Reflections Without Mirror :Poem by Niyi Aborisade
Endurance! Endurance!! Endurance!!!
Created was a country for endurance;
They had long suffering for the colonialists;
Promise relied on to make it happen was endurance;
Throwing overboard were many, death count not their endurance;
Here comes freedom from the masters, their oppressors;
Hopeful were the people, cometh independence would be the end of endurance
Leading them to freedom were their own; money is not their problem,
They had it in abundance;
Presenting to them golden chance;
ruling by mace known as democracy;
should it be the end of the endurance.
The drum of war echoes around the place;
War may not come perchance
Fatigue swallowed endurance
The alternative was to fight , the leaders called for more endurance
Fight must they, there is limit to endurance;
For thirty-six moons, survived the people of the land by endurance;
Hope changed to despair;
Away ran the bearded leader;
To him, meaningless was the ‘word’ endurance.
Tired was the long suffering without end to endurance;
Surrender and be given chance for further endurance;
So each other they again embrace
Haaa, Precious was life without this kind of endurance.
Death to millions was freedom from endurance; blessed are the dead for no more endurance
Beckoning was a new leader of the renewed hope;no more disgrace,
With him, there may be no need for endurance;
“Please stay with me, you need more endurance”
Begged, he who they hope on;
But live he in opulence, not party to endurance, he abides in the palace;
What matters to you if he has no endurance;
‘Eat one time a day for the sake of endurance
Drink only water, my good man, food for belly, belly for food-leave all for the sake of endurance’
Breath is taking away, and life is ebbing out gradually. You must have endurance until death beckons, he is only asking for supreme sacrifice
Die if you can,
Your blood is to be sacrificed as atonement for endurance;
Gone were many on the same route; Ikudayisi will not care; just blame it on him, no more hindrance.
Tired of endurance; change you must make; but make it a living sacrifice
There is a limit to humans’ endurance
The calls for further endurance are too much to bear; there is no more time for endurance,
Resist them if you can, no more hindrance. Fight for your chance.
Niyi Aborisade is a lawyer, human rights activist, and a historian.
