Musings of Oriade

WHEN I TOOK THAT WALK

So, I decided to take this walk to clear my head. I merely wanted to walk around and take a breath of GOD given fresh air that I'm not supposed to pay for.

And what did I see?

I saw them.

I saw many of them.

I saw them in diverse hues and heights.

Those who managed to stay awake in spite of all the oddities.

Those who were awake and alert. Those who were awake and waiting for others to slumber.

Those who were dead awake and even those who woke up dead.

I saw them all.

Hushed and meshed in misery, loud and crooked and scheming.

I saw them all.

Then I saw the irresponsible lot who are responsible for all the chaos and miseries.

In the midst of these lot too, I saw a negligible daring few who remain unrepentantly stoic in their stance to light their little candles in their little corners of the world.

Their sparks put to shame the choking darkness.

I saw those making feeble attempts and hoping for the best.

I saw those who are silent in their anger.

I saw those who make merry and flaunt indecency in the midst of scarcity.

I saw the age grade that made roads, built towns and ward off external aggression, now insolent and perpetually high on every available poison. They were there too.

Some of them were engaged in heated arguments over the club that deserves the cup.

The rest were thinking of how to acquire their next bling-bling.

I saw the scantily dressed (It seems to me like the more we 'advance' the less we cover of what should be covered). Boys o, girls o.

All bent on 'making it' with or without fixing things.

I saw school children milling to school to be taught how:

Mr. Mungo Park 'discovered' River Niger.

Sister Mary Slessor put an end to the barbaric killing of twins in our land.

The seasons in a year being autumn, spring, summer and winter in our land o!

I heard parents boast 'My children don't speak vernacular. They speak Queen's English'.

Some of them cursed their daughters for refusing to date the dandy or fly to Italy and 'make it big' like their neighbour's daughter.

I saw what couples do when their partners weren't watching.

I heard the preachers from East and West.

I saw caution flying in the wind, dignity begging to be fed and values sold for nothing.

I saw this, I saw that and when I checked my mirror, there I was, in the midst of it all!

By Segun Adefila (March 2015)