We Watered The Desert Poem by Chime Hilary Uchenna

we have a cause
we all have a noble cause
we had a dream,
we all dreamt a hopeful dream

how long shall we watch
as they bulldoze our homesteads?
for how long shall we watch them
destroy our farm crops and pollute the rivers?

they denied us, all that nature has freely given
and created uninhabitable environment around us
no longer shall we drink from the rivers…
or harvest our laboriously planted crops
for our waters are poisoned and the fields covered by oil spillages

they said, we have streams of oil fields
and, gave us hope that would sustain us
hope, that could have natured us into a fulfilled nation
we gave up the fields; our crops and cleared out path for the oil rigs
has hope sustained us?

now, we are weary
our hands are bare in wants
our dreams were drowned and the noble cause, thwarted against us
how much longer shall we wait for the new tomorrow?
when before us our dividends are cast into lots…

bitterly, we have complained
but, all we ever got was rain of bullets…
to quell our flaming call for justice
we have screamed for dialogue; had beckoned for attention
but, our situation remained same

in our sweat, we worked the rigs
in our oil fields, we gave them gold..
we gave them gold that watered their deserts
they built up castles and, lived up our dreams
leaving behind for us, an abode of squalors

we have a cause,
we all had noble causes
we had a dream,
but, our dreams are now differed