ONCE UPON A TIME, A KING

ONCE UPON A TIME, A KING

In 2015 we were fed up with a king from the south, 
Whose rise to power many equated as dues ex machina, 
But his reign was sub-human. 
So we rose up
And told him to pass the staff
We consulted the oracle again,
And another was chosen from the North,
We merried, we celebrated,
Because we have heard of the new king exploit in 83
So we chanted Uhuru!

Our joy knew no bounds when he told us that he belongs to all of us,
And belongs to know one's selfish interest
No king has said this to us before
None had the audacity to say this in the midst of vampires that surrounds the throne,
Now we have a king with balls
We said!

The king roared against the kingdom most dreaded ghost
The ghost that cast darkness on the kingdom even in broad daylight
The ghost that scared our kids from school
The ghost that caused potholes on our roads,
Potholes that sip blood
The ghost that gave arms to our youths,
To kill the goose that lay the golden eggs.
Yes, the ghost that stole medications from our health centres,
Leaving our women and children to suffer
The ghost made the kingdom infamous
The ghost proudly bears the letter #C on its back
The first letter of its infamous name that ends with#N

But before we bid farewell to the sounds of music
Before the cloud of feasting disappeared
Before the last echo of the talking drum and the Kaakaki
And before the merry dust will settle
We heard the king invited dancers,
Dancers with tattoo of the same dreaded village ghost to entertain his close associates
What does this mean?
No one could answer,
Because no one knows?

While we're still still,
The king will not talk to us,
Many market days pass
Still will not talk
But will talk about our kingdom when he visits foreign lands
This is arrogance the village drunker cried
But who cares, he's just a drunker
What does he know
If the king had foot his bills
Bills of unending rounds of bottles
He would have sung his praise
So everyone thought

We heard the king did not smile with Boko Haram
But the Fulani herdsmen have outrun the terror group in exploit
They maimed my brothers in Kaduna
And did not spare my sisters in Benue
They cried blood
Yet the king said nothing
Blood flowed like a river because of cow,
Yet the king said nothing.
In those blood is our Mark Zuckerberg,
In those blood is our Steve Jobs,
In those blood is our Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Messi and Ronaldo
In those blood is our next Chinua ACHEBE, Wole Soyinka, Philip Emegwali, TuFace Idibia, Kanu Nwankwo, Jim Ovia, Oby Ezekwesili, Ibukun Awosika, Aliko Dangote
In those blood were patriots and innovators,
Inventors and great minds
In those blood were prophets of greater tomorrow
And eagles of our lands
Yet the king said nothing!
But he told us he belongs to no one?

But wait a minute,
I remember!
Yes, I remember!
I remember python danced in the east,
Crocodile smiled in the west,
Yet, not even a butterfly could swing in Benue or Kaduna.

Again I remember!
When the king was ill,
None could eat with gladness,
Because the kingdom groan in darkness
Though the king enjoyed care
Care and attention of lands of greater status,
Spending contributions from our poor harvest,
Because our land is drenched with blood.
Yet we contributed
Yet we prayed!
And when the prince fell from the white horse
And broke his teeth,
The people gathered at the village square to pray for quick recovery.
Hmmmm...
Could this act be genuine?
Genuine love for the prince and the king?
Or the disease of masochism is upon the people

Now the cloud is crimson
Not from a child's creative arts
But from the cold arms of herdsmen
The People cry blood day and night
Till their last pint dropped
And yet the king sleep still!

© Ernest Ademola Abidoye Ehigie 2018