The lovely white rays of the moon
is brighter than that of my lantern.
What can beat the light of God's creation?
Oh, not man's invention no matter how he yearns.

NEPA has taken their Electricity
and left us in utter darkness.
It is a shame that even in my fatherland's FCT,
many things are seriously in a mess.

Can I buy a gallon of water please?
I know its 20 Naira, but please take fifteen.
"No" he says with a face filled with sweat, thick as grease,
He's working for money and he's not yet a teen.

No light, no water, are we developing?
"Yes we are" - lets put it in a positive light,
"No we arent", we are backward trecking,
if we look at reality aright.

Tomorrow is Monday and I'll ride Okada,
from one pothole, we'll jump into another.
After a hearty breakfast, then comes diarrhea,
everything in the internal, wound up together.

Another encounter with those green striped buses,
"Enter with your change" and sit on almost bare metal,
In a heavy traffic, in a hot bus, with no where to hide,
numbness is soon to come for the large and the small's.

Finally, when I get down, stiff as a plank,
early morning, with shirt and tie, and drenched in sweat.
I give God Almighty another vote of thanks
for soon, I'll dry up and begin to smell like spoilt meat.

So I wish the day to quickly pass by
let it be breaktime and half the day is soon gone.
I'm working and doing nothing is the truth and not a lie,
this was not my wish the day I was born.

But tomorrow will soon be over,
and I'll be tormented again on the bus.
I pray Mr Okada wont jump from hole to gutter
its a prayer, not a curse.

And I'll be back to my room, sweet room,
and NEPA would have done what it does best.
I won't expect light or water and even if I do, from where?
for I'll have passed another days test.

And then I'll be back here again staring at the moonlight
enjoying the colors of the nightsky,
I will savor the fresh air tomorrow night,
because NEPA would have taken its electricity.

© John "The Beloved" Ajewole - November 17, 2002