Verses For Magu, For Adigun Abass Agbe-Grammar-Rin, For Tolulope Arotile

*”Magu m’agun Magun”

Nights are for the thieves, pillaging

as they could steal for two lives.

sleep in two houses & cruise two

cars. But, on a day the dawn arrives

early to expose the face behind the

mask of darkness.

*Magun is when the “pride” gets stuck

in the consequences of its doing.

“Kill my enemies harshly!” Remember

the table shakes & turns as nights &

days alternate. The *koboko we employ

to tear the skins of unproven suspects

waits enduringly in the attic for us,

un-sued “innocent”.

In a nation where truth has many

shades of partisan’s color, our truths

are muddled like a puddle of irreconcilable

dirt & our histories become:

of ours,

of theirs &

of the colored fencists.

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Plenty grammar no action

Carnage of confusion we need traction.

Our hungers incite poetry and passion

Brewing concerns, suffering neglects

Politicians’ sweet grammar hasn’t built

The city. Ibadan now a crawl space with

Less civility. *Adigun has failed to speak

Your nice tongue but these verses only

Judge his actions not his broken songs.

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Your day…

was extinguished so young like a bright matchstick that blazed so fast.

Your dawn…

was brighter like its time would so last.

But 23 strides of herculean honors for your

nation came to a sudden halt.

A mighty breath passed. All chemistry of

loves & physics of jet-flying couldn’t mend

t#he last synapse of breathe from rending.

The breath that had soared above enemies’ brutish threat. Walked mountains of evil

joyously unscarred & raining shell of troubles

on terrorists. The breath was lost to an

excitement that was worth not more than

an handshake

Your hearse should have the best of epitaph,

with a delicate wreath of roses bearing our

remorse. The day darkened in an eclipse that

shrouded the truth. A life lived to secure us

would just be snuffed out like that?

May the heavens receive you with the

warmest obeisance for you were a mahogany

too impact-ful to fall but we lost you to…

… a whiff of accident.

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Glossary:

*Magu, Do not mount “magun”

*MAGUN is a charm that originates from the Yoruba land of Nigeria. In Yoruba, it means “thunderbolt”; the literal English meaning is “Do Not Climb.” It has been used for years to catch promiscuous people in extra-marital affairs and is still in use today.

*Koboko is a whip made with cow or goat hide, used as a tool for corporal punishment. however, it is generally called a horse whip.

*Hon. Adigun Abass, Ibadan North- East/South- East Federal Constituency

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