Two Hostile Pals Poem by Haruna Garba

A village came under total attack
From a monster, body covered in teeth
Body as rough as a corn cob
One as rough as a cog

The entire healthy denizens ran away
Only to leave behind two disabled men
One of them sand blind without his eyes
And a leper without his full limbs
Two hostile opponents in the alms business
Two kidders of each other's discontentment
Two one another's mockery-mates
For the blind goes on night hunt
And never his pal, the leper lame!

Hi Blindie!
Hi Lepie!
The right move between us is…, said the blind
Me the wheels and you the lamps
Let me have you on my back
For only this way we will stand a chance
And that way they began
But deep in bush, the leper's eyes caught onto a sight
The sight of the dreaded monster

So far so good, said the leper
At least we have made a break
And by now you are beat
After all, I feel like taking a pee
Leaving the blind man to danger
He ran like a hart forgetting his ill
willpower had restored his faulty feet
But only to serve the escape norm

When the monster arrived
He hailed the blind and asked
What the matter could be with him
It is about this terrible monster, he said
That I am fleeing from
as well as everyone

Oh! Please give me your hand
And just have a feel
Browsing the body ………..!
And here were teeth all over it
Like those on Protuberant guard
And yelling, the blind broke free
In a marathon his sight re-emerged
Only to serve the self-saving task

Hi Blindie!
Hi Lepie!
Again it came to pass
The leper from the east
And the blind from the west
Had converged through destiny onto a town
Settled after each one's escape
Had restored them to their initial states
And had nicely settled their irritations

The great healer of the town saw them
A woman of exceptional sympathy
Who cured you by touching a baobab tree
Sure mystic cure, fast hand cure

So when she had them on their beasts
She presented them several sets of dress
And when the minstrel of that land began
These new men danced and sang a song
`New eyes new feet' was its name
And it had made a hit with the girls
Then each with a love and fashion in heart
They began brisk life of their lives

Then suddenly one bright summer morn
The former blind struck by tingle of discontent
Felt his sight needed servicing
And so too the former leper his limbs
The mystic tree of our dear home
Consented the two and straight went ritual
Without the consent of their priest host
Touching his limbs here was leprosy anew
And as the blind made to flee
The leper pushed him to it
And rammed his head blind
The priest cursed them and sent all away

Onward they fared up to a point
And here was some bush well
A well made for drinking rearers kine
Now weary and tired of life
The leper decided to commit suicide
And as there were unripe guards around
The leper rolled one and tipped in to the well
Only to squat behind the well
Wait for the blind to take his tip
Thereby taking it out of him
Oh! Said the blind
What could life mean without my company?
I have to end up the way he did
But before then, let me take
The ritual of the blind
So he swung his staff around
And here was the leper screaming
The staff had caught his head

With each protesting
Ended the alliance on this note