Ode to “Èdè Gèésì” & Nonchalance by Kolawole Mathew Ogundipe

Ode to “Èdè Gèésì

By Kolawole Mathew Ogundipe

You cut across the globe

with your manipulative styles,

Styles that do obey your principles,

Principles that cannot be ridiculed,

But your principles are so irksome,

Irksome to your followers,

Who will follow you with levity?

Even though you are borrowed,

You are served by your borrowers,

Serving you with curiosity.

Your servants do complain,

Complain of your callousness,

Callousness that lifts!

Lifts disappointing fingers near your servants’ lips,

You are cumbersome,

Cumbersome as one to pluck star in the world above,

You asked how, they responded, saying;

Whenever they are to be rewarded,

Rewarded in serving you,

They do have a low reward,

Reward that does tell of their performances,

Performances that show backwardness,

Backwardness in form of carry over.

In spite of your callousness,

Callousness in form of perplexity,

Which language can compete with you?

You are Lingua franca and official language

in some parts of the Terra:

You have made some of your servants renowned,

Your servants like Wole Soyinka, Efua T. Sutherland etc.

Oh! My MASTER, lead me well ̶

Don’t let my four-year services to you be futile,

              But let it be fertile.

Nonchalance

By Kolawole Mathew Ogundipe

So careless!

Careless like a hen

That left its children outside

Outside for hawk,

 Busy inside eating corn!

Why?  Why?  Why?

So careless!!

Careless like a sleeping mother,

Snoring and slumbering;

While her children are outside there, 

Suffering of undeserved punishment.

Awake! Think! Decide!

And do the right thing,

Bail your children from sufferings,

Bring them back into comfortableness.

About The Author

Kolawole Mathew Ogundipe is a native of Ogun State, Nigeria. He attended Peace Nursery and Primary School, and Orita Community High School, Ogun State between 1996 and 2007. He proceeded to the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta in 2008 where he obtained his NCE in English Double Major; and finally, to the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria where he bagged his Bachelor Degree in English language and education in 2019. He has published articles and poems in different international journals and anthological books respectively. He is currently a Private Secondary School English language and Literature-in-English teacher in Owode, Ogun state.