I Know Why An Average Nigerian Doesn't Smile Poem by Alade Abayomi Idris

I know why an average Nigerian man doesn't smile
His stomach hurts from hunger
His throat is as dried as the Sahara desert
His blood pressure skies from a heart full of worries
He is the best friend of his landlord
Their hide and seek game is legendary.

I know why an average Nigerian man doesn't smile
He was a victim of injustice
This makes him hate the law
The men in black are his mortal enemies
He peeps through the window to see the neighbor in khaki overall
The leader he fought to keep in the rock
Rewarded him with a higher cost of living.

I know why an average Nigerian man doesn't smile
The hospital is not for his sick body
Only the beautiful Yoruba girls that hawk Yoruba juice
He is deserted even in his home
His wife sees him as a lesser man
His children are always crying for their basic needs
His eldest daughter is enjoying the ASUU break as she graces the mattresses of the lonely men.

I know why an average Nigerian man doesn't smile
He wears a necklace of debts around his neck
He hasn't had a pay rise since he got the job years back
His responsibilities keep multiplying
He looks to the hill where help cometh
But the swindler who runs the hill discourages him.

I know why an average Nigerian man doesn't smile
Even when you smile at him
He sees it as a mockery
Love is the thing of the divine
The other one is the thing he sees every day
He is loved for what he provided
He is despised for lack of it
Nothing is sure for him
Only the six feet that is his natural right.


(modified version)