The Godly Lies Poem by Gedion Onyango

Clad in godly attire
He spoke softly and confidently
and he said to me – If you’re to go to heaven
– then we’ll have to baptize you
in the name of holy trinity to bear a holy name
- a name like of those closer to God.
Those who were chosen by God.
In whose cities God rests and blesses the world
The only cities that if we go for pilgrimages
Our prayers reaches God directly and immediately
It is only in these cities that fasting, sleepless prayers
or dying making sacrifices are more understandable
and do not call for condolences
this is only possible if I get names of the godliness.
Names like mine – do not honor
greatness of God but those of my unknown ancestors
which are impure and weigh inherited curses.
He tells me, my ancestors are not the ones I know
Since the holy book doesn’t know them
And says
- I belong to one of Cane, Ishmael, or Esau’s lineage
The black-sheeps of ancient families in far soils
That’s why
to give allegiance to the new faith
I must get a new name like those of the foreigners
- the lineages of Isaac and Jacob
chosen to show us the way from our dirty ways of life.
Such good names are the only ones
accepted in the book of life
that I must embrace
to disentangle my soul from the ungodliness
of my motherland