The Odyssey
In a place where hope is a vague memory
In that dark, dark place
where Fundamental Human right
is an alien concept.
First with kidnappers for tour guides
I move on to a prison
Not even good enough to store “okporoko”.
No food, no water, be grateful for the clothes on your back.
Women and men alike are beaten, defiled
Then beaten and defiled, over and over so it goes.
Pregnant women, pregnant children,
there is no discrimination here,
we all receive the same special treatment.
Babies are despised, despite the fact that they
Fathered most of these babies, maybe
They are despised mainly for their paternity.
I got to Libya with nothing
Nothing but hope and a bag at my back
To cross over to Europe for the fabled greener pastures
But of course I never got to Europe,
I never got to see, if the streets are actually
littered with gold.
I return to Nigeria 13128 hours later,
With relief and a baby at my back.
A baby who’ll never know her father.
Though many didn't make it back from this odyssey,
I'm grateful to return to Nigeria
My motherland whom I tried so hard to run away from.