Midnight Roll Call

International relations clerk on duty enters In her hand is a list of nations from Africa One by one she shouts out their surnames The assembly monitors gives her feedback confirming presence or absence that day Nations present she gives a golden ribbon The ones absent she paints with red crayon Punctuated with cheers by loyalists she shouts; “Libya” He is admitted in hospital for intensive care Last night he drove recklessly and fell into dish “South Sudan” Still in salon to shave off the bushy beards It is not long since she came out of the bush “Democratic Republic of Congo” Can’t find his way here due to dangers Ferocious squirrels litter impenetrable forests “Uganda” Look over there; in the bush catching hoppers He wants to establish private silicon valleys “Eritrea” Went to sleep evening but has not woken up I hear he has had long traumatic dreams “Somalia” Last evening he was hijacked by sea-pirates But little is known about his whereabouts “Nigeria” Busy putting out bushfire in north-eastern zones Lightning started it but none knows how to stop it “Botswana” Present. She is there with baskets of apples The desert nation has plenty of reliable rainfall “Libya” Over there running. No one knows where he is going. Possibly check with the ghosts of the Mediterranean