We Have Come A Long Way. Poem by ANTHONY ANIGBATA

We Have Come A Long Way.



We have come a long way
Through paths of the storms and thorns
Leaving some of our patrimonial past behind
We traded the white cowries for silver coins
The lion head prints for suits
Our hearts embraced the crucified Lamb
The site of liberations, since deserted;
Learning the master’s ways
That has shaped our lives
For the good and for the bad.

We have come a long way
The farmers’ sons have soon forgotten
The intoxicative nature of liberty, so drunk of it
That he uses it, against the growth of his own land
Making things more difficult, for his fellow denizens.
We no longer care of our brothers’ safety
Not colonial but third world countries
We have moved from bush, to civilized men
From darkness to light
From huts, to skyscrapers
From footpaths to roads and railways
Our simple lives, so sophiscated at the end
Still our hearts have refused the deposition of good grains
That is why we have not reached, one-tenth of the masters.

The apprentice learns all the goods of the master
And discard the bad
But we have chosen the corrupt tail of leadership
Over the good.
We have come a long way
But still have, a longer way to go.

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ANTHONY ANIGBATA

ANTHONY ANIGBATA

BENUE STATE, NIGERIA
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