Article

Poetry: Let us burn Nigeria down

by Soyombo Ayomikun

 

Let us burn Nigeria down

1. So the ethnic deceptions
Can end,
So we can greedily share Nigeria
Once and for all
And part with her ashes,
Ashes that definitely will be
Bitter and
Nauseating,
Let us burn Nigeria
Down

2. So the ‘oil tribes’
Can drink their oil
Alone,
So the ‘cattle tribes’
Can feed on their herds
In peace,
So the ‘cocoa man’
Can in isolation
Drink his coco ‘happily,’
So Nigeria can be dissected
Into heavy atoms of sorrow
All because understanding
Ourselves
Has become impossible,
Let us burn Nigeria
Down

3. So the Igbo mother
With a Yoruba husband and children in
Osun
Can return eastward with
Tears in her eyes and
Sores in her heart,
So the Hausa trader in
Awka
Can be carried back home
Lifeless,
So the Yoruba boy
Who has always known the
North to be home
Can return west
An orphan,
Let us burn Nigeria
Down

4. So we can
Let loose the demons
In us
With blood dripping down long
Fangs
After attacking and
Murdering ourselves,
So the world can start
Racing down to Africa
To settle yet another squabble
Of a people marching bare-chested
Around as men
But are simply ignorant children
Deep inside,
So we can be captured
By foreign cameras
Marasmic, all bony,
Hungrily devouring donations
From beyond the Atlantic,
Let us burn Nigeria
Down

5. So we can realise
How wonderful, priceless
and fragile peace is,
So we can make the
Needless discovery
Of how foolish plundering
All we are
Is, of how glorious
Honestly conversing and
Truly listening to
Ourselves is,
So Nigeria can finally rest from our
Collective stupidity
Let us burn Nigeria
Down…errm,
To the ground.


Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Soyombo Ayomikun tweets from @alabaster85

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail