A GIRL'S MIND[CHAPTER EIGHT]

The village was quiet and so was the big compound.Vincent had gone with the motorcycle battery to recharge it in Calabar and with a twelve-band transistor radio Eddy monitored both foreign and local stations - listening to news and music.1

Dave,who had drowsed away the BBC's News Hour[Eddy's little moment of learning the English Language with a certified high standard] on Vincent's mattress,got up.'I'm feeling sleepy,'he said and staggered to the door,'good night.'He opened the door and walked out.2

'Good night,'Eddy answered,got up and locked the door.He moved to the X-table,picked his jotter and pen and jumped into the mattress.He put off the radio as the images he buried in his subconscious bobbed up and he started scribbling away - dealing with the tortoises first:3

Two tortoises busying thumping themselves,4

Discovered too late they'd left open their flanks5

And now in a frothing cauldron they vainly kick their shanks6

As the dictum long left carelessly hanging on the shelves7

Came meeting them sadly and squarely:8

The only gain in war is futility!9

Satisfied with what was emerging,Eddy slightly changed the title from 'FUTILITY OF WAR' to the ironic title,'THE GAIN IN WAR' and then moved ahead to work on the other image - the hawk and the snake:10

'Hawk,where you taking snake to?'11

*12

'I'm taking it above all the stares13

Of the trees so I can prey in peace!'14

*15

And so the predators leaving this nation 16

In chaos move to peaceful accommodation17

Patriotically 18

Made by selfless individuals19

To enjoy their stolen victuals20

Peacefully;21

And we are tasked to constantly pray22

For the safeguard of the bedraggled prey!23

Still some honing here and there later,the title didn't change - 'METAPHOR OF THE PREDATOR'.The readers with this piece were left to discover so much by themselves.Would they know the prey is the treasury and the predators government officials?Eddy thought.That was just the beauty and the beast of poetry - so much is gained and so much more is also lost:every reader interprets based on the spectrum of his or her knowledge.24

Eddy's mind wandered - Titi crossing his thinking path.For the first time he suddenly realized he was missing her though it was just a day since she had travelled home.Seeing her ever smiling,teasing face - his pen suddenly dripped a love song:25

Always thinking of your love:26

Sweet,tender and ever warm;27

Deep,soulful and profound - 28

Girl,I'm surrendering my all.29

Always thinking of your love:30

Sweet sun rising at young dawn;31

Steady drizzle to a thirsty ground32

Far yet so near like my footfall...33

'Like now,'Eddy thought warmly,'girl - you fill every space in my head!'34

The poem was yet to be completed and Eddy this night couldn't go beyond this point.He left it untitled and rounded up his writing materials and dumped them on the floor and then rolled comfortably to his back and his mind roved down the years...inspiration came beckoning again.35

Eddy rolled over and picked the jotter and pen and scribbled away:36

I remember vividly...37

The traumas,the tears,the hopelessness and the grime38

And being at the crossroads of taking to crime.39

If today,Lord,I'm drawing near the crown;40

Thanks!Only by Your grace do I live till now!41

Then he got on his knees[reprimanding himself for being lazy with praying] and prayed.Ending his prayer,he rounded up again his writing materials and dumped them on the floor and put out the lantern and returned to the mattress.As he had exhausted his mind of the poetic images that were keeping him awake all along,the trek to and from the jungle became just the sedative he needed to zoom to sleep.42

Eddy slept like a hibernated snail until well past ten o'clock the next day.43

THE END>>>Chapter Eight.44