Folly Poem by Hannington Mumo

Ever seen a warrior beaten by an armless nincompoop,

Whom he could have maimed and vanquished?

A pilot swimming through murky waters,

Having ignored the benefits flights so furnished?



A gay prisoner of want who stalks fellow men

When damsels fast that he takes notice of them;

A sailor towards west when his itinerary should be bound towards North!

A singer of archaic lines when it’s available a novel anthem.



I saw a young man of age so green and untutored

Plunge into the sea of graft and improvident lasses

While all banners screamed that it was a no-go zone

For them that want to live when tomorrow passes.



How do you tether a goat and yet have it free,

Or how can you be there and still absent be?

No wishing of life loved the scent of death;

A flying bird isn’t perturbed by a mongoose’s chase!



Folly consumes like the teeth of rust

And no failure can quench its lust

To maim and bite and condemn;

To gnaw with malice from twig to stem.

You’ll lose your bag and still lose your leg;

You’ll suffer shame and incur every curse

For the sand has never staunched its want of water,

And none can inhibit the flow of gas!