Whenever Poem by Ibrahim Bidu

Whenever you think the world
To you has not been fair
Think of that poor child
Who wasn’t lucky enough to see his father
And lost both his mother and grandfather
By the time he turned eight.
Whenever you feel
You have been thrust
Into the world before your time
Think of that young boy
Who had to look after goats
In the hostile heat of the desert
To earn an honest living.
Whenever you think
People are not being fair
And your life is miserable
Think of he
To whose feet stuck the sandals
As a result of heavy bleeding
After a heavy stoning;
Think of he
Who was called a liar
A mad poet and troublemaker;
Think of he
Who was beaten
And in whose path
Was placed thorns and filth.
Whenever you think
In life you need an inspiration
Think of he who chose
When he could have had it all
To use a simple mat and the bare earth
As his preferred sleeping place
Think of he who fed
On ordinary bread
Or just water and dates
For days on end
Whenever you contemplate
Throwing in the towel
Because your golden dreams
Seem not so forthcoming,
Think of this man
The one whose relatives
And clan forsook
Just because he dared take a stand
Different from that of his time
The one who had to flee his home
Since his life was at risk
The one who lost his teeth
And friends so dear
And for decades lived in fear.
Compared to this man my dear
Has life really been to you unfair?
And to shed more light
On this man’s life,
In spite of all these,
He had for everyone a ready smile
And to his family
A loving father and husband
With no hidden skeletons in the closet
Or others swept under the carpet.
And you may be surprised to know
That written in gold
On the pages of history
His, is regarded as the greatest success story!