THE DAY OUR TROUBLE BEGAN

Freedom!!! We chanted out as one,

Let the slavery of our children be ended, we say

We battled, we restricted and we conquered.

We formed our government in our castle,

ruled by ourselves for decades,

moments of ecstasy beclouded our faces,

Agriculture was at its peak,

Tolerance was at equilibrium,

We followed our religion wisely;

No religion was greater than another;

We internalized the notions of love, peace and security;

and we were our brother’s keeper.

The day our trouble began

was the day the wheat grown with tares,

without harvesters separating truth from falsehood.

The day our trouble began

was the day we began comparing our differences,

rather than accepting them,

The day we compared the son of Akara seller to a Senator’s son,

The same day our trouble began.

The day our trouble began

was the day we compared a Muslim’s forehead

to a Christian’s knees,

When we regarded one religion as superior than another.

The day our trouble began

was the day we speak ill of a brother,

to undermine his aspiration,

The day a single person conceived to cart away

what is meant for many for himself,

The same day our trouble began!

The day our trouble began

was a day cursed under the scorching sun,

we grieved like they which have no hope,

O Liberty! Which we acclaimed,

If thou could be named again,

let emancipation from this trying day,

come rushing on the breeze!