Our land will smile once more,
The word provoked the peasant passing wind
Flamboyant bogus ‘Agbada' dangling,
And a one sided ‘Kembe' folded
Murmurs some in the awaiting crowd
What has the eyes not seen
Our land will smile again
If I drink from the cup of the past saints
Education under trees will be paralyzed
A loud thunder on a sunny day
Could this had been the intervention of ‘Sango'
Just let me in
No more darkness
The sun will be fixed permanent in our land
Scrutinized water will become our cholera,
Four square meals per day
With cassava, Casava and ‘Akpu'
Bush rat for protein.
Our defence will be stronger,
Like a castle of an earthworm
No more children crying
Even if the eagle steals your chick
There will be justice,
Kwashiorkor justice for the poor heads with no godfather.
Our clinics will experience herbalists
And competent native doctors,
Ready to transport pregnant women to straight heaven,
Our roads will improve
From death traps to rapture
What has the eyes not seen.
A strong poem, Chiori. You create images with well-chosen words and metaphors. Clearly, you are satirizing politicians and their false promises. Unfortunately, it’s a worldwide problem, not just in Nigeria.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Continued...It may be helpful to write a few notes explaining the meaning of some words Eg: Agbada is one of the names for a flowing wide-sleeved robe worn by men in much of West Africa, Kembe - Sango - Appui -