ADEKUNLE JOHNSON

Green is no longer the colour of envy. Like danger, it's now red.

You had a fall that was Luciferic.
No wonder you changed and turned Rastafaric.
Your recovery was nothing short of fantastic
and your rise was simply meteoric.
Many of us think its biologic,
but logicians call the event embryonic.
Opticians call your ascension futuristic,
naysayers term it satanic, sulphuric.

We know you’re not a man of steel from Krypton.
We know you were raised on bread and Lipton.
We know your favourite icon was Whitney Houston.
We've seen you bleed liquid that's crimson.
We've seen your siblings and cousins.
We’ve seen you almost dead from food poisoning.
We know your full name is Adekunle Johnson.


Yet you’re one of us, we know you’re no pontiff.
How come every fence in town is designed with your face as a motif?
What the T.V says about you
is always positive,
Nothing the tabloids say about you is ever negative.
Are they saying
you're not criminally active?
Are they pedling the thought that you're the most attractive?
Each time we prep for war; you come with the olive.
You've almost convinced us you've no ulterior motive.
You keep saying the candle that you hold is a votive...

Yes, we're scared because
your strength is Lionic.
and we're jealous because you're just so Iconic;
cuss it man, your influence is titanic.
And we wonder why your presence is always so atmospheric.
Oh, we're through with hysterics.
What we plan isn't romantic;
We're turning ballistic; call us barbaric.
We know you're strategic and always dynamic.
That's why we're taking you down with something Kryptonic.

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

I hadn’t heard of him, so I googled. Quite a character. Has managed to avoid punishment by the looks of things for his involvement in crime. Identify theft in particular. He has quite a reputation. Yes green can easily turn red where crime is concerned. I enjoyed the end rhyme in your poem and the fast moving pace. Is he doomed I wonder? Well penned Akinlolu. Entertaining and fun.

Chris

[Akinlolu]

Interesting how a few words ended up generating on online research on your part. Thanks for taking me that serious. There are actually 2 guys I currently know if who bear this name. One is a scammer and the other is a musician. Both generating waves. One thing is common to both: they're objects of envy. Anyway, there are times we envy those who rose into prominence through questionable means. Most hard breaking of all is to see crooks have people fawning over them and aspiring to follow their footsteps even after they realize they're crooks. For me, the end doesn't always justify the means. Thanks again for communicating. Appreciate it.

[Chris Shaw]

The scammer was fascinating to read about. Clever in crime.

[John the Baptist]

I must admit I have not heard of this individual, but I gather he is someone special. Like the way you end each line with near rhymes.

[Akinlolu]

It's a double edged message, John. There's a man by that name whom I admire. He's regarded as a kind of saint with squeaky clean reputation. He's also blessed with wealth and fame. His haters can't cope with that even though they're supposed to be his friends and they want to take him down. The other man is a high level crook with dirty secrets and lots of skeletons in his closet. But he looks like a saint on the outside and he has plenty of money and resources to launder his misleading image. There are also people who want to tear his mask and burn it and expose him for the fraud that he actually is. Thanks for your observation.

[Robert Trakofler]

I do not know who this is but I'm guessing he is a musician:/ Part of this feels like admiration and a little disdain thrown in for good measure LOL But the one thing I saw in this that I agree with is whoever it is he is indeed human I have known a few famous people over the years and I can tell you yes they are all just people and many of them do not like to be revered but instead prefer to just be just a person this gets hard for them for over time it gets difficult to just be normal when everyone always wants you to be this "ideal" I have a question I always ask artist and musicians that I know that have reached a certain level of recognition in their arts and the answer is almost always the same... I ask them do you feel like they are the author of their work or do you feel like you are just a channel for your work and they almost always say they have a sense of channeling:)

[Akinlolu]

Dear Robert. I suspect that the people we love to hate might actually be the ones we truly admire deep down. I believe it's that deep seated admiration that creates envy. I want to be you but I can't because I'm not you. Therefore I hate you for the simple fact that I can't be you. The music industry is hinted at here. So is the world of celebrities. As much as we admire our so called stars, they're not like Heracles, they're more like Achilles with the weakness on his feet---iconic figures with flaws that are sometimes fatal. We worship them but we also want to be them. They're constantly under scrutiny by the press. Social media is always awash with news of their latest foibles and their dirtiest secrets. Sometimes, those news are nothing but malicious rumours. Celebrities are also human. They cry and they bleed and they also have hearts that can be broken. We shouldn't place them on a pedestal that equate them with God. Nonetheless, I believe that those who are under constant public scrutiny as a result of their position in society have a RESPONSIBILITY to live responsbiy. Finally, envy is a universal citizen. It's everywhere in every nation and in every strata of society, home, church, school, government, business world, entertainment industry and so on. Thanks a lot for taking the time out of your busy schedule to review a total stranger. Love from Akinlolu.