Ola Joseph Kolawole - My Conscience

MY CONSCIENCE
I tiptoed to my mum’s kitchen
From the pot, I took a chicken
‘Cause my heart has sinse been hadened
to the sinful act of stealing

mmmy came to the kitchen
She discoveed some meats were missing
facially, I loked well shaven
deep inside, I was terribly shaking

I later board a bus in broad day light
And a passenger arose and did alight
her purse fell off within the reach of my sight
yet I kept mute – like all is right

though she alighted without the purse
and richer, I became, sitting in a bus,
while I looked round and picked up the purse,
counting faster was my pulse

the same day, a neighbour was running,
some paces away a ditch was lying,
but we two had just engaged in some fighting,
so I kept mute and watched him falling.

He tried to stand but he could not,
I tried to laugh but I could not,
Of course, I could have warned him but I did not
Then to me, my life became a knot of noughts

Oh! My conscience
My conscience was hungry
And with myself, I fel; t angry
Walking lonely downtown in Hungary,
I envisaged a future of penury

Restitution! My conscience ejaculated
Without this, I can’t be delighted
And this I did to those I’ve offended
– Then off my conscience, he burden alighted.

March 9,2005.

Ola Joseph Kolawole

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