They tried to silence me by feeding me with shafts from decayed bags of corn
I have been washed in dirty soapy water
I have been made to sleep in the hostels of open skies
Leaving my life at the mercy of whatever disease or animal that got me first
I have been reduced to mere matter that has weight and occupies space
Reduced to mere savage creature, hoisting the leash to the poles of bestiality
I have been made to live in prisons barred by cosmetic roofs and slaughter houses of traumatic toilets.
I have been treated worse than the inmates in the Agodi and Kirikiri
Continually feeding me with crumbs of half-baked bread and paraffin tasting ‘unpure’ water
Not for free, but through my nose, I am made to pay
What more can they do before my voice is finally silenced?
I saw them in the dead of the night, dressed in white, red and black
Like men going for witch-hunt during a ritual sacrifice
They trapped all the birds in our community, gagged and put them in a cage
After which they released into the air a whole new species of wingless birds called the SDC letters
These new birds are their new goons of intimidation
The birds were white with extremely long beaks shaped like S
Scanty withered feathers arranged like the letter D
And long sharp ugly brown claws carved like C
Every day, these birds are made to hunt me down, scare me and send me packing
Just like the khaki boys scared our fathers with their guns
These civilian tyrants scare me with the birds called the SDC letters
But can they really silence me?
With the birds called the SDC letters,
The Aluta spirit is slowly ebbing, crying for it to be saved from dying
They want to finally silence or send me packing
But what is an authority without subjects?
Such authority would be an action less word- a noun
What is a vice-chancellor without a university?
Such a vice-chancellor would be a headless crown- a mere title
What is a school without students?
Such school building would be a museum of disgraceful artifacts
What is a lecturer without students to lecture?
Such lecturer would be a mad man displaying momentum insanity
If their aim for releasing the birds called the SDC letters
Is to make me an Europeanized African dummy
Who is told what and what not to do
Then, that is big smelly ooze from their end
If they can silence
Then, they can make Face book a faceless book
But what is a “face book” without the face?
Then, it would be just a mere book
And if it is the face without the book,
Then, it would just be a bunch of faces
A twitter without tweet is a mere robotic bird
An istagram without the gram is just a group of persons called
International Safe Transit Association
While the gram without the “Ista”
Would be a stupid machine for measuring fishes
What are messengers or xenders without anyone to send them on errands?
A Bluetooth without the tooth is a mere colour
While the Bluetooth without the blue is
A dark brown tooth, discoloured from the constant chewing of kolanuts
Picture a playstore without the play or the store
Without the store, it would be a frolic
Without the play, it would be either a shop or a storehouse
A youtube without the you would be a transparent tube
But without tube, it would be university acronym that has no location: U…
If the picture is still not clear
Then take whatsapp without the what,s, or app
Without the s and app
It would be what? A mere question
Without the what and s
It would be a worthless app
And without the what and app
It would be a mere sound s, a stupid hiss…
Although the revolution agenda died
The revolution spirit still lives on
Even if they succeed in silencing me
By stealing the Aluta spirit from me
I will consult the gods of the Aluta using the cowries
Gone are the days when the birds called the SDC letters
Were seen only on ominously ceremonial occasions
It is everywhere now and they are beginning to look pretty tasty to me
Now that I am starving and impoverished
I will start hunting and eating them by their numbers!
NB: if you think this is not a mere poem, then, you are on your own!
N.B. This is not a fictional poetry, it is written out of true experience but because of the University of Ibadan management’s zero tolerance policy for criticism, we have decided to protect the writer.
