If Not Tomorrow
Do not blame the snail
When it drags along sluggishly
Or draws back in its shell out of fear.
But what do you say of one
Who competes with a turbo jet
And makes friend with a sledge hammer?
Do not blame the cat
Frolicking in the comfort of its paws,
While it mews and lords over the mouse.
What do you say of one
That pretends to be a Jaguar
Whose jagritude plunged it into the lion's den?
Must we blame the earth worm
That prefers to curl in the mud
As it awaits its ration from the earth.
What do you say of one
That jumped headlong into the riverbed while it pretends to be a snake?
Of course it will become food for the fishes.
What can you say of an hen
Whose envy of the eagle
Motioned her legs toward the mountain top,
While it calls on the winds to direct her feathers?
Don't you know that envy kills?
Okun and Osa
Will never be same
Just like Orun and Osupa
each with its appointed time
will never proclaim to be the other.
If not tomorrow
Yesterday can never proclaim to be today,
For we are a creation of yesterday
Oblivious of the face of tomorrow.
Our enemies have made peace
While our friends have gone to war
For our sins lie in who we are
And who we will never become.
We have refused to be a part of deceit.
We have grown to understand
The crux of human foolery
And the dangers benign
With its untold sorrow.
So if not tomorrow,
Why not live for today?
(C) Muyideen Ayinla 2021
Copyright © Muyideen Ayinla | Year Posted 2021
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem.
Please
Login
to post a comment