The poet was a student union leader and a prominent executive member of the NANS. He was an activist, who often mobilize people into action against the country.
This poem is of the contemporary generation, written to present the hopelessness, lack and poverty in the contemporary Nigeria. This poem captures the social reality of Nigeria, using Lagos as the spatial setting. The poem starts thus:
'Daily our eyes are born again
to sorrows wider than the world...
This shows how they daily wake to face sorrows which do not seem to ever decrease. These sorrows are of poverty and lack, which is depicted with the empty cooking pots. Since they have nothing to cook for food, the spiders have taken over while the lizards now rule their kitchen. All these is to depict the level of poverty in Nigeria.
This poverty suffered by the citizens push them to the streets to illegally seek money. Despite the hot weather, many still fill the streets struggling for naira.
Due to all these struggles, the setting becomes rough and people begin to commit illegal crimes. They engage in works, whether legitimate or illegitimate, only to get a means of living.
In the midst of all these, preachers parade preaching against sin. This act of the preacher contradicts the action of the street. This is only to present how religion is only a means of escape. People hide under the shadow of religion as strategy to escape the unpleasant realities of life.
The poet moves on to create an image of beggars on the streets and thse images evoke pity. They are kept awake because of the shout of the hungry children, who have had nothing to eat.
This pathetic condition of the people cause daily death. To the poet however, this death should be seen as a miracle. This is because, death which has now become a normal phenomenom is not ideal and not meant to be. Dead bodies are seen daily and the grave- diggers are overworked.
So, if the beautiful things we used to experience have now been replaced by sorrowful situation, it is then a miracle.
The last four-lines are protestive. The poet asserts that, if they daily wake to experience sorrow, they should revolt rather than accept their situation. Just as they suffer, their blood should also boil in anger to fight the forces responsible for their sorrow.
As a contemporary poem, it is preoccupied with the social realities of the country. It presents the pathetic condition of the poor Nigerians and how religion is used as escape from these realities. The poet however call everyone to action to fight for their rights rather than accept this dehumanzing condition.
This poem is of the contemporary generation, written to present the hopelessness, lack and poverty in the contemporary Nigeria. This poem captures the social reality of Nigeria, using Lagos as the spatial setting. The poem starts thus:
'Daily our eyes are born again
to sorrows wider than the world...
This shows how they daily wake to face sorrows which do not seem to ever decrease. These sorrows are of poverty and lack, which is depicted with the empty cooking pots. Since they have nothing to cook for food, the spiders have taken over while the lizards now rule their kitchen. All these is to depict the level of poverty in Nigeria.
This poverty suffered by the citizens push them to the streets to illegally seek money. Despite the hot weather, many still fill the streets struggling for naira.
Due to all these struggles, the setting becomes rough and people begin to commit illegal crimes. They engage in works, whether legitimate or illegitimate, only to get a means of living.
In the midst of all these, preachers parade preaching against sin. This act of the preacher contradicts the action of the street. This is only to present how religion is only a means of escape. People hide under the shadow of religion as strategy to escape the unpleasant realities of life.
The poet moves on to create an image of beggars on the streets and thse images evoke pity. They are kept awake because of the shout of the hungry children, who have had nothing to eat.
This pathetic condition of the people cause daily death. To the poet however, this death should be seen as a miracle. This is because, death which has now become a normal phenomenom is not ideal and not meant to be. Dead bodies are seen daily and the grave- diggers are overworked.
So, if the beautiful things we used to experience have now been replaced by sorrowful situation, it is then a miracle.
The last four-lines are protestive. The poet asserts that, if they daily wake to experience sorrow, they should revolt rather than accept their situation. Just as they suffer, their blood should also boil in anger to fight the forces responsible for their sorrow.
As a contemporary poem, it is preoccupied with the social realities of the country. It presents the pathetic condition of the poor Nigerians and how religion is used as escape from these realities. The poet however call everyone to action to fight for their rights rather than accept this dehumanzing condition.
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