Tick, tock, tick, tock, slowly time ticks away Tick, tock, tick, tock then stop. All was still, nature was hushed. Naked whispers in the void, Voices too scared to rise. “a deadly virus has come” Humanity brought to her knee Forced once more into the dark ages Compelled to ask “Will it ever be normal again?” In a thousand voices humanity wept “The Grand Silence” In Hausa “Baban Shiru” In Igbo “Ibachi nkiti” In Latin “Silencio Magnam” In Spanish “Gran Silencio” In Swahili “Ukimya mkuu” In Yoruba “Ipalolo” Voices forced to whisper; They whisper of a crowned fear. She is lovely only in name She is corona Voices choked of breath cries: “When will it end?” Hearts numbed by the cold embraces of death. Hearts pale with an endless wait in lockdown, Eyes are opening, hearts are closing, The human savage nature unleashed, Hoarding, panicking and worries. Prayers rises to a silent Heaven, “When will it end?” Silence reigns in hearts and dreams. A deafening silence like the silence of the drowned. “When will it end?” She is stripped of her haughty pride, Forced to her knee in surrender by a crowned mistress. The economy collapsing as hungry arms stretched for alms; And heads forced to think and consider “What could’ve been?” “Create a vaccine our heroes in white” “How long will it take?” “When will it end?” The world bears and bears again, Her bandages brown from reuse, Like the falling leaves of autumn. Slowly our hopes and faith ebbs away, As we see the pyres in India burn daily. The world still in anguish cries out “When will it be normal again?” --------------------
Mr. Etumnu Ugochukwu Bright is the sixth son in a family of nine. He hailed from Imo state. He is a prolific playwright, who graduated from the prestigious University of Port Harcourt where he studied Theatre art and film studies. When he’s not reading and writing. He is cooking and cleaning.
The Pine Cone Review 