Riddle, Riddle! Poem by DOMINIC PREMPEH

We lie, promising the masses heaven and earth
And saving them from dearth
But with the innate desire of acquiring wealth

We sit under trees talking women and sex
With our hands from our laps to our pockets
And watching the productive season die off

We gather at one corner wasting time on vanity
New make-up and skin-toning kit, and our type of man
And making nothing out of our youthfulness

We rob the ‘lackers-of-knowledge'
Using the death of somebody's son
And receiving funeral donations for a non-family member

We learn and teach and follow their works and theories
Living under their shadow and practicing their nuisance
Forgetting and avoiding our own principles and traditions

Some say all the Answers to the riddle is found in Africa
Some believe this riddle, and even its answers, can never change
What are your answers, what are your thoughts?

(Sat.27th June,2015; Ofoase)