I Want To...But I Cannot Poem by James Ogunjimi

I want to write of a Nigeria of beautiful sceneries,
Of happy people living together in peace and harmony;
Of well-fed people with incredible delicacies,
I want to write of beggar-less streets and a gainfully employed citizenry,
Believe me, I want to...but I can't.

I want to write of a nation of responsible leaders,
Of a population of question-asking followers;
Of electioneering devoid of killers,
I want to write of elections that don't end at tribunals,
Believe me, I want to...but I can't.

I want to write of religions, whose teachings don't leave in the nation's wall, cracks,
Of religious houses that have learnt to give back;
Of religious leaders whose eyes are not closed to their members' lack,
I want to write of religious leaders, who speak truth to power at the expense of getting political pats on the back,
Believe me, I want to...but I can't.