School Was Yesterday Poem by Michael Eziudo

Primary school was yesterday
My mind's eyes see it like in the morning today
Reminiscencing the then labyrinth decoy
And stories told of the beautiful wicked lady koikoi
And the whistling, penis seizing ghosts in the banana plantation
Of gbomogbomo and baba elegba that we only whispered about and dared not mention
How about the cat-walking cat that wore eye pencils and red lipsticks
Or the two-legged slippers worn by no one, but would be seen walking the empty schools
Even the Miss elese kan that held cane to flogg wicked teachers
And alambere that would teach you if you came to school on weekends
Stories that got goose bumps off our tiny almost fleshless skins

Primary school was yesterday
We liked eating bone-full jollof eko from iya olonje under the frangipani trees
Or her rice, stew, and pomo 30 kobo supported with 5 kobo bebeto with plenty pepper, under shades
And then washed down by 2 kobo pito
Far better than today's ₦1000 zobo
And playing suwe and ten-ten under the mango trees were girls' favourite games
And the mischievous boys dropping broken mirror on the ground where the girls stood to see if they wore pants or left bare their nudedness
Are charred memories that never left nonetheless

Do you remember when you'd leave school
And walk round town and it seemed cool
Concerned elders asked and you said they were not doing anything
Meanwhile you left for nothing
Following the NFAs to play truancy
But wait! The no-future-ambitions, they actually now have a life from the ambition gotten who-knows-when, see?
Remember when school will close 1pm and we'll go astray
Some times playing ball till evening like it'll ever pay
And we got home to the beatings of our lives
For those that had parents who cared for their children's futures

Or the times you'll hide from the toilet
Because your purging led you to use one of those that never worked
And had shits scattered everywhere that you couldn't bear but pour the thing on yourself
You self!
E tire you, so you hid somewhere waiting for closing

Or the times for results calling
Like why were the first three and the last three often called out on students assembling?
You know you'll be amongst the lasts so you went hiding
'What did they even teach? ' You cursed
Blaming God-knows-who, or what, for your inability to read
At primary 5
And almost all in your class none was better of

Primary school was yesterday
If you went to Zumuratul Islamiyya School, or LEA, or Town School, or like me that went to Oyewole Primary trekking quite far
The stories and acts were same or similar
And so in secondary too
We graduated in our mischiefs, truancies, and a little of godliness in FCS
We thought we had sense enough to fall in love and choose our friends
But love fell on us and friends became fiends
Especially those who failed to hear our G and C's advice to zip up

Yet time changed yesterday
And we're here today
The NFAs became we

But them FAs today that have no mischiefs, tantrums and dillydallies for tomorrow's memories
And no schemed, scripted, and dexterous plays that build prowesses
Are dropped off by parents or busses to their schools with air-con classes
Are healthy looking and eat junks
Loaded with work and more tight schedules and lessons to be better than we
We're still wondering, what on earth will they be?

If school was yesterday
I barely see if one is today
Or do you?