They rode on Glitches
Stole in batches
The many fishes
Of the River of Milk and M(h)onies
A certain Dr. Luck
Invested few token pennies
A "tintini" one billion of our national currency
On mere kitchen utensils
What an InvestMESS!
Over 200 Beauties
Sent as tourists to wizards and witches
In Northern Borno Bushes
On a journey of horrible near-misses.
They spoke and fickled
Helmets in cycles
Then Hell-scent for nostrils
Hunger-oats as pastries
The returns for sweat-scented skins
Who sticked thumbs on thick ink without rethink.
Oh Where is Mrs. Nemesis?
Or Mr. Posterity from the genesis
Or Madam Justice; all seem pierced to pieces
As PoliTRICKcians and LegisLOOTERS squander currencies
Injecting the emotions of nationals with hurting "acriMOANINGS"
Yet,.. all seem stories for the gods and goddesses
As profiting Prophets and Prophetesses pointedly prophetizes
A shoeless and clueless Preacher of 'stenched' air
The consensus Emeritus Sailor for this tower of Milk and M(h)onies...
Even as scores of pupils await Death visits
With their peers blown to pieces
The returns on hard-earned pennies
presented to perfectly poverty-painted parents
What an InvestMESS!!
But...
Let Nigerians without penitence, but with dumb thumbs for second chances
Dance the tune of loud silences
Played on gnashing teeth and nail biting strings
With plenty of hopeful hopelessness
Welcome waiting RAGING free doom in sevens and sixes
Or
Halt these SINators with sin-nature as signatures
Tease those Hoodlums to grace their fund-bearers with bomb letters
The teeming masses bask in fun era at their funeral masses
The returns for our investments NOT this InvestMESS
Then, the Land will again flow with milk and m(h)onies
Breathe the breath of fresh air, not this stenched air.
As we welcome back our stolen fishes of the River of Milk and M(h)onies.
PS: 'tintini' is a Yoruba (one of Nigeria's three major language) word for 'minute' or 'tiny'
The above is a spoken word poem once performed at WarOfWords (4) Poetry Slam Competition (2014) held at TerraKulture, Victoria Island, Lagos-Nigeria. See video link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_idTbuuJ-_o
Bankole Kolawole (formerly BanKoL, now BankHALL) is a fast-growing spoken word artiste based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Editor's note
The poem centers on the level of impunity daily thriving in Nigeria, Africa's most populated nation. It captures what transpires before, during and after voting for democratically elected officers.
Photo credit: princessadetutu.blogspot.com
