Soyombo Ayomikun: Use the rod and kill the child (Poetry)

by Soyombo Ayomikun

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This Usain Bolt holds no world records. But has rich ‘compound records’. Whenever he chases his children in his compound he wins. Subsequently beating the hell out of them. He’s the Nigerian parent. Who believes training a child is synonymous to beating

I heard the thumping footsteps
A race between the hunter & the hunted
He wore a stained white singlet
Eyes red as balls of fire
He held a long fat baton
He is a Nigerian man chasing his disobedient daughter

They raced round the compound
Corporal punishment on father’s mind
He felt madness had settled in his daughter’s heart
Only hot beating would melt the evil
He shouted something like “ko ni da fun e” (You won’t be successful in life)
“Baba oloshi,” she replied likewise (Worthless father)

As they raced aimlessly around
Daughter tripped on a stone & fell
She hit her head on concrete becoming unconscious
The discipline-conscious father proceeding with the beating
When his eyes ‘cleared’ he saw her body limp
He just killed his only daughter

This Usain Bolt holds no world records
But has rich ‘compound records’
Whenever he chases his children in his compound he wins
Subsequently beating the hell out of them
He’s the Nigerian parent
Who believes training a child is synonymous to beating

“It is African to BEAT a child
Pathetic to rub their heads”
That’s how we boast of our ‘holiest’ culture
Like that is what indeed cleanses our world
But then,the leaders ruining us today were once children
Well beaten by their well-meaning parents

Perhaps there’s more
To training children into becoming souls of honour
Sensible beating may not be entirely wrong
Something greater,though,could help achieve more
Children want to be inspired into purpose
An inspiration that can’t be induced by a cain

I have seen children well beaten
Transformed into terrors that killed their parents
I have seen children well beaten
Who, however, chose to listen all to become great
I have seen children not really beaten
Just by choice embracing wisdom becoming great

Children are not drums
Created for straddling & beating
Parents are not supposed to be terrorists
Heating up the home into the similitude of hell
Children thrive within walls of love
Nothing influences them more than the world we create

We don’t want to spare the rod
And spoil the child
We should not also with wrath use the rod
And at the end kill the child
Anger yields nothing positive
It’s such a dangerous drive when correcting a child

Please take a break
When you start causing bruises on your children
If you strike them in frustration you loose respect
When you shout obscenities at them your honour gets buried
Africa has not asked us to punish our children till death
We can only instill values by living honourably ourselves

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Soyombo Ayomikun tweets from @alabaster85

 

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

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