Mr. Slow; The Iconic Shop Poem by Phillip Nine Mafunga

Mr Slow is a tuck shop by the roadside
It is what the South Africans would call a ‘Spaza'
To the Nigerians, just a ‘ shop'!
It is a little crickled wooden structure
On the shoulders of a once tarred strip, it is forlornly perched!

Mr. Slow, the tuckshop, that seems to send a special message
A special message carried from Goromonzi Police station, seemingly!
Goromonzi Police station just a stone's throw behind
That the once tarred strip had lost most of its former glory
Maybe the message to motorists is slow down because of potholes!

We indeed, had to comply with the ‘slow' idea,
For the road is heavily potholed; the fringes gnawed ragged
Nevertheless, in the morning, I did not see any customer by the sales window
At sunset on our way back neither did I any by the same window
Indeed, Mr. Slow has a multiplicity of messages, even about the economy!
20 March 2021