Poem: NEPA by Niyi Osundare

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NEPA

Dark nights, hot days 
You spoil our fun and ruin our plays
  
The fridge is warm, the stove is cold 
Hunger in the house is strong and bold 
You come and go, you go and come 
Unsure, unstable, like a dizzy bum
 
A bright surge now, then a yellow candle 
Our darkest fear you hardly kindle 
Sweat at work, sweat in the homes 
In churches and mosques and their towers and domes 
Factories go without a hum 
The cost of your darkness is a pretty sum 
Our books unread, homework undone 
Though we stay awake till the dark, dark dawn 
NEPA, oh! NEPA
Some say you rhyme with ‘leper’ 
In your dark we grope 
And it’s hard to cope. 

— Niyi Osundare

Read Also:

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• Q & A: Discuss the role of the gods in the life of Odewale in Ola Rotimi’s “The Gods are not to Blame”

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