An Ode to Slavery — Lagos Edition

by Joseph Udofia

The Alarm beeps - A further snooze is near impermissible

Trudging into the bathroom to take a bath - a ritual that seems irreplaceable

Walking down the street to catch the bus - hoping and praying that fellow commuters are sensible

Monday to Friday, always on repeat

A road without a broken down vehicle - remains a big surprise

As surprising as the lack of trailers - Dangote, Indomie, to mention a few

The thick exhaust rending the air, an unwelcome sight

With complementing stench, from human dumplings, on the right

Car pooling, a welcome solution to the traffic jam

Ironically preached by Companies who force car loans on staff, without giving a damn

Man hours wasted, with productivity dipping

And traffic increasing, with BPs heightening

The SARS epidemic spreads wild

Life's shortened, with face muscles weakened

iPhone, Nose Ring and Locked Hairs, the Officer's exhibit

Macbooks, Samsung, and others, they prohibit

Soaring rents, for cubicled slums

Heat, Stench and Flood, a common factor across locations

Admist calls to work for experience over pay

As if experience can buy the Landlord's stay