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An Immigrant in London I sought him in London: At Heathrow the Indian, Flips the passport pages, Scrutinizes the dated stamps, Prods me with tingling questions, Wishes me a pleasant stay; At the hotel the Asian, Attends the Reception desk, Takes the filled in form, Hands over the keys, Checks me into the room; Still I searched for him, At the corner restaurant The Italian seats me down Hands over the Menu Serves food and drinks And takes the money, With the Bus the Caribbean Takes me on a tour of sights Traverses the legends of London Talks of the fossils of history Returns me to base, I did not see him, I saw the taxi driver from Nigeria The London Bobby on the beat The curious supermarket attendant The fellow commuters in the tube The contesting languages on the street, I searched for the Empire builder Swallowed by the crowd of the Empire. — Ezenwa-Ohaeto
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