Bencourage Odey, a social commentator and critic addresses social change through poetry and spoken words. As a social commentator and artiste, he chooses to advocate change in the his environment via this genre. Checkout these amazing poetry bits and ponder!
TO MY SOUL BROTHER
Soul Brother, take this Olive Branch
But Beware of that MAN
He is of one and same 'CABAL'
Be it the 'Umbrella' or the 'BROOM'
If you do not 'belong' - You Are DOOMED!
Soul Brother, BEWARE!
Or are you not AWARE
That you MUST NOT complain or SUE
The HERDSMAN who left You
In a 'BLOODY' pool?
Remain in your nest and rest.
Until OCTOBER 1st,
If you must protest
Or 'FIGHT' for what 'you think' is your RIGHT.
To them it is a TABOO!
And one name you MUST NOT bear is KALU !
POLLUTANTS
POLLUTANTS are:
Not just Substances that SPOIL
But Circumstances that FOIL.
Pollutants are WE, the disagreeing 'faithfuls'
More 'sinned' than 'sinning':
Orthodox, Protestants and Pentecostals.
It's also about the Shias versus the Sunnis
Negros trying to pass for Whites
L.G.B.T. on the rise.
Its about Us expanding the Divide
The real faults in this Hate-Tide!
Pollutants are those 'Impeccable' heirs
Our parliamentary Methuselahs
Their First and Second Term intentions
Clueless and Heartless decisions!
It's about their Rot, and our Failing Justices
Taking sides and Wronging rights.
POLLUTANTS are these lingering dirges
In our modern world of human carnage
Bearing witness to these CHAIN-GEs
Of endless sentences - demanding salvage.
It's about the Whippers and the Whipped
And the Scars that woo their Bleed!
It's about Arewa, Oduduwa and Biafra
The strives of Zik, Awolowo and Balewa
Pains for a Cohesive WaZoBia!
The trailing cries of Saro-Wiwa
The truths of Dele Giwa
The strides of 'Baba' Fela
To the Rallies of Charlie !
'Wasted' efforts for an 'unrepentant' NIGERIA!
Worst still, it's about a Saintless Me
Faulting everybody and everything
So much like the You - the unceasing Venter
- the Social (Media) Militia
Only watching and not Marching?!
The real Substances and Circumstances
That Spoil and Foil !!!
"DEAR AMERICA"
Dear AMERICA,
I sing your PRAISE
Cry for your VISA
Dream of a PLACE
Like CALIFORNIA
But as that MAN kissed that OTHER
And that 'familiar' HAND
Pulled that TRIGGER,
Then I REMEMBER
My skin is Black and NO OTHER.
Would you THEN
Like those 'Three Idiots' say "ALL IS WELL"?
Yours sincerely,
That boy from AFRICA.
Bencourage Odey is a post graduate candidate of theatre and media studies university of Calabar where he Majors in Social and behavior change communication. (SBCC)
