AN ODE TO THE SOUTH EAST
Placed in the space of the rising Sun
A rising checked and chequered by your imprimatur
Ravaged by gullies
Torn by erosion
A space led by the egocentric and the banal
And a political class at best short-sighted.

Great space of the learned
For lucre you let the unlearned lead
For a mess of porridge you spite your philosophers
For the mundane you salute paths profane
Your ageless morals trampled by the godless
And your primordial mores desecrated.

To return to heights befitting
Your values you must rediscover
Your wisdom re-valued
Your youths must pride in hard-work over quick fixes
Your adulation of lucre tamed
And your children schooled in the beauty of excellence over crash opulence.

O’ South-East why have lost your charm
Why has the banal become your guards?
Your Ivory Towers shut because your watchmen despise ivory
Your Road gullies and your land erosion ridden because of politricks
You shame your philosophers gone
And you embarrass your living greats.

CHRIS NWAOKOBIA JNR