A PENITENT’S PRAYER

One restless night...I slept...I dreamt...I woke...but I had had a broken night...unbalanced night rest...unstable dreams...and when I woke, all the things I wanted to say in prose were scattered...and my wet-hand shaking...coz I've had a broken memory...Yet, all the things I have wanted to say that morning in prose, I could only sing in quiet low songs...this 'Blessed Night of Majesty' called 'LAILATUL-QADRI' in this Blessed Month of Ramadan!

Forgive! Have mercy upon me…O Lord!

For my doom now I fear by thy word

I know thy cautions always I defy

But do not my penitence deny

O Lord! I bow down before thy will

And now, tears have my eyes fill

My heart wails…trembles with shame

My stubbornness now myself deny and blame

The time I should not’ve thy boundary crossed

I snubbed! In earthly lust was I engrossed

Ah! All’s vanity! My journey…now resilience

I am but only a mortal in penitence

Lord! If thou have mercy upon me

And let thy forgiveness be

I shall forever cease my penniless mortal’s ills

And never again question whatever thy wills

You gave me life, sustenance and protection

Now I fervently seek thy redemption

From this stubborn ungrateful ignorant soul

Which’ve swept thy mercy beneath it’s sole

O Lord! Forgive me; Let me be wise

Cover me from all worldly vice

Show me the way to offer my thanks

That I be placed among the grateful ranks

O Lord! I have done great wrongs

And wounded my soul with rotten prongs

If thou me not forgive and let thy mercy boom

I shall melt away to eternal doom

Forgive me…accept my penitence, O Lord!

I, like a tamed lion bow now to thy WORD

My futile journey’s end…now resilience

I am but only a mortal in penitence.

B I R D W I N G!

                                               
 Oh! How strange it thus beats my imagination to be so lucky to have the rare fantastic day-dreaming of the most attractive Birdwing experience at Litchfield, Minnesota, USA. I drove through the Majestic gate of Birdwing estate to appreciate the abundant wildlife with that country's setting. Suddenly, there emerged a changing beautiful Minnesota's season and what appeared to me like apparitions were the wonderful way with which the beautiful white pelicans were gliding joyously upon the blue- white sky, and the trumpeters swans also imposed their massive migration on the scene, mystical and envious eagles soaring with quarries of straws in their wandering beaks.
                                 

The most fantastic thing that never failed to caught my attention was the memorable, but glamorous sight of roaming bears which reminded me of the historical badgers of "THE COLD MOONS" who eventually roamed about their found ELYSSIA in tranquility after long journeys through the THE COLD MOONS raising a resounding chorus of thanks and praises,which was heralded simultaneously far away NEW YORK by the spectacular thundering roar of the blue-ridge NIAGARA falls 

and the gentle continuous oscillating strike of the PHILADELPHIA's Liberty-Bell.

Hummmm...Can it be true that I was only but dreaming of the most spectacular places on earth, the experience of which I've never had in my life ...the B...I...R...D...W...I...N...G !? But how I wish it come to memory, listening to the soothing and peaceful sound of the Liberty Bell...gbam...gbam...gbam...

------------

NEMESIS

Nemesis!

O Nemesis it is…

What are these? Am I dreaming?

What apparition plunge

My skull to constriction?

My mind’s vision

My power will to cease?

By murderers…ferocious…foreign…

And familiar sensations…

Like hired assassins!

O Nemesis it is!

Our house is crashing

Under the yoke

Of borrowed civilizations;

Atheism…Alcoholism…

 Paganism…Promiscuity and hooliganism!

While our masters

Plunder on our treasury

There is war everywhere!

And the rest of us

Wallow in abject poverty

And dine with hunger

Our indispensable mortal enemy!

Aids too…crept in silently

Like thieves to horrify our lives

With un-atonable demands

And all our manpower

Are dropping dead

By the menace of these dreaded gods

That must be worshipped

With sacrifices every seasons

O Nemesis it is!

Alas! Our future is nothing

But bleak

And there is no known hope

To lean on

Except to remember

And turn back to pay homage

To the willful Will

Of our forgotten Mighty Master.

The Plot

This powerful and thought-provoking poem was composed and written on Tuesday, June 12, 2001 at about 2:45am. The poem is a reflection on the consequential and skeletal predicaments every Nigerians find themselves today. Whatever the condition of the average Nigerian at present - economic-wise, education, political and socio-cultural problems – they are paying the ultimate price for the lots of wrong done on this Land.

This country called Nigeria, is full if sins – transported from the so called western civilization; I mean (Ignorance) by Nigerians themselves, in deviance of God’s Laws. Nigerians have long been disobeying and disregarding God’s own powerful omnipotent and omniscience laws and regulations in terms of restrictions and commandments. And the ultimate consequence of man’s obstinacy to his all-powerful God is severe punishments. Hence, NEMESI! The price paid for wrongs done, vengeance, repercussion! Therefore, the Nemesis on the sins and atrocities Nigerians have committed are the bad consequences of what we are experiencing today in Nigeria. What a NEMESI!

What a Nemesis! There is peace no more in the Land. Security is scarce like gold. People are dying of poverty and hunger. Our leaders too, are no more kind to us and there is injustice everywhere. Murder, Assassinations and Unheard Terror!...claimed supremacy. Out of hunger and thirst, our throat feels like sandpaper and our heads pound everyday like a Big Drum! AIDS…like monster Neo-gods whose eyes were as red as a burning coals unleash their terror upon our children…our youths…our future and leaders, remaining like skeletons, scarecrows of tattered rags buried on the grounds.

We have no hope for bright future as we are plunged in indefinite sufferings – the consequence of our unbelief attitudes, ignoramus behavious, cruel and self-egoistic actions and moral corruptions devoid of divine guidance. This is Nemesis! God’s vengeance!

But to get out of these pitiable mess? There is only one way! And that is to turn back to God, the omnipotent and omniscience, our creator, in repentance and respect His Will and have regards to His divine Laws and Commandments – which are sources of guidance for us…all of us in Nigeria and the world over. That is the only solution; the only way to get out of this NEMESIS!  

MIDNIGHT RAPE

They come suddenly'n'murder my sleep

Altering my dreams I wake up'n'weep

Every night that I lay upon my bed

        Snoring deep like a dead                                               
They come suddenly'n'murder my sleep 

Altering my dreams I wake up'n'weep

...Rats plunder my stock

Bed-bugs, mosquitoes prey upon my blood'n'suck

Rattling, struggling, dragging, Rats plunder my stock

Bed-bugs, mosquitoes prey upon my blood'n'suck

Small cockroaches too invade'n'*Tambolo* will bite

For blood-suckers, before dawn're all out of sight

...'n'*Tambolo will bite

Why they come at such a time I snore deep

I do not know, but their menace'll make me weep

Even I cannot my sweet dreams hold'n'save

Coz every time of my night's a midnight rape...

            -  by ---- Adeola Goloba

*Tambolo :- is a Yoruba word (a Nigerian Language) for a very small and tiny wild brown Ant that stings. 

This poem is a metaphor of what an average poor Nigerian goes through every moments of his life. It is a solidarity call to his plights and his lamentations...a constant reminder to the outright resistance against the unending socio-economic warfare launched by the few political affluent upon the poor masses of our Great Nation called NIGERIA.

We must fight!...fight...fight...and fight!...to the last... 

…No Longer Wanted In the Gallows: Slavery: Man’s Inhumanity against Man

Historically, every man evolved from a common origin, out of which they got divided into different tribes, countries and classes. It is also a known fact that man like a sailor, voyaged into this God-given and egalitarian world and carry with him destined mark of honour, nobility and dignity.

Therefore, every man is equal, and since they emanated from the same single parent, it would definitely amount to an act of barbarism, animalism, terrorism and inhumanity for man to see and take his fellow man as a subject of material exploitation in all ramifications.

From time immemorial, every man is equal, everybody is born free, however, after some factors set in which in accordance with the natural laws and the unchanging system of life, a Muslim philosopher ‘Dr. Mustapha Sibai’ said “Some individuals advance in life and others lag behind. Some prosperous and others indigent. An individual becomes the ruler and a nation becomes subjugated. Some are white skinned and others get tanned or even become black…” hence the sudden emergence of a barbaric civilization which rid man of love, generosity, cooperation and equality, and consequently treats man with hatred, malice, dissention, degraded man and kept him continually under unnecessary subjugation of slavery.

Slavery, as we know it to be is definitely an act or system by which man mercilessly and greedily takes undue advantage of the misfortunes that unfortunately befall fellow man. No wonder this is actually what ‘David Diop’, a Senegalese celebrated poet meant when he described the colonial masters who subjected Africa to slavery as “Vultures” in one of his poems, protesting against the evils of colonialism and slavery. He also made this clear in another poem “Africa” where he clearly exposes the conditions of mindless subjugation to which the African Blacks were put by the greedy white colonialists.

In addition, Africa, as far back as 17th Century and other nations of the world were unfortunately held by incontinental fatigue and slumbered deep, only to wake up and received a deadly blow on their faces from the cruel hands of slavery. Africa for instance, in both Anglophone and Francophone West-Africa, was colonized and subjected into slavery by the white British and French invaders respectively. They came not only to colonize Africa but also tortured, oppressed, exploited her citizens and greedily carted away a large amount of her human and material resources to develop their own countries.

During which this process of selfish and malicious machinations by the white colonialists were at work, many of the great and courageous African Nationalists arise from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Liberia, Cameroun, and South-Africa e.t.c. They effortlessly confronted their white masters and fought against this act of barbarism. These people heroically never lost their breath until they were able to bring a dramatic stop into slavery which gave birth to the slave abolition of 1916. Those who were earlier on put under severe colonial control, guardianship, and seen as properties of the white marauders, who were unable to own a property, land or house of their own even in their own Mother-Land were finally let loose to take their destiny into their own hands.

Furthermore, many of the African Nationalists who gallantly fought against slavery, fought both in silence and in echoes. They did this successfully by the mighty power of their tongues and pens, especially those who were writers and poets among them. Never will history forget the brave hearts of Jomo Kenyata of Kenya, Obafemi Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Prof. Chinua Achebe and Prof. Wole Shoyinka of Nigeria among others. The renown Senegalese poet, David Diop, Benibengor Bay of Ghana, Crispin Dempster, a Liberian writer, Mbella Sonne Dipoko from Cameroun and Denis Brutus, Arthur Nortje, Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali and the ‘Madiba’ Dr. Nelson Mandela of South-Africa will forever remain in the good and memorable pages of history for what they have done to denounce slavery and colonialism.

Profoundly, many of these people in their works and poetry collections expose the evil nature of those who introduced slavery and slavery itself. They also out-rightly denounced slavery which tries to deny the humanity of Africans. For example, ‘David Diop’ who wrote “Africa” and “Vultures” and ‘Mbella’s “Our History” and “Pain” all captured the dehumanizing treatments meted out to the Africans during the slave trade of the colonial era. Infact, the situation was so critical in South-Africa where Apartheid system of rule was unjustly imposed upon the blacks to reduce them to animal level and inflicted mental, physical and psychological pains on their body and spirits. Denis, Arthur and Mtshali respectively exposed this act in their poems. For instance, ‘Denis’ in “Sometimes They Squat on the Floor” sympathetically described the physical conditions of the black innocent prisoners during that time. ‘Arthur and Mtshali’ also projected this in the following poems “Bitter Fragments” and “Nightfall In Soweto”.

Slavery, which had brought untold doom upon man in the past although is actually formally abolished but in reality, slavery still lingers, even in this our modern society and people wallow in it, where their freedom, honour and dignity are still being carelessly trampled upon. This is what made the late Pa Obafemi Awolowo to lament that “Society no longer can continue to live half-slave, half-free…”. Therefore, today, people are still living in the advance form of slavery, both locally and internationally, because people’s rights and freedom are always stylishly and forcefully taken away from them by those who claim to have power over them, and also claimed to be the super-power of the world. They have achieved this by every means especially America and other Western Nations who subject the weak ones to unnecessary mental, physical and psychological slavery through their military might and electronic media machines. For example, all the inhuman U.S foreign policies and mass murder committed in Africa and the Middle-East.

Finally, slavery in all its ramifications, physical, mental, psychological and economic slavery is an act of inhumanity against man by fellow man which attempts to graps away the freedom and honour of man, and then put his life at stake. ‘Williams Shakespeare’ was right when he said “Mine honour is my life; both grow in one, take honour away from me, and my life is done”. The late Frederic Douglass, a Black-American unrepentant human right activist finally hit the nail on the head by saying that “No man cannot be truly free, whose liberty is dependent upon the thought, feeling, and action of others and who has himself no means in his hands for guarding, protecting, defending and maintaining that liberty. The law on the side of freedom is of great advantage only where there is (absolute) power to make that law respected”.

Therefore, our responsibility now is to see that this act of barbarism and inhumanity against man is finally checked, so as to make this world a peaceful paradise. Infact, we should never stop to always register our songs into their ears, minds and their entire system that African Blacks and Man in general have got dignity, honour and nobility. Today, I am still hoping and still believing that...with our brother, Barak Obama, as the number one man in the world, the future is very bright for humanity. That our time has come to share and grow. That Africans Blacks and Colored human race are a people and nations no longer wanted in the gallows.