Our present situation
Serves as a negative salutary reminder,
Of the geopolitical constellation,
In a contraption called Nigeria.

The casus belli was the slave trade,
Before the burgeoning commerce with Europeans,
The change of the times and the internecine
Shifts of power brought us here.

We had hoped for a country with
Social, religious, cultural and political harmony,
Now we huddle in a broken rampart,
With little hope, vision or purpose.

No more visible peps,
But despair in our steps,
And the bite marks of austerity,
Due to unbridled economic rascality -
Show clearly on our prosperity.

We still watch and wait as the
River snakes itself through the thickets and shrubs.

Orok Otu Duke
Duke Town