Leaders of Tomorrow || Chukwuemeke Bright Nduka

I can see them- the leaders of tomorrow,
Lost in the dark boulevards of their heart,
Searching and wondering when they will lead.
Their dreams are wet embers – a folded palm of a dead man.
Their voices are swallowed in the hushing noise of the wind,
Hunger and joblessness hung on their neck like placards,
So they dance to the beats of the bending trees,
The beat of cowards and lanky warriors who had forgotten the smell of gunpowder.
These are the leaders of tomorrow!
Nodding their heads to faded promises blown away into the atmosphere.
They are in church praying for their time to come,
But forgot that same promises were made to their fathers!
Goofed promises, living in the bliss of illusion and
Like a monumental effigy, they stand, drained!
as they watch them cart away our resources.
These are the leaders of tomorrow!
May theirs not be like their fathers’

About the Poet

Chukwuemeke Bright Nduka (CBNwords) is a graduate of English from Delta State University Abraka. He is a storyteller, content/copywriter, activist, critic, poet and spoken word artist. His works can be found in both print and online journals. They include; “My Encounter” (Short Fiction Series), “The lurking eyes of Death and other death poems” (Poetry collection), he has as well performed his spoken words and storytelling on several stages around Nigeria. He is a budding Nigerian writer, whose dream is to become a bestseller.