The Saint Bottle's Cathedral | Jude Chukwuemeka Muoneke

The Agwu diocese
With scattered outstations
Parishes in primitive cities
Chief priests ordained
For each services.

Some worship in the morning
While many worship in the evening
Worship is worship
Men faithful worshippers
Slay Queens song singers.

Burukutu outstations
Are for morning devotions
Father and son at worship centres
Though silent prayers uttered
With holy calabash.

Then comes the New Jerusalem
outstations,
Evenings set aside for weekly services
Officiating ministers ordained
By the size of their wallets.

Methanol the communion wine
Cigarette, Indian hemp, and shisha
Are incense of sanctification,
What a holy worship?

Church members in twos
Skirts and trousers in love
Facing each other,
Both anointed by alcohol.

Ethanol and methanol
smile at them,
Secret shared
Shekels sacrificed for pleasure
Though gainful and painful.

Animalistic desires gratified
Homes stranded and starved
Wives curse and caused to weep
Why blame her for your misfortune?

Retrieve and retract your steps
Turn a new leaf
Pervert or perish
Your deeds speak for you.

Poet's note: This is a socio-religious poem. It's satires the nature of man to gratify his fleshy desires that goes with drunkenness and sexual immorality. The poem crafts out a drinking intervan like a church gathering where people come to worship their God. This worship is not really a religious worship but a social worship of drinking and smoking with slay queens as song singers.