+ -
By Dr. Soyombo Ayomikun
1.Just the other night I sat
Together with a colleague in an emergency ward
Reminiscing about life & love
Suddenly the soft peace got shattered2.A distraught mother rushed in
With burnt hands & eyes spilling tears
After her appeared men carrying two children
Both already severely burnt3.We were told the mother was in the kitchen
Preparing dinner just after the yuletide celebrations
Her stove of kerosene suddenly exploded
Consuming her reasoning in a fiery blaze4.Out of confusion & fear she threw the stove
In a direction defined by her now autonomous hands
Unknown to her two of her children were right there
As burnt offerings the fire gutted their flesh5.Mother screamed & neighbours poured in
Rising to the rescue of the helpless children
At the end of the hellish drama the children emerged
As wounded souls from hell’s very core6.In the emergency ward we dashed around
Looking for equipments with which to salvage the dying souls
As is usual in Nigerian hospitals we found close to nothing
Our light bulbs were even asleep as power had gone7.Thinking about all it dawned on me
That ‘Emergency Preparedness’ is not a culture of Nigerian families
When disaster finally strikes we go about seeking witches
Generational enemies that must just be culprits8.No soul prays for hazards but they just do happen
Reason why we ought to harm our consciousness with the wisdom
That when they do occur lives must be saved first
Not the burning stoves,cars or houses9.I encourage all families to have emergency plans
That perhaps jokingly should be shared within your walls
Plans about what to do when fire breaks out
Or what to do when a child suddenly swallows a coin10.We all can’t be wise enough
We all can’t be cautious enough
To save our families & the palaces we laboured for
Just a little more of preparedness for the lurking evil would do
NB: this piece was inspired by two children who were victims of a fire disaster somewhere in Ore, Ondo State on 4th of Jan,2014….one survived,the other died.
follow me at: alabaster85
Source: SaharaReporters
Stay updated. Follow SamoluExpress on TWITTER or be a fan on FACEBOOK
Feel free to leave your opinion in the comment section below.
We invite you to contact SamoluExpress for Article Submissions, Advertisements or General inquiries. Please send a mail to [email protected]
