The Politician’s Two Mouths
The politician’s mouth has two edges
like Esimuda’s sword
it is murder both ways
Is it not the politician
who sees a snake
and hails an earthworm?
he prostrates for a vote
but his mind squats like a hungry dog
Alas, a thin membrane covers the belly
we cannot see the inside of a lying wolf
When the man of power
tells you his tale
ask him to wait till
you bring a sieve
whoever believes what the politician says
his ear is blocked by the carcass of truth
A politician tells you to wait
and you heed its words
ah! friend,
your sole will tell you
the biting pains of folly
The politician has two mouths
both sharp like the white man’s razor.
— Niyi Osundare
“The Politician’s Two Mouths” is a poem of twenty-three lines written by Niyi Osundare. The poem consists of seven stanzas of varying lengths.
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