ILAJE

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ILAJE

 
A land of milk and honey
A microcosm of Nigeria
surrounded in the north by Ikale
south by Atlantic Ocean
west by the Ijebu
east by Itsekiri
she can beat her chest 'cos she's so un-barren
she abounds in natural resources
God knows  -
how many feet you are suspended by waters.
Nigeria's treasure chest owes a lot to her
she possesses what people call the black gold
the gold that brings joy to the citizenry of other societies
put food on people's table.
Yet as in other climes
cud this precious treasure depth
be both a blessing and a curse.

Ilaje
are u awake?
your occupation is dying
the people are crying
the virile beds -
once the pride of the Western Nigeria
now a wasteland
raped of her dignity - her intellectual resources
she cries inside
can she ever be repaired?
can this prey indeed be rescued?
from the exploitative terrible that sets desolate a rich land
hungry hounds - most laced with fat around their neck
title men too thirsty to be sated with what ruins they have wrought
they conspire total destruction

Ilaje
how could have known? Or -
shouldn't you have known?
You were the pride of the west
too worthy to be laid futile
robbed of your possessions
striped down to shame
look you now -
bereft of even square metre to till the once-virile bed
water to drink -
your land is irrevocably polluted
even more ironical,
u have what u don't have.

Ilaje
where are your children?
have they also been lulled
with the same disillusioned capsules as you

Life is beautiful
Ilaje - you are beautiful
wake up from this dangerous slumber
the land is taken from you,
your children deceived
they have left their inheritance

Ilaje mourns
she's wailing,
she calls out to her children to help her frail aged self
remember the shoot that forget to tap
from the root is doomed to eventual death

Ilaje wake up,
the very reason u live is taken.

Comments

  1. Dedoyin Shobo20 April 2018 at 23:28

    one of my sweetest. I wrote this piece in 2011 during NYSC.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KayJay21 April 2018 at 01:01

    Beautiful piece bro. I'd suggest you do away with the abbreviations and colloquial words though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dedoyin Shobo21 April 2018 at 03:05

      Thanks KayJay,your observations are on-point. The piece was written 8 years ago. I just wanted to leave in its original form.

      Delete
  3. Unknown21 April 2018 at 01:26

    Seriously? Well done Sir. Keep shattering the ceiling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dedoyin Shobo21 April 2018 at 03:07

      Thank you sir, we can only do so much. Great memories of the NYSC program

      Delete

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