Tuesday, December 10, 2019

THE BLACK OWL



Blue sky appears reddish at sunset
Milk powder crooks dark when burnt
When an emperor is encircled by schemers
All is lost without notice or warning
Ignorance chops away wisdom and wit
It breeds arrogance and blinds the heart
What a pity, a city and its people doomed
Its emperor is acting wild dog, barking loud
Now a wounded lion roaring with indignation
I saw him climbing to the tree top like a monkey
The black Owl is skyward, soaring in the air
One of its wings has broken…
It did not notice it!

© Yusuf M. Adamu, 2019 (8:34pm. Dec. 10)




Thursday, August 8, 2019

KANO CITY WALL

What is Kano without its city walls?
Built centuries ago with a sense of grace
It is our identity and cultural achievement
So imposing, intimidating, a grand monument
It is our pride and collective memory
Today, a gray shadow of its grandeur
Kano is naked, without its city wall
So are all of us.
August 6, 2019


Thursday, January 24, 2019

WHO WILL STAND FOR US?


 
Our future is being traded by those that be
Our teachers, under someone’s instructions
Told us that the governor is being slandered
That he was shown on a video collecting bribe
So people will think he is corrupt, though a good man
What is bribe and what is corruption? We do not know
They preach to us and coerce us to carry placards
They wrote what they want, we can barely read what they wrote
We have no idea of the implications of our actions

Our parents are poor, we have little choice
We are children, we attend a public school
If we had a choice, we would be in private schools
Because public schools are ignored by the government
Public schools are dilapidated and congested
There are neither chairs nor tables in the classrooms
The ceilings are damaged and the floor is bare
We have no textbooks and our uniforms are tattered
We know, we can’t compete with our mates in private schools
Not because they are more intelligent than us here
But because the government is not concerned about our future

Where are the lawyers and human right activists?
Where are the Ulama and elders of the town?

Where are journalists who dare speak the truth?
Where is the Ministry of Education and SUBEB?
Where are the representatives in the State House of Assembly
Where are the politicians in the opposition?
Our writers, what has happened to your pens?
Who will stand for us?

Someone should fight on our behalf
We need sound education like all children
We want to grow up as educated and responsible citizens
We want contribute to nation building like other children
But we can’t be anything worthy if our schools are bad
We may end up as thugs of these politicians who
Today are trading our future to protect theirs.
Who will stand for us?
October 27, 2018