Two Poems|Oloyede Michael Taiwo
Election
This candidate is parvenus
stamped his face on a loaf of bread for a street to feast on
fear and calumny clad his face
and his cologne drips of impropriety;
Incessantly dodging questions and queries slung at him by the masses
His words were coquettish
Only the street that had his coveted edifices was tarred and other streets had laterites and meddlesome potholes
His son schools abroad while other boys compete in notoriety to prove their mettle
some hurl curses at him while others chase after his reckless, horn blaring convoy
His cars snaked left and right
and crashed into the gap by the bridge that his greed dug for the masses.
No one went to shovel him out of the pit and the ambulance that tried to save him was stuck in the ditch his government refused to mend.
Taxonomy of wretchedness
make a pastry of lies for yourself
revel in its spicy deceitfulness
despise the pricy condiment of truth
dice a pair of inglorious yawns
don’t spill the bean about your encumbrances
steam hapless oil of ingratitude
befriend butlers of ignoble ease
nibble on the brisket bone of inconsistency
roast the left calves of ludicrosity
chop innumerable onions of lechery
swallow the leftover morsel of lethargy
sit beside the gas stove of carefreeness
treat yourself to a feast of idleness
lick the plate of perilous clout chasing
wear the ragged apron of procrastination
enjoy the carousel of aimlessness
preserve the decomposed garbage of foolery
dispose off the unused cellophane of pursuit
microwave your integrity
incurably eat your words
Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash
Bio
Oloyede Michael Taiwo is a poet, storyteller, copywriter, scriptwriter, screen-writer spoken-word artiste, playwright, producer and philomath.
He has appeared on different TV and Radio stations propagating the gospel according to poetry and holding conferences on politics and economic issues.
He wrote and produced the play, ‘Wrinkles, dimples, naira and bets’, during the Lagos Theatre Festival, 2020, in partnership with the British council.
He has performed in several literary events and one of the largest gospel concert in Lagos – Cross Concert.
He curates diverse didactic and literary events, such as: Learning with celebrities’ conference, Lagos poetrython, Fireflies & Bumblebees and the Lagospoetrython spoken word academy.
He has been shortlisted for the Etisalat prize for Flash fiction and long listed for the Quramo writer’s prize for literature.
3 Responses to “Two Poems|Oloyede Michael Taiwo”
Oluwatobi Benjamin Adeyemi
Taiwo is very prolific in his writings and his archives of poetic renderings are a combination of everyday events and relatable societal elements.
Jerry
This is deep and interesting
Shalewa
Such captivating and interesting poems. Kudos…