Nigeria's Democracy [A poem] by AKINDUNBI Ayodele Daniel

 



 "...And See our Land"


       As hot as hell,

      As cold as the face of anger!


     Here we are like dead men,

     Our shadows like  flame,

     Burning through and through.


    Our hands are tied, mouths, locked.

    Hunger is our friend, and thirst, our neighbour.

    We eat in Israel and drink in Egypt.

    Now, we prefer war to our hunger!


  The head of our country is faulty;

  We cannot fix it because it is more than us.

  Those who run close to it only dance round the mask,

  And watch in shame!

  Now, we prefer Hitler to our faulty head!


  The head of our spirit is faulty;

  We cannot shape it because they are of the spirit.

  But, here they are, building paradise on earth,

  Riding on our collective wings to heaven, hovering in space.

  Now, we prefer to lead ourselves with the heads that we can see!


The head of the people is faulty;

 It will surrender to any temptation

 And there is no love among all.


Let all the heads be awake;

We are not unaware!


©AKINDUNBI Ayodele Daniel

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