Die in the Gasoline Queue, By Niyi Osundare
Nigeria: one Giant crawling like a wingless ant
1
I spent Christmas this year At a gas stationAbout two miles from my home without NEPA* And an immeasurable distance from sanity
The manger was dark When the Magi arrived, the pious Joseph had no fuel To power the idle generator
Hood-to-boot in front of mine Was there over a hundred cars in motionless misery Behind, in a grotesque sprawl around a bend Was a multitude of metal I dared not count
The "Subsidies" saga was in the air again Like last season and previous seasons "Appropriate Prices", "Landing Costs", "Loading Fees" and related jargon
Spoofed front pages of the national tabloid Government megaphones blared the first two days, then turned into satanic silence People had to argue
With absent station managers whose harvest grew with every ride in the carriage Christmas came and went, but not the twisty line that bit every nerve of the hungry and angry peopleAnd the government of the nation was perfectly AWOL
2
Boxing Day has arrived The queue has grown longer, tempers have shortened.
The station master saw the scuffle from behind the curtain, picked up his bulging bag, and disappeared out the back door. He would never touch the treasure of his underground reservoir
Until the sale price has reached the sky Let the moralists preach until they lose their lungs "Eat or be eaten": our nation has a noble motto; The hottest part of Hell is the logical terminus
From the straight and narrow path…….. The twilight darkened into the nightThe heat of the noon harmattan plunged into the dusty cold A lingering smell hung heavy from the unwashed bodies
The petrol lines loomed longer than the longest tracks Bread prices soared in the market The sick cried out a desperate prayer To the god of the early grave
Driven blindly, corroded by corruption, Nigeria sits atop a sea of oil With barely a drop to fuel its engine A giant crawling like a wingless antAnd the government of the nation was blissfully absent
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* Without power supply. NEPA (National Electric Power Authority) is the former name of the present Power Holding Company of Nigeria. And he "holds" power while the country flounders in darkness.
Niyi Osundare, one of Africa's foremost poets and scholars, is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of New Orleans.
Nigeria: one Giant crawling like a wingless ant
1
I spent Christmas this year At a gas stationAbout two miles from my home without NEPA* And an immeasurable distance from sanity
The manger was dark When the Magi arrived, the pious Joseph had no fuel To power the idle generator
Hood-to-boot in front of mine Was there over a hundred cars in motionless misery Behind, in a grotesque sprawl around a bend Was a multitude of metal I dared not count
The "Subsidies" saga was in the air again Like last season and previous seasons "Appropriate Prices", "Landing Costs", "Loading Fees" and related jargon
Spoofed front pages of the national tabloid Government megaphones blared the first two days, then turned into satanic silence People had to argue
With absent station managers whose harvest grew with every ride in the carriage Christmas came and went, but not the twisty line that bit every nerve of the hungry and angry peopleAnd the government of the nation was perfectly AWOL
2
Boxing Day has arrived The queue has grown longer, tempers have shortened.
The station master saw the scuffle from behind the curtain, picked up his bulging bag, and disappeared out the back door. He would never touch the treasure of his underground reservoir
Until the sale price has reached the sky Let the moralists preach until they lose their lungs "Eat or be eaten": our nation has a noble motto; The hottest part of Hell is the logical terminus
From the straight and narrow path…….. The twilight darkened into the nightThe heat of the noon harmattan plunged into the dusty cold A lingering smell hung heavy from the unwashed bodies
The petrol lines loomed longer than the longest tracks Bread prices soared in the market The sick cried out a desperate prayer To the god of the early grave
Driven blindly, corroded by corruption, Nigeria sits atop a sea of oil With barely a drop to fuel its engine A giant crawling like a wingless antAnd the government of the nation was blissfully absent
>
* Without power supply. NEPA (National Electric Power Authority) is the former name of the present Power Holding Company of Nigeria. And he "holds" power while the country flounders in darkness.
Niyi Osundare, one of Africa's foremost poets and scholars, is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of New Orleans.
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