Check Points Poem by Garba Inuwa

CHECK POINT

When running in the bush path
Be careful of broken bottles
Thorns and even debris of
Shattered fire wood

When depicting in a wetty
Forest beware of rattle snakes
Wild cats and black scorpions,
They hold venom that is too
Deadly

When running on the highway
Hold the fear of meeting
On the way to wherever you might go,
They may not necessarily be your friends
At first sight;

First could be men of the under-world
You may detest meeting them on the way
Even in broad day light and night;
They believe not in have-not
There punishment is a merciless death
Even if you tell the sorrowful truth.

When they set up to check everyone
They cut down trunk of every tree
To mend their hold up
They call it check point
Made up of heavy rocks

They possess weapons
Of mass destruction,
Machetes, S-MG,
And MK-47, armed from head
To toe,
Real men commanding
Women to give up all they have.

Next is the friendly checkpoint
Whose fee is so meager and sojourn
If you pay with a smile
They waved you in so easily,

When you refuse them the tip
As every Good Samaritan might do
They will
Shout on the top
Of your head to park;

They will search your luggage
Your pocket and documents,
They are armed from head to toe,

You can’t differentiate them
From the latter,
When they see any valuable
They rob it up, if they do that
You can’t report to headquarters
If you mistakenly does that
You will be in worse jam
Than you dream.

Whenever you are on the highway
Avoid check points if you can,
Whenever you can, they are not friends
Glee your face and pass on if you can,
When you fear them at spiteful sight
Turn when you really can.

Shy away from battles
You’re not sure of winning,
War fronts were only fine
When you possess armory
And the will of fighting wars.