UNDER THE MOON TONIGHT

We will not sing about 'Ijapa and yanribo'
Neither shall we tell stories of tortoise and the hare

Let the children be in their circles
Let them lend me their ears

Tonight we shall dance and sing
Sing in mockery of those potbelly of politicians and the Generals
Who have swallowed beyond what they could digest

We shall call them 'ajubo Ole'
Or whatever derogatory names that could match their ignominious acts

For they've sinned against the land
They have desecrated the land
They have embezzled our common wealth
And enriched their own families
While we are left to toil and scramble,scavenging from where there is none

They have built mansions across the land and above the ocean
While we are left to cram in clusters in our huts
They line their garages with exotic cars
While we sandwich ourselves on okada

They pack and trudge with our monies in luggage abroad
While they left us to bargain in coins

They lavish our common wealth on their families
While ours are left to celebrate in tattered clothes and empty stomach
They stole our monies in billions
They stole them in dollars and euros
They stock theirs homes and bank accounts with our common wealth
While we beg one another for a borrow to augment our living.

They laugh and splash puddles at us when they drive past us in the street in their air conditioned cars

They mock our dead who die of malaria in the hospital while they fly their families abroad to treat headache

They pay our fathers minimum wage of N18,000 and owe them salaries for months
While they buy sweet and biscuits for their children at a seat with money meant to cater for family of five for thirty days

For this they have sinned against the land
They have sinned against our 'Eleda'

May the spirit of the dead whom they have caused their untimely death in the land rise and fight for justice
May the pains and suffering you and I go through everyday of our living assume the power of gods of justice and torment their souls until peace and happiness is returned back to the land.

Tonight under the moon we shall sing round the village square and invoke the spirit of the land against the Enemies of the State
We shall curse them and their generations until they return the stolen wealth back to the treasury and return life back to us

We do not ask for much!

Live and let us live is all our cry!
And that can never be too much to ask!

by Thiscounts

Literary appreciation of the work.

UNDER THE MOON TONIGHT is a contemporary poem that captures the suffering of every Nigerian in the hand of our leaders who loot the National Treasury.

It is Marxist oriented in Theme.

The poet uses imagery such as UNDER THE MOON TONIGHT as any form of gathering such as social media where youth do gather to leisure their time to reflect the traditional setting of moonlight where children do gather for tales.

The poet in his agony of pains informs the children who have gathered for the usual moonlight tales not to expect such tonight as the socio-political-economic situation has gone beyond the usual banters and jokes they leisure their time with in their gatherings.He tells them what their gathering in circles will be for tonight and what they are to do in the Village square.Village Square in an imagery of city centres or square where the youth can stage their peaceful protest.

The poet who understands that gathering of peaceful protest is sometimes misinterpreted by the authority to be against the State informs that the protest is against the enemy of the State not the State.

Hope you get the same interpretation from the work?

What form is the poem, and I can't seem to see anything relating to marxism in the theme of the poem. All I see is just disappointment.

@Joseph 1832.It goes beyond disapointment , reawakening the consciousness of the masses to their plight.It propels them into going to Village square in their circles full of rage calling for a better living.

The theme are of revolt,lamentation etc.You can pick more theme from it

thiscounts:
@Joseph 1832.It goes beyond disapointment , reawakening the consciousness of the masses to their plight.It propels them into going to Village square in their circles full of rage calling for a better living.

But you said the theme is marxism? Or am I missing something?