Poetry
Good Morning!
A Lagos Traffic Story
Tick tock,
the clock goes
Sunrise
seems so long ago
Yet,
you are still
on the road
It starts with
leaving your house;
praying.
Hoping,
to beat
the traffic
You get
into your car
or a bus
to start
the journey
The first few minutes
are amazing
Everything moving;
smoothly,
swiftly.
Then,
you get to
a junction
and things change;
suddenly!
The pace slows,
and
you start thinking
‘Maybe,
it’s the traffic light
up ahead
Or
a traffic warden
not on duty
today’
Time passes,
yet your vehicle
has only moved,
slightly.
Your heart quickens
and
you begin
to worry
‘Maybe,
taking the other route
would have been
better decision making’
The traffic clears,
and you allow yourself
a little rejoicing
You hope
and pray
that you’ve seen
the last
of the damned thing
Just to
get to 3MB
and everything slows
to a still
You gulp
as you allow your eyes
a little wandering
Cars.
Trucks.
People!
As far out
as the eyes
can see
Still,
you delude yourself
into thinking
You’ve seen
worse before
All isn’t lost,
there might be
a silver lining!
You doze off
and wake up,
but
you’re still
in familiar surroundings
Then,
you realise
how silly
you must’ve been
You lose
all hope
as you realise
what the time is
You can
only pray
this is the route
everyone
in the office
passes
You end up late
for your meeting
You get there,
with prepared excuses
Short of breath,
panting
But,
surprisingly
they say
‘Chill,
don’t worry.’
‘We understand!’
‘It’s just
a regular
Lagos morning!’
©️ Fọlábòmí Àmọ̀ó 2024
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