they have torn the regalia
of peace
they have worn the mask
of war
they have adorned their heads
with beads
of doublespeak
they have plaited our paths
with thread
of hunger
they have armed their teeth
with shrapnel
of deceits
they have deregulated our stomachs
with needles
of pains
they have regulated their bellies
with barrels
of crude oil money
their republic have won
bronze medal
of most corrupt country
their flowing "adire" robes sweep dust
of death
into our eyes,
our eyes, dusty and jaundiced
blinks in the throes
of their unregulated greed.
Patrick Iria Uanseru, a graduate in Theatre Arts from the University of Calabar, is from an agrarian community called Uokha, Edo State, Nigeria.
