Poetry

Mohamed Badr

By

Oki Kehinde Julius

For How Long?

stop! —i said stop

cajoling our thirsty oesophagus,

with cold water of economy ‘recession’.

for how long shall we wait

at the temple of sea-sore?

when our palm is deprived

from picking the sparkling coweries of nature…

for how long,

will our once adored naira

enjoy the hot lashes of ‘koboko’

from the hand of dollar and euro?

for how long,

will the blood of innocent souls

spring and flow like ‘mississippi’?

eroding the bank of river niger,

sending benue to exile!

for how long,

shall we continue to recite the pledges

of serving our father’s land,

with all our strength and might?

can a hungry man serve

with a hungry belly

hunger has flattered

like tattered slippery slippers?

for how long

shall we keep our eyes,

on the north and south of our doors?

awaiting the arrival of our chibok princess,

whose fate had crowned

the queen of sambissa;

or should we await the day

they will return with twins and triplet?

offspring born in anguish and pain,

without the solace of bride-price and marriage.

for how long,

shall we allow our feet to dance

to the tune of bomb-blast?

when we know our lives

will be the ransom

to pay for this melody of gboooooah!

for how long,

will peace keep bowing down to war?

when insurgency chooses to wear the royal crown

and terrorism forces appraises from masses’ mouths.

for how long,

will the indigene of niger-area

keep chanting—we want biafra!

when their fore-fathers

were the bricklayers

that mounted the brick of nigeria?

for how long,

shall we keep preaching

tribal mark of religion?

when only one God

birthed the triplet religion

on the maternity bed of nigeria.

for how long,

will parents keep digging

the grave of their murdered children

with agony of gnashing teeth

and shovel of their salty tears?

for how long,

shall we keep folding our arms,

expecting the falling of manna

when our isrealite

is no more in the republic of wilderness?

for how long

will our crippled economy,

move around with wheel chair

on the orbit of africa?

for how long nigeria!

for how long will it be!

for how long!

how long!

long!

will it be?

Oki Kehinde Julius

Poet Oki Kehinde Julius is a renowned and prolific writer who hails from Okitipupa, in Ondo-state Nigeria. He is currently an undergraduate engineering student and a Christian by faith.

Okilux, by poetic name is a spoken words artist whose prowess performance has mounted the boundary of difference between him and other slam performers. He has won laurel in both spoken slam and page poetry. He won the “MOST INFLUENCIAL BEST POET OF THE YEAR 2015” from “Paragon Poetry Contest” in addition to being inducted in 2015 into the “Communty Of Thought And Society” and awarded the position of Writer1 in the League.

His work has featured in both local, national and international magazines and was shortlisted among the Top 30 page ‘Poets that rocks’2015 by BLACK PRIDE MAGAZINE. He was also nominated by TUCK MAGAZINE, among the 168 Writers of 2015 with poetry, article and fiction.

He is currently holding the position of Writer1/Media Officer at CHRYSOLITE WRITERS TEAM and as Moderator at Literary Planet Poetry.