by Chinedu lhekoronye
They say we are free—
But chains still rattle in our dreams.
Not of iron, but of law,
Not of shackles, but of schemes.
The gavel strikes, but truth lies slain,
Beneath the cloak of legal pain.
The voices rise, the system scoffs,
While justice sleeps in ivory lofts.
They loot the land, then preach of peace,
While hunger roams and rights decrease.
They jail the bold, reward the sly,
And feed the poor another lie.
Who gave them crowns to crush the weak?
Who taught them power means not to speak?
Who drew the lines where blood must spill—
Then wrote the laws that bless the kill?
But we are fire, born from dust,
Rising now because we must.
Our words are swords, our truth is flame,
And we will set alight your shame.
For every child denied a voice,
For every vote turned into noise,
For every dream beneath your heel—
We stand. We shout. We will not kneel.
So let the tyrants learn at last:
A nation's silence cannot last.
The day will come, the truth will rise—
And justice will unblind her eyes.
Chinedu lhekoronye is a Nigerian, human rights lawyer, and poetic writer. He uses his writings to draw global attention to injustice in different places. He believes that injustice in one place is injustice globally.
