Ezinne Onyeka: This is who we are (30 Days, 30 Voices)

“Just our hopes, our fears, our regrets, our joys.”
We each have a throne on which we rule;
the extraordinary things that make us superior, the next man, the mule.
We are kings, crowned by every addendum in life that makes us better,
more suitable than the former, doubtlessly wary of the latter.
Godlike people, non conformists, blinded by our self righteousness,
given the right to judge the weak, for their lowly souls are but a terrible mess.
We are soldiers, driven by our self interests – the human nature of old,
with our beings covered in perfection, we lead the lost to the scaffold.
Captivated by our endless struggle to do the shot-calling,
taking the shots to get so high we don’t realise we’re falling.
We are civilians, made to follow, but ever looking to lead;
harnessed to fears, marred by the past, with scars from helpless needs.
Corrupted by democracy, for when we gained our freedom we became one slave.
Serving our selfish wants, rejoicing in the conflagration of the home of the brave.
We are loners, dwelling in the conundrum of our busy minds.
Searching frantically for something familiar, a thing of our kind.
A stranger to ourselves, a mass of insecurity, each day a different story.
We eat alone, we weep alone, we die alone, no one knows we’re lonely.
We are lovers, finding strength in the joy of another.
I drink to quench your thirst, none different from the other.
Forgetting that the cordage love is, eventually gets weary;
And all that is left is hate, love’s ever present parody.
We are masterminds, eclectic brains, uncertain insanity.
Wiser than the insane, who is content in oblivion, and certain in sanity.
We are better off, though we fear the unknown and doubt the germane;
until life wakes us to reality, until life opens the eternal curtain.
We are who we are because of the people we’re with;
the situations we find ourselves in, the edges of life’s lengths and breadths.
With every struggle we overcome, we become the wiser – a better person.
It’s only natural to want to improve yourself, something only death can jettison.
Whoever you choose to be deserves to be happy, to live life, love people and learn from the mistakes of others.
For in the end we all leave with nothing;
not our thrones, nor badges, nor honours, nor lovers.
Just our hopes, our fears, our regrets, our joys.
The dreamer, the realist, the better immortals.
But for tonight, we are humans. This is who we are.
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Ezinne Onyeka is the 4th girl of 6 children.  She finds solace in the words and lyrics of books and music. She tweets from @ezi1nne #AnyBodyCanWrite
30 Days, 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians from across the world to share their stories and experiences – creating a meeting point where our common humanity is explored.