'Nigeria'

For the recent Senior Poetry Prize, Oluwakorede Oyegbade wrote this poem about his native country, which Mr Canning called 'exceptional'.


Nigeria
 

A fruitful land of magnificent, majestic grandeur,

Green pastures, blue sky and exquisite radiant sun.

How vibrantly the coloured plumages of birds soaring by,

The flowing mane of the horses jumping high.

The exuberance and ebullience of the natives

Dancing, singing and expressing their creativity,

For this is how we convey our passion,

The perfect epitome of self expression.

For supremacy and dominance have control over all things,

Their chains wrapped around our hands like handcuffs.

Inferior we are to them, who stare in the mirror beside many,

But notice only their two squinting eyes gleaming with self adoration.

An empty void fills their chest, they fail to provide for the rest.

The land becomes barren and unfruitful

As the superior laugh and purloin.

The situation worsens and we suffer in silence.

The idea of change becomes merely a facade.

On our knees we get down and pray

To the Most High, who makes it possible to see another day.

Our desires they diminish and trample, but our spirits they shall not devour.

Faith and hope our most prized possession,

As we put on our masks of pretence.

Therefore our creativity we must establish, our humour we must pursue

For although the body looks weary,

Our souls must never worry.