Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Endgame Blues

You may suppress the news
not the views
People are people
You may suppress the rumours
not the tumours
Ripples are ripples
Many disguise for power
eat power as flour
drink power as soda
garnish every guile and guise
By their trip, pray power
tears and laughter be endgame
Soon the lost and lusting
goes consuming
gets presumptive
stays deceptive
Marauders are marauders
From the cliff of bile and brigand
it is ramble, gamble, bramble
Oh power, behold the tumble
behold the endgame!


You may distort the news
not the views
Facts are facts
You may distort the budgets
not the targets
Fiction is fiction
Many disguise in power
trade myth as mystery
travesty as majesty
brandish every guile and guise
How your mirrors hide your tumours
and horrors pride as honours
be our note to sages - pray, unknot
How your carrots pay for pirates
and sticks slay our patriots
be the note of ages - pray, unknot
Fate-tempters in grimey game
losing rafter in sure endgame
Hate-prompters of hellish pride
oozing chapters we so deride
Pray power, call in sages
not marabouts - 
truths are bold roundabouts
upheld from ages
They will bind your guile
break each guise and disguise
Oh power, behold the honey
behold the bees...
enjoy the roses, endure the thorns
Serve and be served...
deserve and preserve
As you proceed, pray power
behold the game, the fame
behold the endgame!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Rains of Glory

The rains are pouring today
Will it be gory terrain
or glory again
Dream on, people
but work your dream
The rains are pouring again
Will it be? Will it be?
Ask no question! Ask no question
without action!
Bards have sung before
The rains are pouring again
Oh benefits
Ye deficits
The rains, the rains
the pains, the pains
The rains are pouring again
Hurrays
and horrors
The rains, the rains
the gains, the gains
The rains are pouring again
Rains of glory are for poor and rich
Pouring again in pains and gains
The wise are poring over plans, over facts
and actions
Fools are boring everyone with begging
commotion, haunting concoctions
So there’ll be pains in the rains
gains in the rains
with chains of stories for rich and poor
The rains are pouring again
Will it be? Will it be?
Ask no question! Ask no question
without action!
The sage has spoken before
Rains of glory, rains of glory:
You pour for all, fall for all
Who will rise will rise
You come for all, cease for all
Who will seize will seize
Rains of glory, rains of glory
I rise for benefits to work the pains -
work, work and work
I seize the moment as my raiment -
work, work and work
I’ll work the rains to earn the glory

 - work, work and work
Hear ye the bards, heed thou the sage
Alas, the rains are pouring again!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

We Know Not

If we knew!

The mysteries of life
are the higher levels of knowledge
which outclass human permutations
benumbs human connotations
giving us shivers and sun
making living challenge and fun!

If we knew!

Must we know
Why should we be aware
Even in our non-knowing
we act, perform and play as gods:
Playing God!

If we knew…

If man were to know
if he knows his hollowness
and the mighty void he can’t fill
if he knows the holiness
that carries life on creation’s path
his faith will drive his fate
his say will be his way
Yes, he would save his world
 as he saves himself
he would bless our world
as he keeps his word
The huge emptiness of boasts
as if he owns tomorrow
as if he made life
as if he be more than man
will fizzle fast

If we knew…
we be mere MORTAL!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Why Bother?

Too many rivers to cross
Too many bridges unseen

Too many moaners around
Too many needy to give
When we look around
not seeing
we smell luxury
in our food

Too many chores to grind
Too many mortars unfound
Too many instruments to play
Too much energy unsecured
As light goes, sweat comes
or noise comes, noisy time
which takes our senses apart

Hmm…
If you listen they speak
When you speak, if you speak
only you listen to self
Yes, too many bridges unseen!

The REWARD

Don’t tell me to listen
even as I gear my ears
or I will switch off
Don’t ask me to follow
though I like to tow
or I will turn off
My joy is not for toy
nor my reward by wads
I ride a conscience train

Why ask me to train
and give me the drain
or am I the pawn
Why ask them the route
then give me the drill
am I the chess
Listen to the droppings again:
where will the dawn lead
Come to the village again:
who is your arrow-head
The cash? Or the pipe
The hunch? Or the hunt

As you go, dear driller
the reward be clear, and revered
Tell it, trail it
As you wine, dear driller
chew on it, dream of it
For those who went before
have marked the narrow path

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

It's The System, Stupid

Built system
broken units
and it suits
Broken system
built units
and it sues
The system fails all
upon its turns:
we, at the manholes
you, gouging on loopholes
In time man mans the holes
we're safe at home
In the end loop bares the loot
you're safely hung
Yes, the system

Saturday, October 02, 2010

My Special Apologies!

Anyone who knows Nigeria and Nigerians knows that we are very passionate about our dear nation, and go the extra mile to mull over her. We will not be put down or held down. Ask the colonialists, ask the military, ask the Third Termists! Read up on the Nigeria vs Niger Delta conundrum. Ask the so-called "cabal" that held our late President Yar'Adua and his regime by the jugular! Just to add a more current scent, ask our soccer (mis)representatives - the Super Eagles (?) – to the just-concluded FIFA World Cup in South Africa: For earning us such a poor grade, and not rising to the challenge of making Africa proud in the first-ever mundial on African soil, they are being roasted! This, despite our criminal and incriminating absence of focus, bad and improper coordination, the palpable fraud in sports administration - not unlike everywhere else - late and inadequate preparation, and an ageing squad!!

Followers of this site may recall my passion and commitment when all was well. So, for me to be off - sort of AWOL - all these months is the most painful and depressing blow my country has dealt me thus far. Recall, dear friends, that we've had hitches and glitches before: Internet Access wahala. And the usual apologies followed. However, this time, it became very clear that there was a plot to "under-DIGITALize" the nation! The official national carrier, NITEL, had been "cornered" along with SAT-3, the submarine cable. As my preferred ISP and Nigeria's Internet backbone, we have been virtually crippled in the last 20+ months! I got very angry and decided to await the Glo-1 and Main One submarine cables being deployed by some great patriots Mike Adenuga (I told you before) and Fola Adeola (founder of GTB Bank) + Ms Opeke (a Telecoms Amazon). I will revisit this subject sometime soon.

If it cost these firms less than US$1.5bn to land their cables in West Africa, we could have wired up the Whole of Africa with US$5bn a few years back. Yet, Nigeria paid over US$15bn to exit her so-called "external debt", to the London and Paris Clubs of Creditors!! Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria & South Africa should have paid US$5bn to put their continent on a 21st Century Internet pedestal, under the proud auspices of the African Union. It would have been easier, cheaper and faster. Thank God for our conscientious compatriots and their likes around Africa, and within the African Diaspora.

Returning to my blogs, and remaining online, was my only condition for re-subscribing to any ISP. I have used most of what was on offer, and, along with other nationals, the story has been sad. So sad. Since you are reading this, it means I'm fairly confident I now have a good deal. Well, I hope!

My apologies to you all. If you had any lashes for my back for going AWOL, spare them: I've groaned under the harshest possible punishment: not being able to "speak" with you, "share" with you, in this privileged and enthralling zone of our Online Commons!!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

What Shall We Tell Them?

The picture is the picture
and we live the facts
But the picture ain't right image
and the acts deny the facts
When our neighbours frown
what shall we tell them

The figures are the figures
and we know the facts
But the figures ain't translating
and the nation is stagnating
When our children cry
what shall we tell them

The speeches are the speeches
and we know the facts
But the speeches ain't conveying
and the nation is decaying
When our parents bleed
what shall we tell them

The experts are the experts
and we have the best
But the experts serve another
and the nation seems asunder
When investors cringe
what shall we tell them

The clerics are the preachers
and we know the facts
But religion turns pavilion
as vices hit contagion
When ancestors call
what shall we tell them

The braindrain is economic
and we know the facts
But the drain can be sweetgain
once leaders stop their looting
When the UN screams
what shall we tell them

The new world is the New World -
knowledge, culture, nature
And every bit we have lots
begging honest action
When tomorrow does call
let the nation stand tall
For, once we earn the victory
we have lots to tell them!

Count Your Silence

Life causes scant pause
but we must pause
or be paused...
both by a cause, for a cause
and the pulse of our source
The course of life
is thus rife for strife

Then silence...
the elders' sentence
is balm

Hmm. Elders!

Deal and Dealt

Deal a hand
dealt a hand

Strived for orange
were served lemon?
Ha ha ha!
Strife not, oh striver...
Lemonade it
and serve with glee
Ha ha ha!

Dealt a hand
deal a hand

Jubilee Knocks!

Thank God for both big and small mercies! I am writing with great gratitude myself, as with my dear country Nigeria, for resuming my blogs on the eve of our Fiftieth Independence Anniversary. Details will follow on why and how I've been off. But I apologize sincerely.

As I write, there is optimism in the air and in my own heart. If we cannot speak for the past, we can certainly play a worthy part in the plans for the future. These are indeed challenging times, exciting times, momentous times.

Your humble blogger shall do his bit. May God's Plan for country and citizen be fulfilled in Jesus' Name. Amen.

God bless NIGERIA!