The Ashes - David Etiosa

Once a nation with great prospects
But now its future seems to be in 'disarray'
It was once one to glory in
But now in the mud, it drags its name

Once a gem to gaze upon
Now treated like 'dirt' by some
It's tale is seen as 'mirthless'
One story told by all

Though,
Its beginning is one that 'uplifts'
It becomes sour
Sooner rather than later

It started as a fight for 'freedom'
A fight for 'equality'
A fight for 'justice'
A fight for 'the Fatherland'

They were tired of being subdued
By those who claimed to be 'superior'
Tired of being cajoled
And being made to feel 'inferior'

They wanted what was theirs
What was built from the sweat
Of their 'forefathers'
No matter the threat

They tried once and failed
But due to the 'diehard' nature in them
They picked themselves up
And tried again, defying the odds against them

After they had proven their 'ingenuity'
They reclaimed their 'birthright' and 'resplendence'
Free to do as they pleased
They called it 'independence'

They had gotten their freedom
How long they've waited
They setup positions
The competent were elected

All was good
All was well and rosy
Just by looking
You could almost taste the milk and honey

They could cater for themselves
The land was fertile
Surplus agricultural produce
As well as mineral resources

They were a nation
With successive progression
Despite the tribal diversity
They all lived in unity

Suddenly,
After some had tasted power
They felt untouchable
At the sight of them, men should cower

Those who hadn't tasted power
Wanted to know how it felt
They didn't care how; they just wanted it
If only they could see the danger that spelt

They began to plot against each other
Heads began to roll
Some resulted to the occults
To which they ended up selling their soul

They soon began to lose sight of "the people"
They focused on getting "the seat"
Without knowing something anomalous had crept in
Trouble was about to hit

A while later,
There was population explosion
They thought they were ready for it
But soon they noticed the faint effects of 'corruption'

It had slipped in slowly
While they were plotting
Unveiling itself
It disrupted all brooding

But by doing so
It lit a spark
It made them see the obvious
They had to stop being slack

They put their differences aside
They joined forces
They saw the need
To have a common cause

Combining all efforts
They dealt with it
Having been all the while slack
They were almost beat

And again
Successive progress had returned
The people could feel the presence of their leaders
Corruption had been "abated"

Or so they thought;
The "leaders" just wouldn't let old habits die
They just couldn't resist "the seat"
One can only ask, WHY

Their cravings had grown stronger
Their thirst needed to be quenched
In their own minds though;
The people were surely gonna be wrenched

The scheming had resumed
Bad things were happening like clockwork
The bad outsmarting the good made their efforts look like
One step forward... twenty steps backward

It was taking its toll on the nation
crime rate increased speedily
Prices of things tripled
None of this would have happened if they'd just behave seemingly

Soon, some rose up
Claiming what the nation needed were "political physicians"
And that they were this
Well... they call themselves "politicians"

Promising "heaven and earth" to the people
Spiting one another
Saying demeaning things about the opposition
And that they're the saviours, the people should look no further

If only this was true...
Well it was, to a small extent
All the while this happened
Corruption had burrowed it's way to a "very deep end"

The people were mesmerized by superficial promises
If only they could perceive
That, all the politicians wanted was power
To rule and as well deceive

They had gotten the peoples attention
Saying that, they plan to make good on their aims
If only the people could see that all they had said
Were Bogus, vague, false claims

The elections came
Someone was chosen to rule
The people thought their saviour had emerged
But, they had just signed up for a duel

There was intellectual contention
From the ever agonizing opposition
Who claimed the ruling people where full of loopholes
And it could bring the nations downfall close

Most times when these politicians speak
They do it with great ambiguity
Claiming to "be for everybody and for nobody"
And yet, most of their methods are that of antiquity

In their fight for power
And in an effort to setup their own legacy
They've burnt down the legacy setup by their forefathers
And have covered with shame the faces of their mothers

Some youths have chosen to take after them
By cutting corners to get what they want
Mortgaging their future for the pleasure of the present
Certainly, looking at the past, you could say they haven't learnt

Now the nation may seem to be in rubble
But soon there shall be a change of circumstances
And it'll be the great nation we once knew and loved
Cuz like a Phoenix, it'll rise from THE ASHES

written by David Etiosa