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Abimbola Onaoluwa

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TIME
WHEN?
A Sudden Rain
Illusion of Freedom.
Lesson from a coconut tree.
Holding On ( Lesson from an ant)
Heart Cry
Nights at Adatan
Change
Friends

Time

The infinite measure of our days; long and short,
Passing noiselessly, almost escaping our notice.
A difference of a millisecond, crucial and a determinant,
Gap between life and death.

Flashback; a journey back to the past,
Vision; a journey into the future,
Dejavu; a replay of past events,
All tricks and devices of this essential factor.

Lack of it; an incubus, hellish and frightening,
In excess, life becomes a bore and one a devil's workshop,
When just enough, immeasurable happiness,
For just a fragment of time...

WHEN?

Peace, like a soap bubble; eludes us,
Poverty, like a stigma; sticks to us,
Prosperity, hmm much sought after,
Pestilence, though is striving to destroy us,
Why SARS, AIDS, CANCER and several other deadly diseases?

If it is not Hitler,
It would be Osama Bin Laden,
or Saddam Hussein or even you,
A thorn in the world's flesh,
ever present, Oh why?

Fluffy clouds drifting,
against a sky blue background,
so tranquil, so peaceful.
But, a darkening, a rumble,
and the dream crashes like a pack of cards.
Hmm, sky peaceful one moment, tumultous the next.

Uprisings, unrest never cease,
rebel risings always,
secessionists showing their faces,
wars and wailing never cease,
scarred people abound,
when will there be peace?

A Sudden Rain

Suddenly, the rain started,
pounding on the zinc roofs,
with a ferocious menace.
An angry wife;
having no choice than to deliver the goods,
albeit with ill grace.
The angry pounding soon ceased,
to be replaced by,
the steady patter of rain drops.
What a melodious rhythm,
bringing succour to the parched throats,
like the mother's goodies,
Happiness for humans and the earth.

Illusion of Freedom.

Flitting happily past,
I knew no bonds...
Free and unshackled,
beautiful and much loved...
Until I saw that beautiful one.
Sweeter than honey; the last taste
before I was engulfed and ensnared in it's deathly, petallic arms.
Metallic though it seems now,
I know it is the same showy petals,
that attracted me to my doom.
Now, I know I am no freer,
than the next creature around; only allowed by Grace.
A simple step; a silly mistake,
freedom lost eternally.

Lesson from a coconut tree.

Standing tall and majestic,
gently swaying in the breeze.
Appendages bearing down,
as if they would break off any moment.
But, like the Rock of Gibraltar; they stayed,
the top fronds paying homage upwards,
the lower ones drooping.
“Why should this be so?” I pondered.
Behold, the fruitless ones were standing tall,
free of encumbrances.
But, the fruit bearers were bowed and bent,
with the many fruits they bore.
In their fruitfulness lay their ultimate sacrifice.
Unthinking, unappreciative humans,
readily use the useful fronds as materials for local brooms.
I wondered, what then was the gain of the useful and used fronds...
In its sacrificial giving and usefulness lay its true worth.
Hence, its gain in value.

Holding On ( Lesson from an ant)

Eh, what is this I see?
My quarry, pulling a large food grain,
or rather the other way round.
Retrogressing and progressing intermittently,
going round in circles.
Others were going quickly and effortlessly...
Seeing that he made no advances,
he left his load and scouted around.
His bearings found, the journey resumed,
walking backwards, he dragged it along.
Others had come and gone...
But, my solitary friend dragged and was pulled,
zig-zagging along, pausing to rest,
until at last, he made it.
Infinitely and eternally long,
but oh, well worth it,
pleasure resounding and echoing...
Eternally.

Heart Cry

Nigeria at 43, evokes a flood of sadness.
The euphoria generated at independence,
lost forever in the memory of the old,
replaced by anguished reality in the young.

None of the tocsin has been heeded...
Augurs foretell,preachers speak,
but, Nigeria is dumb and deaf,
bedridden with symptoms of acute sickness.
Corruption, Indiscipline, Anarchy, Poverty and Crime are prevalent.

The high class citizens love seeing the hoi-polloi.
All that lip service to poverty eradication,
just a fantasy lived only in their dreams and shared with the people.
They give the masses scholarships to the decrepit and broken down Universities,
while non-payment of salaries and fringe benefits to teachers results in months of strikes;
leading to closure of institutions across the country.

But, their own children enjoy full scholarships to Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford et al.
They return stripped of all veneer of empathy they might have had towards the poor;
purposely to follow their parents' laid down paths,
of oppression, neo-colonialism and nepotism.

Those in government who want to make a change,
hemmed in, hedged out,
in short, frustrated and disillusioned,
they either join them or leave them.

Hmm... Nigeria.
At 43, Africa the motherland cries for you,
because you are just a whitewashed sepulchre,
tarted outside, full of decay and rot inside.
Justice is not to be found in thee.
Assaying to rise, you can not even crawl; let alone walk.

Infrastructure; at low provision,
Health facilities rare and when present...
Not maintained or even obsolete.
Road network, full of potholes; death-traps for ignorant travellers
Uncountable eminent lives lost to blood sucking roads.

Ah Nigeria... Are you not ashamed?
Giant only in name, dwarf in deed.
Is it Sports, Science, Health field or even in Technical advances?
You are moribund; decay and purulence pervades every facet of your life.

Gone are the days of cornucopia,
the oil boom of the 1970's, opened this new chapter of paralysis,
with more and more money ,
came corruption, greediness and selfishness.
The end result; this prostate state.

Nigeria! Nigeria!! Nigeria!!! awake from your slumber.
Arise from your sick bed.
Let the waters of salvation cleanse you.
Restoration cometh, says the LORD...

Nights at Adatan

Lights ablaze, throngs of people,
buying and selling unabated,
like it's always day and never night.

Never have I seen a quiet Adatan night,
would have to go to the G.R.A to find stillness at night.
Travellers board buses and cars at the motor park,
like it's not night.

Loud music blaring, babble of conversations,
the ever frequent street fights,
of course, the ever constant presence of the Pmen,
always looking the other way,
even though it was their duty to arbitrate.

Nevertheless, stimulating and pulsating;
busy as the bees; ever lively,
Yes, that's the Adatan I know; always
loudly proclaiming “daylight's here”!

Change

The currency of civilization,
Prerequisite for development and progress, Traditions and cartels demolished, From the Phoenix? ruins, buds forth renewal.
Cultivation and harvest,
A long and tenuous process,
Blood tended, sweat soaked,
Train of martyrs; to fruition.
Ages and eons; demarcated by history, changes and norms, History steps: indelible, Building new platforms for all life.

Friends

Oh my heartbeat gently thrums,
Looking for a discordant tune;
Unintended for anything but to compare notes?
What it found, a pleasant surprise,
A different tune truly, but a true heart,
That is the same tune?
Only different expression,
Beautiful harmony, coexisting in love,
Interesting symphony, more than earthly music's?

Forever a touch, so divine,
Allowed by heaven above,
Purposed for the time, that fateful night,
Obtuse the sorrow, shared pain so sharp,
Having no need of recourse,
Until the day of mourning passed,
Now, I?ve found the true heart of you,
Daring to smile and break new ground always,
A joy latent within, friendship has discovered?

Oh what sweet bliss, breeze, boom,
Reaching every heat-burnt corner of my heart,
Enveloping me in a mitigating caress,
Only a true friend could give,
Finding all to give me succour,
Even when it?s hardest?

Flowing joy gladdens my heart at the thought of you,
Uncommon beauty, that you show,
Necessitating a glow of gratitude,
Making every heart around blossom; including mine,
Into a phase of flowery growth.

Only a word from you,
Lucid declarations of truth,
Always spiced with nectar,
Optimum taste, your words engender,
Golden thoughts they leave behind,
Utopia is a very close reality to you,
Naturally, you remain embedded in my heart.
Reaching into the deepest recess of my heart you've gotten there,
Even previously unexplored terrains, you've left your mark,
Making a blazing trail of fire,
Igniting every grateful bone in me? all
.
Only time will tell?
Looking back; first time, I knew a friend,
All my senses screamed! This is going to be great,
Me thought , o well? defy convention,
Indeed, I find I am right,
Daily, I can only smile in remembrance,
Intact, still I know the friendship remains,
Perhaps, distance may separate,
Until then, I will relax;
Praying that it is not too soon,
Or that it is never? or do I dare?

Oh well, whatever?
Pity says goodbye when the break comes,
Always though, one thought remains,
Knowing you; is a wonderful blessing,
Singing for joy; bringing my heart delight?the song continues

Jehovah! My father; unworthy though I am,
Enclosing me in a warm cocoon of love,
Saying: ?Come home my daughter?
Unrelenting still my redemption to fulfill.
Surely, I know not a greater love.

Counsellor, yes you are?
Helping my muddled life,
Rearranging the details, my mess cleared up,
Installing new life, with a force unequalled,
Standing in my place, for me a pardon to get,
Taking me; a life turned around- my love, my life I owe