When Shall We Walk In Peace Poem by Israel Dammy Ipaye

Peace, oh peace our bane whirling around in suspense
Peace, like the seasons it pays fleeting visits
Turpsyturvy now a bosom inevitable ally
Everyone yearning for the dreamt, cosy and rosy tenure
When shall the creeplings walk in peace
Till sunset we keep protesting to no avail.

Democracy they say could have been explicable
But the masses' liberty could not be guaranteed
Open wide mouths that could deem fit were shut with naira
The protestants were all nigeriad and massacred
Yet we hope for better days, several acres or riceland
Not a spoon could be edible for the starving citizens.

Just as we grow old the harder our stress becomes
In contrary with our adage that says a rabbit is prone to
To feed from its offspring when it grows old, this is denied
The offspring will have to feed on the mother untill it dies
Then it becomes an orphan stranded with no care yet they call us babe
With everything nurtured by our vision are, we nuts? we fondly ask.

Now do our open wide mouths wider and stronger
We found those those we dreamt capable to forestall our best days
With groaning they were mourned home now our omen is ephemeral
Their splendour foreseen and cut short
By the lions we called leaders with the facial appearance we beheld
We have failed to dull our palms because they are un-hatched.

At dawn the whole family with opulent intelligence taking garri and water, kids fighting over a spoon of garri this is unfair
Those fit to re-structure the day were circumvented, behold the
Land is too bushy for any unsharpen cutlass to confront
Except the mightiest bulldozer when the time ripes
Then we may yearn the arrival of luxury.