I Can’t Sleep by Umar Saleh Gwani

I Can’t Sleep

Timid silence conceals cries of defilement from infernal attacks

by emboldened adversaries who aren’t our nemesis, but enemies;

we fumbled, awkward in our eagerniness,

to dodge being witnesses to atrocities from afar,

keeping our collective guilt within admissible distances,

handy when playing good samaritan activists,

devouring our viral likes while our hamlets worry about their last supper
but Judas hasn’t shown up.

After celebrating regained impartiality towards being responsible,

we found only interim excuses by aides in deep pain from pecuniary grief

in their mutation of belief on promises fulfilled, they’ve floundered

between reminders of homesteads razed, lives taken and stock stolen,

they hide in fortresses shielded by abundance of half truths

where partial beliefs fly around like birds showing commitment to regain the trust of a hunter.

Poor folks so forgiving hunted, haunted and harrowed

like weed from unkempt lawns of our palaces of democracy.

We’re unashamed of being judgemental in rationing blame

as token gestures of our body language,

whose movements mean nothing to an octopus of which our twisted problems resemble,

while mutating beyond form leaving corpses as signature

in propaganda gospels, rumours and gossips are virtues enjoyable

when elites say we’re just fine
like remedy for allergy
of seeking immunity from accountability.

How dare you sleep?

Bio:
Umar Saleh Gwani is an information and Communications Technologies Consultant and solution provider as CEO NextOne ICT Nigeria

He is involved in Farming, Teaching, Profession Training, Mentoring on entepreurahip and business development, Charities, Book Clubs, Software Developers groups, Environmental and Sustainable Development Advocacy, Poetry and Prose writing published on various print and digital media.
He enjoys outdoor endurance sports activities, photography and sustainable development work at community and programme levels. Provides mentoring to a wide range of individuals in different fields of human endeavour. He is married with kids and currently lives in Bauchi, Nigeria.

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Sai Sabouke is a writer living in New Bussa, Nigeria. He’s a dervish who sees Sufism, history and language as formidable tools for society regeneration. His writing has appeared in Praxis Magazine Online and Agbowo. Sabouke loves beans, coffee and dreams of roasting the entrails of vultures.