I know your mind is honest, but is it poor?
you are no crooked politician, you are an honest thinker,
but does your mind have cobwebbed doors that
you have never opened? is it educated by gossip?
is it poor?

I know your mind is rich, but is it yours?
you have a ph.d, you have eloquent opinions,
but do they swing around like weather vanes?
is your mind for hire? for rent to godfathers?
is it yours?

I know your mind is yours, but is it free?
you are freeborn by birth, but are there
footpaths of logic you cannot walk? are there
seas of common sense – which any fool can swim –
that are out-of-bounds to you? is your mind walled-in
by custom? ethnic and peer pressure?
is it free?

I know your mind is free, but is it wise?
you own a large fortune, you serve an
awesome god. you have a global vision,
but is your mind penned-in like a chicken?
is it chicken-wired by doctrine,
while your eggs are harvested?
is it wise?

I know your mind is wise, but is it scared?
you weigh risks and dangers, you are not a
reckless fool – but are your dreams dying?
is your mind locked-down with fear?
is it scared?

I know your mind is bold, but is it dead?
is your bravery on paper? is your mind still
good for thinking? or is it boxed-in and coffined?
inert and quite useless? Is your mind good only
to follow? to do as instructed?
are you dead?

Chuma Nwokolo