Profiting from Death

Lagos is where I live

And some other 15 million souls

I'll tell you a little tale

I once had a neighbour  

Who profits from death

Selling hand made coffins

From woods that rot fast

So this faith-ful day

Having prayerfully secured a customer

He was suddenly given the delivery job

The coffin must be delivered that night

He rented a ghost of a car

That wasted half its fuel on unnecessary sounds

And vibrates a little less than my grandpa's alarm clock

After three hours on a 6km road

With more work done in getting ready that moving

He came close to the delivery venue

Just 200m away from the Police station

And behind the station lies the cemetery

With the deadman's relatives already gathered

And the newest undertakers in town

Just recently hired and trained at the cemetery

And not forgeting the man of the day

Who was brought in the same ambulance 

That was headed to the nearest morgue

But on his brother's suggestion

Was made to pick some family members

And finally halted at the cemetery

Suddenly the car stopped and wouldn't budge

My neighbour had to carry the coffin on his head

On getting to the station beside the cemetery 

A policewoman stopped him for questioning

Knowing how troublesome the police can be

He told her he was relocating

That the place he had been buried was too noisy

And so he decided to relocate to this cemetery

The next week he had to furnish another coffin

For the family of the police woman

The words she heard had stopped her heart 

Life here never ceases to amaze me

We are all like moths

Forever drawn to this fire

Our daily lives are a miracle

We live in a mine field

Yearly deaths here will halve Gaza 

From the air we breathe to the roads we ply

Everything pulls us on to a sure death

And at a record breaking rate

The rich is no better than the poor

We all live in this expensive slum

Only that the rich is happier

He bothers more about his car-ffin

Leaves on a desert beside a stinking lagoon

And the poor only bother about the police

Our most innovative comrades 

We are all like my neighbour

Profiting from death

The death of the law 

The death of humanity

And the death of our sanity 

Reviews

[Orlock]

This is excellent. After a second reading I was grinning after the first part. Some very good lines in there, selling handmade coffins from woods that rot fast, especially He rented a ghost of a car That wasted half its fuel on unnecessary sounds, loved that one. I got a little confused during the long section in the middle but love the way the first part ends. Great way to open to, sets a good tone.

[Michael]

Thanks Orlock! Glad you find this a good read. I visited your blog, nice work. And I love the philosophical title - Happiness is a pig's philosophy. I hope you'd share why someday.

[Heather]

this is just, wow, amazing or what i'm speechless! i love the flow and fast pace of this poem it just grips you from the first word! i love that you singled out the last section from the rest of the poem as that is my favourite part especially the last three lines. this is amazing, you should be proud and welcome to writerscafe! :)

[Michael]

Thanks Heather for the encouraging comment! And for the warm welcome too! I enjoyed reading your poem, "fly, flee".

[Heather]

no problem i enjoy reading great work like yours and thanks again for reading that i appreciate it!! :)