There is a land-
In the heart of Africa, fainting in memories of past labor
Whose people hope, expecting a better tomorrow yet unseen!
Vultures lunch on her fertile cakes, alone, with cruel eyes,
Leaving leftovers for the birds, who have nothing but tears to shed.
There is a land-
Where Justice is benched for injustice to play,
Where love is quenched, disallowed to shine in truth,
Where honesty hisses, disgruntled, letting sleeping dogs lie
And gullible cocks to yawn in hunger at dawn!
There is a land-
Filled with men, roaming about with certificates of corruption!
The love of God waxes cold in her fertile hearts,
Occupied with cruel wickedness and lost in empty toiling.
There Dispute dances with glee, crunching her fertility!
There is a land-
Where grayed hair is sheltered with childishness,
The poor embrace humble poverty, smoothening wrinkled hope.
Yet, the rich boastfully ride in ornate caterpillars,
Donning agbada’s with pride, posing as gods in a fading world!
There is a land-
Where vows and promised agenda’s have vanished into thin air,
Replaced by empty glories and evil boastfully terrorizes the peace!
There the crowd of illiterates and mismanagers are the bane,
Chewing yet unharvested progress, on armored seat of selfish ego!
There is a land-
Where the men and women are but filled bags of lawlessness!
It basks in the shade of assassinated unity and adulterated idiosyncrasies!
I pity the land for reckless wasters are diluting her national policies
With colossal amounts of ignorance, touted as golden wisdom!
There is a land-
It is a great city of diverse people, who could have made a difference,
Standing in the gaping gap for their raped land that it may flourish!
But today, lost in shallow dreams and blinded to unified vision,
They misplace her tomorrow, raping the hope of her today!
But this is our land
The cross is ours to bear: Make it a better place.
And keep the flame of hope burning with love,
While changing ourselves from within and without
That we may heal our fading land!
God bless the land!
meet the poet: Moses Opara
