unchanging woes 

Woes of yesterday! 

Woes of today! 

Woes of tomorrow! 

Woes of Dreams! 

Dreams of Zion! 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  17 

 

The Second Coming  

 

 

I listened to the wild cry,  

The wild cry that heralded the second coming of a 

hero 

A hero born to fulfill a destiny, 

A destiny swept under the carpet for decades! 

 

 

 

I listened to the wild cry  

My heart bled once again! 

Oh, how dreams quenched,  

And unity broken by divided hearts! 
 

A hero came the first time,  

And he was silenced 

And sabotaged by his kinsmen 

Who accepted the pythons as friends 

The ones that wrapped around them  in python-like 

death  

And lured them to join in the python dance. 

The dance that flung them to the ground. 

Despised and silenced! 

 

 

In the first coming, 

Thousands were killed on the hero’s soil 

Perhaps millions under avarice, hatred and 

wickedness! 

The hero was hushed and blamed for the woes of the 

land. 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 18 

The Second Coming  

 

The death of proud sons, women and children caused 

more pain 

And the hero became an outcast in his own land. 

 

 

 

Again, I listened to the wild cry,  

The wild cry that heralded the second coming of a 

hero; 

Chants of sorrow here! 

Chants of sorrow there! 

Who knows the fate of the hero this time? 

 

 

 

Chants of sorrow everywhere! 

The people live in forced obedience, 

Under a forced marriage cloned by the colonizers. 

A marriage between the beauty and the beast. 

A proud beast without a living conscience or soul. 

The beast tortured the beauty and stirred up more pain 

and hatred. 

Lingering and still lingering for decades! 

 

 

No hope 

No joy 

No freedom 

No destination 

Only death, death and death! 

Patiently waiting for the second coming! 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  19 

 

 

Martyrs  

 

 

Martyrs young and fresh as flowers 

Tender and soft in sunlight’s beaming gaze 

Hatched untimely by the lopsided gaits of untamed 

hooligans 

Who live in deserted neighbourhood marred with dust 

and rocks 

Neighbourhood smeared with cow dung and rafters 

And awakened by the muuus of the cows! 

 

 

 

Martyrs old and weary as the earth’s wounded surface 

Winkled and dry in history’s untold tales 

Pained by life’s thoughtless rhythms 

Rhythms of the lost 

Rhythms of the weak 

Rhythms of sight! 

 

 

 

Martyrs young and old cheated of nature’s free gifts 

Gifts of life 

Gifts of choice 

Gifts of oneness 

In zoo cloned regions divided by clans and traits  

Subdued under the native conquerors’ greed 

Under the silent watching eyes of unseen herdsmen 

killers 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 20 

Martyrs  

 

Who cut and kill, kill and cut in distant Green lands 

Green lands littered with the butchered bodies of 

field’s friends. 

 

 

Friends, both old and new 

Young and old 

Single and married 

Men and women 

Boys and girls 

Children and pregnant mothers 

Whose blood flows in ceaseless pain and rage 

Pain of agony 

Agony of a butchered people 

Silenced in the sands of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  21 

 

Afra my Afra  

  

 

Afra my Afra 

Afra of proud warriors in green land fields 

Afra of which my father chants  

On the soil of distant lands 

Your spirit resonates in me 

Your beautiful spirit that echoes the dying wishes of 

old 

Rekindled by scorned hatred, jealousy and brutality 

The scorn of your people! 

The brutality of your people! 

The people of your blood! 

 

 

 

Afra, tell me Afra 

Is the oppressor’s hand stronger than your Amadioha 

iron hand? 

The hand that crafts metals and irons in ancient cities 

of Afra! 

This hand which threw Amalinze the cat on the ground 

in swift bravery! 

This hand which fed hungry thousands in war ravaged 

lands! 

The land of great heroes 

The heroes of Afra 

Afra of the Rising Sun! 

 

 

But in the midst of unarticulated thoughts 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 22 

Afra my Afra  

 

A firm voice awakens my troubled spirit; 

Child of the Rising sun, that spirit pure and brave 

Though hushed, is courageous and untamed 

Like the air which cannot be caged in a container! 

That is the spirit of Afra! 

Afra of old 

Afra of now 

Afra of the future 

Springing up patiently in the hard unwatered soil of 

Afra! 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  23 

 
 
 
 

       (Songs of Childhood Memories) 
 

 

But that was when the general was a boy 

When the old path beneath the breadfruit tree 

              Led to the wonder of the aerial zone 

                 The general is a man he is now a man 

 

 

 

                                Chimalum Nwankwo 

 

 

“AFTER: For the Burnt Out Taper in the Ivory 

Tower”-Towards the Aerial Zone 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 24 

Memories (Nostalgia)  

 

 

One picture, just one more to create the world I once 

cherished 

The faces I once admired under the shades of Udala 

tree 

Where Udala children gather in rustic fields of green 

leaves. 

 

 

 
 

We stooped and looked through the clustered leaves 

Necks bent backwards; eyes fixed in upward search 

Against the noon-day glare patiently waiting for the 

Spirit of Udala 

The gentle spirit that drops Udala balls in odd hours of 

the mornings and noon. 

 

 

 

Unexpected, the Udala balls fall like the muddling 

sounds of pestle and mortar 

Gracing the hard surface of brown and green. 
 

All looked and scampered upraised beneath the giant 

Udala tree 

Where devotees cluster with search illuminated faces 

Faces that meet faces; devoutest friends of Udala fruit 

Far from home; not far from home! 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  25 

 

Epigram on a Girl  

 

 

She is a girl! 

A very lovely maiden!  

Sweet and tender 

Gentle and innocent  

Under natures reign! 

 

 

 

While in the house 

While on the road 

She becomes a prey 

And needs help amid the mighty flood of mortals’ ill 

doings! 

 

 

With copious grief, 

She mourns as her pride is stolen! 

Still with watery eyes,  

She succumbs to passion devoid of love, 

And shows her grief in the secret locket of her failing 

heart. 

And screws up her hypocritical face as if nothing 

happened. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 26 

Early Morning Melancholy  

 

 

I caught this morning’s gaze of daylight   

Underneath a deep shady tree of sadness. 

 

 

 

I lay sunken under the breath of morn, 

Still and silent as if calamity had just begun! 

 

 

 

I listened to the beats of my heart 

And felt a cruel pain that bended my neck. 

 

 

 

I pressed one hand on the aching spot 

And wished sorrow had no name. 

 

 

 

This passion lifted me upon my feet, 

And made me struggle for life. 

 

 

 

On that very spot of the earth 

Where melancholy struck in the morn! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  27 

 

Songs of a Simpleton  

 

 

Strike the chord and let my muse flow 

From the dawn of history 

To this present day! 

 

 

What is life? 

Why do men love evil more than good? 

Past years ago, 

These are questions illumined by me, 

A mere simpleton!  

Who has spent most of his life in the dark of the earth 

Alone and forlorn! 

 

 

And now my brother, it is time 

To tell the story of a crime 

As black as the dark night. 

Though secret, yet with copious anguish I grieve. 

When in sweet prime 

My noble lady goes. 

 

 

Fear or sorrow,  

I have no power to sing 

Sadness or pain, 

I cannot bring the pleasure of past years. 

I am on the cold hills side 

Now purple with love’s wound. 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 28 

Songs of a Simpleton  

 

I still hear the thousand footsteps 

That raped my noble lady 

And cut short her breath in the rising morn! 

There, they laid her in the dirt; 

And buried her alive in the mud. 

Near the dark deserted house in the farm! 

 

 

 

My noble lady has passed away  

In the silence of the morning. 

She now sleeps in silence 

Where slumber does not weary the dead! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  29 

 

(Songs of Reflection) 
 

 

If my scarlet sorrow should impale you 

Where you walk silent across the field 

If my purple laughter had faded 

And the fractured moon, in the aftermath should 

Stagger 

If this my voice be muted 

Before the festival of the flutes  

                             Let the song still be sung 

                                   In your heart 

                             Let the song still be sung 

                                    When lights are out 

For the agonies of a generation are measured. 

 

 

Obiora Udechukwu 

 

“Prelude”-What the madman Said 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 30 

In the Dark  

 

 

In the dark, I can see a tiny dot of light at the end of the 

tunnel 

Where I lay squeezed underneath a stone buried; 

The steep cutting rigid and rough upon my skin. 

 

 

 

In the dark, my mind has withered from the squeeze  

Alone, I palely wait for nature’s quest 

No birds sing! No flowers bloom! 

 

 

 

In the dark, darkness lulled me asleep, 

And there I dreamed- 

The latest dream I ever had in the darkest side of the 

tunnel. 

 

 

 

I saw pale youths, death pale youths everywhere 

They cried-‘we need change!’ 

I saw their starved lips sealed with threats 

Threats of hunger! Threats of death! 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  31 

 

In the Dark  

 

Again I saw a figure with a conqueror’s gaze 

And sure in strange language he said to the pale 

stricken youths- 

‘You are all stars! You are the future! The future of 

tomorrow! 

Waiting to catch a falling star!’ 

 

 

 

The figure said, ‘go and catch a falling star! 

Get up and catch a falling star !’ 

Since yesterday, the star continues to fall! 

The pale youths continue to wait! 

Hand stretched towards the airy space. 

 

 

 

I saw the figure’s stern look 

I saw his horrid warning, 

I saw the pale youths’ tight lips in the gloam-darkness, 

Gapping wide in utmost dismay 

And I awoke, and found me still in the dark 

In the darkest part of the tunnel 

Where I see the moon palely loitering. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 32 

 

Mystery  

 

 

Between the sun and moon, 

Between the day and night, 

Between the sky and sea, 

Mystery is formed in the pulse of hearts! 

Witnessed by freighted faces and lips 

Under thrones which draw men to weave the web of 

mystery 

Till heart, body and life freeze into nothingness! 

Nothingness, absolute nothingness! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  33 

 

The Fool  

 

 

The fool said no sense, said no sense 

He said no sense! 

Tired men chase money all day long 

And neglect their health every day! 

 

 

 

Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense! 

The fat slob of a fool said, nonsense! 

There is no sense in much chase! 

There is no sense in nonsense! 

 

 

 

Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense! 

There is no sense in nonsense! 

But in every nonsense; there is sense! 

Make no mistake; there is sense. 

In every mistake, there is take. 

Take it or leave it, 

The fool has spoken! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 34 

 

My Dream   

 

 

Seven years ago I dreamt of a golden city 

A baby golden city, from Utopia town; 

But the noxious huge bug squashed its buildings to 

dust! 

The city became naked and dumb! 

And the spaces became void and ugly! 

A loud and gentle voice echoes; 

Beware of the bugs, my son beware! 

Their jaws bite, their claws catch! 

Beware of the scorpions, and shun  

Every slimy creepy creature!’ 

Beware! Beware!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  35 

 

 

Reflection    

 

 

A little joy here, 

A little pain there, 

Life rolls! 

 

 

 

Like the seasons, 

Life is also flavoured! 

 

 

 

Each wound is perfect for the body! 

Happiness blossoms from time to time, 

Leaving pain to guide its steps; 

And plant its seeds on life’s land under mourning. 

When joy can sweetly flow in the prime of earliest 

youth. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 36 

 

The Waste Land   

 

 

Blasted lay that land, 

We are proud of! 

 

 

Nice weather, 

Wise men, 

Nice people, 

A plenteous crop on green land vegetation! 

Wise talk of a kind! 

 

 

 

Now lay desolate the land which once harbored 

civilized minds, 

And watered the ground with the finest oil. 

The land now lay scorned with spluttering, hateful and 

impotent end. 

 

 

 

Now, not a plenteous crop grace the land, 

Only poverty, scarcity and animosity push hard across 

the sand of time! 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  37 

 

 

Madness  

 

 

The mad man said, 

There is a strain of madness in every man! 

 

 

 

We are all mad men! 

We are all mad men! 

A minute madness, 

An hour madness, 

An endless madness! 

 

 

 

We are all mad men! 

We are all mad men! 

Walking about the streets  

Head filled with unguarded thoughts, 

Mouth filled with speeches! 

 

 

 

We are all mad men! 

We are all mad men! 

Mumbling toothlessly in and out 

With naked foot stalking in different directions 

Busily seeking a continual change. 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 38 

 

Madness  

 

We are all mad men! 

We are all mad men! 

We are all mad creatures learned and unlearned 

Gentle, tame and meek 

But sometimes put ourselves in danger. 

 

 

 

We flee from ourselves and sometimes did seek 

ourselves. 

Now we’ve become wild and do not remember 

That the sun steams on the roofs where 

Rain has once sprayed! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  39 

 

1AM   

 

 

I am spirit, soul and body 

 

I am blood, flesh and water 

 

I am emotion, feelings and passion 

 

I am drunk with yesterday’s woes that I seem to stand  

upon a shaky ground 

 

Because the past has passed away and the future is  

staggering 

 

Today is standing still and the future is a serious matter 

 

Because I am bare, speechless and numb! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 40 

 

Freedom  

 

 

Freedom, freedom, where is freedom?  

 

The prisoner points to the guard 

 

The guard points to the boss 

 

The boss points to his master 

 

The master points to the heavens 

 

And said, 

 

This world is a haunting place! 

 

No one is free! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  41 

 

  

 

 (Woes of Man) 

 

 
Yes! My heart is withered 

The tremors have dropped from my caresses 

And my passions are spirited now 

As abandoned lumber. 

 

 

Chinweizu 

 

 

“Spring Memories”-Energy of Crisis and Other 

Poems. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 42 

 

 

Scars of the Mind  

 

 

We will fight! 

Once again, I say,  

We will fight, 

When they least expect it! 

 

 

 

The scars of rape 

Over our minds and body 

Like red-hot arrows on the chest 

Have finished us! 

 

 

 

We are the incubators of the future, 

Great girls of innocence; 

Subjected to man-made torture 

Under the full glare of sunlight gaze! 

Under the darkened clouds of the sky! 

 

 

 

We are the young pure maidens, 

Young lovely maidens 

Whose innocence has been pulled to the mud 

Among reedy rascals!  

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  43 

 

 

 

Scars of the Mind  

 

United in vision, 

We will respond with the flames burning in our 

hearts! 

Yellow, blue and red flames! 

 

 

 

The past is burning us with red-hot flames! 

The future is steaming with red-red flames! 

And the smell of flames hit our nostrils with passion!  

 

 

 

A child- a girl in her zero year 

So brief her presence on earth 

Is consumed in an unwholesome flame;  

Which the middle aged maidens dread! 

 

 

 

Young lass in her prime, 

Consumed within the infernos of home and streets 

Crying each minute in a broken monody. 

 

 

 

A woman clutched tightly around the neck 

As flames waves distil her body. 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 44 

Sinking recklessly in the guarded flames! 

 

 

Scars of the Mind  

 

We are now lost in the flames! 

We cannot keep silent 

And allow the prodigal take our best portion 

And return with the wicked-slit of his tongue 

To placate our raging mind! 

 

 

 

Nowadays, we grow out 

Abandoned; 

Recklessly abandoned! 

Trapped on the open and closed space 

Here! There… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  45 

 

On bended Knees  

 

 

On bended knees I crawl to your presence with awe! 

 

On bended knees I see each day pass into nothingness! 

 

On bended knees I become a sadder and wiser man! 

 

On bended knees I watch the world unfold! 

 

On bended knees I become calm and quiet! 

 

 

 

 

On bended knees I went like one that hath been 

stunned! 

 

On bended knees I rose to see morrow morn; 

 

The sunshine I once craved for! 

 

The freshness I once desired! 

 

Full of sweet dreams, health, and endless joy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 46 

 

Solitude  

 

 

Under the greenwood tree 

Solitude hangs on my throat 

And turns my merry notes into a melancholic tune! 

 

 

 

Under the watch of rough weather 

My spirit is not finely touched 

To produce the lyrics that nature lends 

Like a thrifty goddess clouded in the glory of her 

creator! 

 

 

 

Under the greenwood tree 

No birds sing and the sedges have shrivelled 

In the ancient lake that nourished many plants! 

 

 

 

Under heavens watch 

I see horrid warnings 

I see starved lips 

I see withered sedges from the lake 

I see no birds sing a fairy’s song 

I see wild eyes searching aimlessly! 

I see solitude! 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  47 

 

Deceit  

 

 

Senorita Senorita 

The first time you came 

You brought red roses  

And spread them gently under my nose; 

Searching my eyes with deeper gaze. 

 

 

 

Senorita Senorita 

The second time you came 

You brought perfume 

And scented my body  

With white jasmine 

Caressing it with your long fingers! 

 

 

 

Senorita Senorita 

The third time you came 

You kissed my cheeks  

And coated my lips with your saliva. 

I became numb and stunned! 

As what I love, I may never like too much! 

 

Senorita Senorita 

The last time you came 

You touched my balls and vowed to be mine 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 48 

Deceit  

 

I gave you my heart and money! 

You got me drunk and vanished! 

Only to reap me of my heart! 

What’s this? 

Is it love? 

For whose sake all the vows be? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  49 

 

A Phone Call   

 

 

A phone call 

The lady said to the man. 

And I will reveal your secrets to the world! 

I am the woman from the streets 

Whose heart has been butchered. 

 

 

 

One phone call 

And I will cast out your sins 

And spread them on the roof top! 

Money is my joy, my life, my crown! 

 

 

 

I am the lady in her prime 

Who has been shunned by a ragging poverty 

Accompanied by pity and ruth for years. 

So I cannot shun the broad way that oils my mouth 

with food. 

 

 

 

Candy is sweet 

This you said! 

 

 

Sugar is nice 

This you said! 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 50 

A Phone Call   

 

Honey is the best 

This you said! 

 

 

 

Capturing my heart with your fancied talk 

And shined me with your hot embrace. 

You waked and fled 

No money! No love! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  51 

 

Confusion  

 

 

Rose-cheeked Papali said, 

The king is dismayed and full of discord. 

I will catch his conscience  

And play the harps to sooth his sorrows. 

The king said, 

I want to die 

Let me have the song 

That gallops fury away 

And springs rhythms in joyous syllables. 

 

 

 

 

Rose-cheeked Papali said, 

Rest in soft peace and listen to the crickets sing! 

There, no falling houses thunder on your head 

No anguish fever dew on your forehead 

There, you sojourn alone! 

Alone, alone on the cold land side! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 52 

 

A Valediction to Dolly  

 

(for Professor Dolly Chinwe Ekpunobi) 

 

 

She came in silken grace 

A maiden clouded with white lily 

And garlands of stars upon her head! 

 

 

 

Pretty Dolly she was called, 

A simple maiden of honour and beauty 

Decorated by heaven’s beaming gaze of lights 

And a simple heart laced with virtues 

Uncommonly seen amongst men! 

 

 

 

Dolly’s beauty swept men away 

And lured them into a deep sleep 

Leaning together with parted lips naked and bare! 

 

 

 

She carried herself with uncommon grace 

A genius under nature, under God, 

Ennobled with unconscious love and reverence 

Till the sun declined a radiant shot on her! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  53 

 

 

A Valediction to Dolly  

 

She sat on a low bench waiting for the sweet hour 

Upon the silent path with no visible shades. 

She prayed more and talked less  

When that dark hour came; 

Dolly embraced her end in joyful ecstasy! 

 

 

 

She now sleeps in the calm earth, and peace is there! 

So calm and still! 

So still and calm! 

A silvered image of tranquility! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 54 

 

 

 

 

       

    

(Songs of Liberation) 

 

 
      Day by day 
      Night by night 
         That day will come 

         When Africa will be one 

         That will speak our freedom 

 

 

 

        Ifi Amadiume 

 

    “One Uhuru”- Ecstacy 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  55 

 

Now’s the Time  

 

 

Now’s the time 

Time for action and less speech 

Time to mend the fallen fences once admired by other 

builders 

Time to rebuild the houses now turned shanties 

Time to rebuild narrow unkempt and meandering paths 

called roads 

Time to cleanse the cities of rubbish piled high on the 

streets. 

 

 

 

Now’s the time! 

Time to separate the wheat and the chaff 

Time to create a huge space between good and evil 

Time to create happiness and spaces between hatred 

and love 

Time to be more open than closed! 

 

 

 

Now’s the time! 

Time for change and chance in a haunting world as 

fierce as death 

Full of strife that never falls amiss 

Swallowing everything due for man! 
 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 56 

 

Now’s the Time  

 

Now’s the time! 

Time to change powers that chase men as preys 

Time to bridge the endless gap between the poor and 

rich 

Now’s the time! 

There’s not much time to waste with all those ills 

which haunt us while we breathe. 

The speedy eager chases stealing men’s pace and 

breathe panting to die. 

 

 

 
 

Now’s the time! 

Time for mirth and fun! 

Don’t let the scoundrels screw you! 

For life’s just a few drops 

To live in hell and die a first death! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  57 

 

Xenophobia  

 

 

Damn you all! You dark brothers stink! 

You came to the South gate and built your tent there! 

You hypnotized our girls just like the sun with your 

purple-brown coloured faces 

Only to burn their hearts with steaming hot words! 

You stole our lands and took up our jobs! 

You left us idle staggering day and night in the streets 

like the whoreson dog! 

And now, you dark brothers, it is time  

For us to tell the truth to you! 

To tell the story of a second crime committed against 

the South! 

 

 

 

We want a hero: an uncommon want, 

To tell this new story; not like Nelson Mandiba 

Mandela 

Who fought the white cabals with wits and long 

speeches 

Only to bring in an ancient friend that sticks closer than 

a brother. 

Therefore, we need a hero to take our ancient friends 

away 

Far away to their lands before the devil possesses us 

again to cut them open! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 58 

Xenophobia  

 

Chase all the dark brothers away and let us reclaim our 

land! 

A land slowly passing into nothingness; full of drug 

barons and street merchants! 

 

 

 

 

Chase them away and let us reclaim our land! 

They scrape for the ambiguous and dig for the 

profound in every corner of our streets, 

Because Money is their master! 

They shoot and kill leaving dead bodies littered 

everywhere, 

Because Money is their master! 

 

 

 

 

Away you black brothers from the west away! 

Away from our lands! 

Our souls are full of discord and dismay! 

For our spirits are fiercely touched  

And the madness in us must not be cured until you 

leave! 

Our madness speaks volumes! 

Our madness trespasses beyond friendship 

Where the conscience becomes deadened each passing 

day! 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  59 

Zenophobia 

 

 

Words are indeed strong, and a small drop of words 

makes the mind weak! 

Words fall like dews upon mighty hearts, and produce 

a rage that consumes a whole clan! 

Words rolling from the mountain–springs in the South 

have plunged us into solitude! 

 

 

 

We are now on a wild secluded atmosphere! 

And the thought of deep seclusion still stares us in the 

face! 

Many years are past; many lengthy year, and again we 

hear 

These painful words rolling from the South mountain-

spring! 

“Damn you all! You dark brothers stink!” 

 

 

 

We are stunned and pained; and ask each other: what’s 

this? 

You cut us open, shot and pushed us to the wall! 

You’ve pushed us beyond our limit and we are held 

sore bound! 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 60 

Zenophobia 

 

Now’s the time to bare our hearts! 

You have threatened us enough! 

Threats of hell and no hopes of paradise! 

 

 

 

We are your black brothers! 

Black brothers from the once rich land called the Giant 

of Afra! 

We stood behind you through thick and thin! 

We left our land and enriched yours with our strength 

and talent! 

We married your women to form a stronger bond! 

You left every job for us, and say ‘our brothers are 

industrious and stupid!’ 

They can help us build our country! 

 

 

 

Now, the South stands tall and you want us to leave! 

Oh South brothers! Oh South brother! Cease thy raging 

chants and let us be! 

You chanted in the past against the white rulers; you 

got your freedom! 

You chanted to rule your country; it was granted! 

Now you are chanting for your brothers to leave your 

land! 

 

 

You have killed us enough! 

You have jailed us enough! 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  61 

 

Zenophobia 

 

Look homeward brothers, now, and melt with ruth! 

 

We have bled enough! 

We have bled enough! 

Look homeward brothers, now, and melt with ruth! 

Look homeward brothers; I say, look homeward 

brothers! 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is too fresh to smear one’s hand in 

mountainous excreta; 

And today paints a dry picture of hapless youths! 

But one thing at least is certain- This life flies; so does 

time! 

And a bard may chant too often, but not too long! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 62 

 

The Voice  

 

 

The voice of one crying bitterly is heard in the dark 

nights. 

It is a lamentable time for man! 

A head falls- there, there, there… 

A second head falls-here, here, here… 

A third head falls –there, there, there… 

Where the masquerade dances in the dark nights. 

 

 

 

The voice of one crying bitterly is heard in the broad 

daylight. 

A plague has befallen the land. 

The stream now flows backwards. 

The wind blows with no direction. 

The cloud fleets uncontrollably and gallops away with 

such fury and force. 

The heart beats randomly leaving an awed man rooted 

to a spot. 

 

 

The voice rants and rants! 

The voice rants alone in sweat and blood! 

The voice breaks constantly ripped by loneliness! 

The voice becomes silent and dried-up like the dead 

leaves in winter streets! 

The voice is silent… 

The voice is no more… 

The voice, the voice… 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  63 

 

The Poet said   

 

 

The poet said, 

Let words form muse 

Let the air invoke the future 

To plant in the land crocus and petal. 

 

 

 

The poet said, 

There is no way back 

Daylight is cracked 

And night swallows everything. 

 

 

 

The poet said, 

Don’t let the present shove you down 

Don’t let it act like it owns you 

The righteous cannot rot in ignorance 

Life is a damned short loan 

Don’t take your chivalrous ornament to the cemetery 

Where strife falls amiss! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 64 

Arise  

 

 

Arise, ye sons of the rising sun! 

The jackals and hyenas are on a spreeing chase, 

To ravage your warrior sons. 

 

 

 

The black hyenas howl 

The black jackals howl back in joyful ecstasy. 

They howl in unison, 

Ready to pounce on sight the children of the rising 

sun! 

They dart their tongues into the air waiting patiently 

to eat them alive! 

 

 

 

Awake, ye sons of the rising sun, 

And take the mantle with your hand 

For your arms are not weak! 

 

 

 

Awake! Do not conceal defeat 

Your fathers’ labour must not be in vain! 

Arise, I say arise and take up the mantle! 

You have tarried so long, so long; 

And the spirits of your fathers are ruthlessly restless! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  65 

 

Arise 
 

Arise, I say arise! 

Arise and do not dread the darkness that covers the 

sky 

Nor the power that made darkness loom over the land. 

 

 

 

Many sons were slaughtered in the past, 

Many children hungered by the lingering wars; 

Yet your fathers’ strengths were not crippled 

By the scourge of hate and fear 

Or the guns and knives that mocked their mortal 

bodies. 

 

 

Arise, I say, arise! 

Embrace your language as your strength 

The sliver cord binds your language to your heritage; 

And unity in an undivided accord pulls down the 

enemy’s camp. 

 

 

 

Arise, your dreams must not be cut shot 

By the mere howling of hyenas 

And the continuous howling of the jackals! 

 

 

 

Arise and fight for your right and freedom 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 66 

Arise 
 

Snatched in the broad daylight under your fathers’ 

watchful eyes. 

Arise and let your lordly men hewn strong like an 

ancient rock, 

To wrestle the future into their hands. 

To stir the looming darkness and clear the clouds! 

 

 

 

Arise and stand undivided! 

To dismantle and build anew, 

For each morning, opportunity- 

Like the sun-dawns anew! 

 

 

 

Arise! Do not stand and wait! 

Put your brains to use 

And let your mortal frames 

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 

 

 

 

At last the sun will rise! 

After sunset, 

The sun will surely rise! 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  67 

 

The Dance 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

And roll your waist like the Calabar women 

This dance is a new one 

An alien steps of secret drums 

Hidden in the unseen path of the gods. 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

Because happiness has gone on tour 

And laughter lives in exile in an unknown land. 

Where mortals cannot thread. 

 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

For we are in the hands of traitors 

Who are a swarm of mysterious bees 

Haunting daily the threatened  

In dry secluded atmosphere! 

 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

For war looms on the surface 

And our leaders have grown wings 

To flee our land if war afflicts! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 68 

The Dance 

 

This is not the season to dance 

But a season to seek refuge 

In the bosom of unity 

Which gathers more legs 

In the lyrical eloquence of the gong, 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

But a season to invoke an eagle 

Possessed by the gods  

To wrestle power from generals’ hands 

And disrobe them like mad men 

In the middle of the road! 

 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

But a season to fight the war 

Red-eyed without fluttering. 

To seize and salvage our land! 

 

 

This is not the season to dance 

But we must dance day or night 

To gather strength and battle the tide 

In order not to drown on the high sea. 

 

 

We must dance 

We must dance 

Till we speak freely of freedom. 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  69 

 

Accolades 

 

 

I have seen men pouring accolades like rain 

On robbers who emptied the public treasury 

And defiantly stood to placate the raging people. 

A cheerful leader, a worthy man 

A man from Jupiter 

A god-sent 

The Honourable! 

 

 

 

I have seen men pouring accolades like rain 

On die-hard prostitutes who roam the streets  

Naked and shameless without guilt or remorse 

A beautiful lady 

A free giver 

A honey pot 

A Bae! 

 

 

 

I have seen men pouring accolades like rain 

On yahoo boys who steal people’s money without 

mercy 

And divert their hard earned currency in fraudulent 

transactions 

A sharp boy 

A correct guy 

A money bag 

A Malay guy! 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 70 

Accolades 

 

I have seen men pouring accolades like rain 

On all shades of ills and vices 

Driven by quest for money or vanity! 

 

 

 

No accolades for virtues 

No accolades for good deeds! 

No accolades for good people 

No accolades, no accolades! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  71 

Sunset in Afra 

 

 

At sunset, Afra is not weakened 

At dusk, she will not be silenced by the fractured moon 

Which staggers lazily in the fast darkening skies. 

When crickets plod the sleeping paths 

In songlike voices 

Seeking to be heard! 

 

 

 

Let their voice be heard 

Let their voice not be muted 

To utter the deepest secrets of the nights 

An untold tales silenced by the hands of time. 

 

 

 

At sunset, Afra will not die 

She will live out the darkness 

And shade her scales like a python 

Fresh and renewed, 

She will rise tall and stand. 

 

 

Afra will find the black goat before dusk 

Afra will survive 

Afra will rise again 

Afra will surely rise again! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 72 

To my Country  

 

 

It is enough! 

Enough of these killings and bombings! 

 

 

It is enough! 

There is a feeling of fear in the air. 

 

 

 

It is enough! 

Our land is now soaked with blood. 

Blood of the innocent, blood of the guilty, 

Spilled maliciously on the surface of the earth. 

 

 

 

It is enough! 

These killings have taken our joy away 

And put our economy in downward slope 

That our country now becomes 

So open to the bare world. 

 

 

 

It is enough! 

We are determined 

For no joyless form shall control our mortal lives 

anymore! 

Nor take our strength for granted! 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  73 

 

To my Country  

 

It is enough! 

We are determined, 

To take the future with our hand, 

The hand of unity, 

Heralding a new dawn! 

A new song! 

 

 

 

It is enough! 

Power must change hand to spring love 

And shun malice, hatred, and anguish! 

 

 

 

Power must change hand, 

To bring in a good desired change. 

A change borne out of goodwill! 

A change conceived in an unembellished womb, 

Natural womb that holds true to God’s creation! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 74 

 

Sweet Spirit 

 

Sweet spirit from the east side 

Raised a sweet hurrah 

And my passion is sweetly spirited 

That I now imagine things 

 

 

 

I must seize this moment  

To salvage and burst afresh 

To rekindle the dying fire in me 

 

 

 

I must gather strength to walk the stage 

In order not to drown in agony 

And drench in sorrowful compassion 

 

 

 

I must battle and rescue me 

I must lean on the sweet spirit 

To teach me how best to fight 

 

 

 

Ooh sweet spirit of the east 

Fall afresh on me! 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  75 

Sweet Spirit 

 

Agent of history 

Unravel untold secrets! 

 

 

Oooh sweet spirit of the east 

Renew my strength in joyful ecstasy 

Never to exist in vacant nothingness! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 76 

 

Dread at Dusk 

 

 

At dusk, I fear that I may cease to be 

Upon the earth’s starred scary zone 

 

 

 

Up up in the cloudy skies decorated with stars 

I see shadows of light on high romance 

 

 

 

 

As I trace the silver lines twinkling 

I relish deeply the faery power of creation 

 

 

 

 

When I behold the darker part of twilight 

A darkish colour clouded my memory 

Like shadows with strong magic hands 

 

 

 

 

There, I stand alone on the shore of the world 

Lonely and forlorn like a full-ripened grain  

Abandoned in the quietness of the field 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  77 

 

Dread at Dusk 

 

At dusk, solitude beckons 

My pen gleans the loitering darkness 

On books piled high on the shelves 

 

There I pen my fears in the charactery of my sadness 

Till sleep drifts me to unconscious malady. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 78 

 

My Song 

 

 

My song will climb the ladder of wisdom 

To feed the ailing crowd with thought provoking lyrics 

And sweeten the ears with a honey-tune. 

 

 

 

I will let the air hear the chorus of my song 

To awaken the muted in broad daylight 

To fill up the space between the skies and the lands. 

 

 

 

My song will climb the ladder of change 

To turn back the hands of change 

And let the villain taste the pain of wickedness. 

 

 

 

I will recruit my song to fight this war 

With ten thousand musical chords  

To invoke the musical strains 

Like armed men firing bullets into the crowd. 

 

 

 

My song will gather the waves of history 

To tell the truth betrayed by a clan 

So terrible the lie, so terrible the deceit! 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  79 

 

My Song 

 

My song will travel all roads 

For I have seen people scampering for shelter 

On a road where four foot paths meets. 

 

 

 

My song will climb every wall 

To greet every homestead  

Like a nightingale,  

I will rain my song as accolades 

Like dews sprayed on the grasses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 80 

 

 

 

 

(Songs of Hope) 
 

 

 

Soon enough 

Between the false paths 

And the road untried 

Between wish and will 

We shall awaken 

 

Odia Ofemimun 

 

 

“For B.J”- The Poet Lied 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  81 

 

Hope 

 

Yes! Our hope will not wither 

Our passions are knitted together in unity 

So strong and true! 

 

 

 

No vague ignorance can strike us again 

No beast can swallow us again 

No acid rain can burn us again 

 

 

 

Behold, our new hope is rising 

Our armies are of new order 

Daring against all odds 

 

 

Indeed, our hope has not faded 

It has not been squeezed out 

Like crumpled orange rind 

 

 

Our hope is alive 

Rising, rising, rising… 

  

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 82 

 

Echoes 

 

 

Here we are echoing our new song 

Many stuffed men on dry ground 

 

 

 

Here we are standing on withered branches 

Many voices echoing the new song 

 

 

 

Here we are singing  

For what we believe 

 

 

 

Our hope is not dead 

It will grow into a star 

 

 

 

A light for our future generation  

A guide for our children! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  83 

Sacrifice 

  

 

The sun is sinking fast 

The day is dying fast 

But my hope is still awake! 

 

 

Without a second thought 

My soul would yield  

This one sacrifice; 

To save the souls of thousands alive. 

 

 

 

One sacred sacrifice I would give 

Before abiding in the breast of the earth; 

Dead to self, and dead to death 

 

 

 

To keep one sacred hope alive 

One divine hope 

Hope of eternal freedom! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 84 

 

Flag of Dawn 

 

 

On the hills of life 

The flag of dawn appears 

Signaling a new order 

Proclaiming the day is near; 

 

 

 

The day light will shine 

In darkness and burst forth 

 

 

 

That day, all wrong will be revealed 

That day, justice shall stand straight 

And every hurt healed. 

 

 

 

That day, righteousness and peace 

Shall walk the earth bare with a sea of glory 

Spreading from pole to pole unto earth’s remotest part. 

 

 

 

Surely, that day will come  

When the flags of dawn  

Will stand on golden sand  

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  85 

 

Flag of Dawn 

 

That day will come 

When our land will be delivered 

From error’s chain. 

 

 

 

That day will come! 

I say, that day will come. 

When the land will be calm! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 86 

 

Vows 

 

 

Sing, o people! 

Our vows are yielding hope 

Our prayers are yielding answers! 

 

 

 

Through this weary pilgrimage 

We are a succeeding race 

Under man, under God! 

 

 

 

Sing, o people! 

Our wandering footsteps are guided 

Our prayers are not in vain 

For our Great watchman 

Towers above our affliction. 

 

 

 

Sing, aloud! 

I say, sing aloud! 

Let your hope be rekindled 

To save your souls from wrong 

To save you from the snares of evil  

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  87 

 

Vows 

 

Sing aloud! 

I say, sing aloud 

And press onward with better hope 

For life’s duty has just begun 

To win this race more bravely. 

 

 

 

Sing aloud! 

I say, sing aloud 

Faint not nor fear 

For the future will win 

To tell the tale in the unseen future! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 88 

 

No More Trembling 

 

 

No more trembling 

We are now strengthened with mystic powers 

Without a veil on our face 

 

 

 

No more trembling 

Even when joy sinks before us lowly 

Surrounded by thorns and scorpions 

 

 

 

No more trembling 

When mystery surrounds us 

Piercing our bonded hearts deeply 

 

 

No more trembling 

For we do not fear again! 

 

We are no more earthly minded 

And our service makes us glad and free! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

  89 

 

Exultation  

 

 

With shouts of exultation, 

I applaud you all, Children of light 

Swallowed by the thick darkness of the night 

Day by day, day by day. 

 

 

 

With songs of exultation,  

I applaud your determination 

To stand so thick and strong 

And bear the burden of the day. 

 

 

 

With the lyrics of the flute, 

I applaud your strength in labour 

Which ends with sunset rays 

For rest to rule the weary. 

 

 

 

 

With the sound of drums, 

I raise the song of harvest 

To separate the wheat and tares  

To cast the tares into the fire 

To salvage our fields! 

 

 



At Sunset by Ifeoma Odinye 

 

 90 

Exultation  

 

With claps of exultation,  

I urge you to raise a song of hope 

To remain faithful to that final harvest-hour 

Ripening with great dreams!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


