Childhood Want in Nigeria

Childhood Want in Nigeria

In my childhood want

I had small sized unleavened 

bean cakes, sugar-free millet

or corn pudding and less 

sweetened beverage for breakfast.

I never had Christmas chicken,

the traditional cedar lights,

Santa's attractive delights,

and the ambience of advent.

Each seasonal necessity was

a luxury.

My indigent 'hood' was drenched 

by the torrential rains.

And I played, ran across and often

sank into the soft miry land.

I once borrowed a footwear from 

my reluctant neighbor.

He very grudgingly gave me what

seemed to look like medieval 

chopines that looked suitable 

for the entire neighborhood's 

quagmire.

I lost them both on a rainy day's 

deluge in the Stormy month of may.

To pay back what I'd lost, my enraged 

mum meticulously saved her hard-earned 

wages of a Fortnight and two days.

Author: Joseph Ogbonna

On OMPJ 

Photo Credit: Namnso Ukpanah on Unsplash