Casualties of Depravities by Professor Francis Egbokhare

We are the casualties

Prisoners in a fortress of falling walls

Grandmasters of the illusion of excellence

Masked men and women in ‘Grand Theft Identity’¹

Residents of a disappearing tower

Actors on a sinking sewer

Stars of a game of ruse

Yes!

We are the robed ones

Dressed up in scarlet regalia of monumental errors

Collocated in academic processions like humanized penguins

None breaking formation

All intuiting affirmation

Echoing the dol-drum

We are sycophants

Wallowing in error

In the name of hunger

We shall plunder²

We

The casualties of depravities

Captives of a colonial mentality

Slaves of a racial calamity

Minions of a farcical ideology

Fanged Lilliputians famed by notoriety

Elevated harlequins on stilts of histrionics

They set themselves for the grand fall

From false heights fabricated in impunity

1. Named after the computer game, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ 2. To be sung with the tune: we are soldiers fighting for the nation in the name of the Queen we shall conquer

 Biography

Professor Francis Egbokhare teaches phonetics and phonology at the University of Ibadan. He has held important administrative positions in the University. He was head of Linguistics and African Languages Department and Director of The Distance Learning Centre.

Francis is married to Yinka and they are blessed with three children, Olo, Ohizei and Toluwalase.