It’s a wild afternoon at Patmos Island
The want for crazy competition is thick in the air
I look into the deep waterbed and shudder
I shudder at my own reflection
But I see a bloke at the other edge
He’s dressed up for a quick thrust
“Blow me some cool breeze”, he shouts
He dives in and the chase begins
This game of escape or die is an instance of psychosis
It’s either the shark gets fed or the boy gets the money
But on my cynical note,
He will find “comfort” in between the shark’s jaws
And alas, He lunged into the shark!
“Life is not worth more than $20,000”
Those were his last, unspoken words
He said so by diving into the shark’s niche
But no one had thought of the next moment
It’s an evening party at Solomon’s Porch
Here’s a chap that wants some awareness
He’s finished 3 bottles of champagne (blanc de noirs)
But he’s not done yet!
He wants to create a scene
And his friends cheer him on
He’s motivated but almost comatose
I saw an impulsive move as he reached for the bourbon whisky
He staggered and complained, “It is not opened yet”
“Hic hoc”, he punctuated
“Ooh la”, I muttered
My interest moved me to the edge of my seat
As I watched him answer a phone call
He shook his head and dropped the bottle
But before anyone could say, “Jack Rob…”
He grabbed his car keys and jumped off the balcony
I won’t say more than this: we were on the eighteenth floor
But no one thought of the next moment
It’s another semester’s end at BLS.edu
And I’m just heading for my room on the 12th lane
When a boy barked into his mobile, “… when is our exam starting?”
“Ok, just flash me when it commences”
Startled, I looked behind and saw a “sure boy”
My countenance looked indifferent but inside, I was raving with hilarity
What a holy slapstick!
Yet, he walked in my direction
So, I reduced my pace
He got ahead and I trailed behind
I sought to know what was more important than an examination he had paid for
He took a turn and I took the turn
He made a left and I did the same
At last, he stopped at an arcade but I kept walking away
Having seen what was more important, I got confused
Coloured balls and a long stick on a rugged board?
Maybe, a nice time at the snooker board is the ticket to Vegas’ fortune
Sure boy was not thinking of the next moment!
And here’s the charming voodoo girl;
In Lagos, she’s the hottest happening chick
But at family reunions, she’s the anointed sinless angel
If she sinned a little, someone must have corrupted her
If she thought an evil thought, someone must have spoken it to her
She’s so perfect that she never farts,
So calm that she’s never belched!
But the truth is not found at home- it is away
All she has is a compendium of false lives
Deception, seduction & corruption prevails
So, I perceive she could beat the devil at his job
She’s got every political hotline in her directory
She calls, they come and the black powder does its work
It started on campus and grew into a metropolis franchise
Yet, time solicits her will for a change
But she says the only option available is to continue
The money, the fame
The parties, the clubs
The rep, the flow
The booze, the blues
She’s just another blind seer
A believer of the “no-way-out” gospel
Who never thinks of the next moment
I yell, “Youthful exuberance”
We’ve all had it
“Youthful exuberance”
We still have some of it
“Youthful exuberance”
We don’t need all of it
“Youthful exuberance”
It is not right to race down the wrong lane!
What was I seeking at Patmos Island?
What was I doing at Stephan’s Court?
Why was I curious about the bloke at BLS.edu?
Some call it a youth’s adventure
Others call it a custom of sociologists
It’s only an attempt at living a balanced life
But even when we have good intentions,
Our actions project a mirror image of the resident evil in us
Because we scarcely think of the next moment
There is no such thing as unfathomable idiotism
If you can call it idiotism
Then, you have measured it
If you have weighed it
Then, you can fathom it
There are only things that sadden us
They are never things that shock us
The things that sadden us
Are the robbers of our true potentials
But to the things that could shock us
We have become accustomed
So, let’s keep the leisure time low
While keeping the work time up
For the essence of life is that we may work
Epileptic electricity, Fuel Scarcity, Corruption are norms we must fight
In Nigeria, the evidences of the need for work are in excess
And each day, each one cries out for a change
So, let’s get back to work
And start thinking about the next moment.
Whether fiction or futility
We are writers of people’s living
In whose choices lie our national future
And whose individual will can power a change
So, awaken you sleeping giants in Nigeria
For my town-crying voice is almost cracking
Please, save our future and save our country
