When A City Collapses Poem by Emmanuel Karikoga

WHEN A CITY COLLAPSES
The Voicewithin

When a city collapses;
It's not the decorated skyscrapers that tumble,
Nor the even tarred road that crumbles,
But;
It's when authorities rampage small prey,
While turning a blind-eye to concerns of the day,
Indrive or Bolt become the state of affairs,
Despite the surge of illegal ranks.

When a city collapses;
Men and women of distinct honour will connive,
To phase-out minibuses with no alternative plan,
It's a 3-year goal with no expansion or renovation of broken ranks,
Then we clap hands in awe,
Celebrating a master plan that never 'mastered',
But successfully suffered another stillbirth.

When a city collapses;
The headlines are awash with legal lacuna remarks,
The mayor's empty words when brought to task,
While city marshalls play cat and mouse game,
Chasing pirate taxis during daylight,
And shifting attention to vendors during the night.

When a city collapses;
His Worship becomes the 'worshipper' of the mayor's collar.
The yester-year CBD;
Now congested by food stalls and natural herbs vendors.
Traffic lights are phased out by street-kids manning traffic.
Car Wash entrepreneurs,
Jump right-in to the capsized boat,
To an opportunity born of stagnant water & failed drainage.

When a city collapses;
Blame game becomes the order of the day,
Accountability becomes rare like diamond,
Like I said,
It's not the skyscrapers that tumble,
It's normalcy suffering cardiac arrest,
While you and I celebrate the birth of chaos.