Uche Uwaezuoke

born from gold & mud

young african boy

from the south of Nigeria

with a gap between his two front teeth 

he dances to the cadence of afrobeats 

his bare feet tapping rhythms

older than memory 

yet, alive in the now

with a tongue that prances around the igbo vernacular 

twisting around each syllable.

and a name 

oh, that name

so profound in meaning 

so onerous

yet, so graceful

it soars through wind

finding home in the ear of its listener 

village to village

ideani to umuahia.

“chi”

an eternal prologue etched into igbo names 

or a closing note in that same melody

how could it not be full of grace 

loaded with sanctity and peace 

when it itself means life

a personal facet of God. 

he carries it

this name, this gift

and all the others before and after 

he cherishes it

this name, this gift

and all the muck that follows.

though he dragged dirt where he journeyed 

it is no shame

it cradled him

taught him the strength of roots 

mud walls sheltered dreams

while hands sculpted hope from clay and ash 

they see the mud and forget the gold within. 

a boy born of gold and mud

navigating the spaces between 

between earth and spirit, 

between silence and song, 

between dormancy and frolic, 

a child of the soil

son of the heavens.