Nigerian Sadness

Your sadness is personal
You admire it like a jewel
And hold it close to your heart

It does not resemble anyone else's
It is distinct
In the way it smothers and chokes you

It is not like Iraq's
So don't indulge in the tirade of her tired people
In the mourning of her broken state

Your sadness is not like Syria's
The reality that a callous man still rules
And that NATO did not enter the nation like it did Libya

You are not France
Your terrorists are not foreign family members
Your enemies resemble you

You are not America
Your oppressors do not oppress with style and logic
They do not kill you and then throw you a lavish funeral

Your sadness is Nigerian
It is blatant and vulgar
It is a murderer that will never be caught

Look at how it dangles on your neck
Like a gem
And don't you just wear it with pleasure?

You wake up to the heat and must of your airless room
You get out of bed with the weight of the world sitting on your chest
The nightmare of your dreams follow you into your day, and you get on with it

Your children are out of school because you have not been paid in months
Your cousin is sitting in jail because he cannot afford bail for a crime he did not commit
But you get on with your day

Your boss rains abuses on you
Your church reminds you that those who rob God will burn in hell
You cannot breathe, but you get on with your day

Your roads are flooded and your gutters open
Your gate is locked but you do not feel safe
You cannot see, but you get on with your day

Your voice does not matter because it is stifled by the wealthy and powerful
Your rights are irrelevant, you are not a millionaire or a thief so you do not matter
You cannot continue, but you get on with your day

Your sadness is Nigerian
A distinct Nigerian gem
And you wear it well