In those days,
White ants only posed
It could not devour a stone
You dared not dare the crown
He ruled like a KING
But was he just a king?

The AKODA truly made watering mouths
But only for the crown in absolute
The elder ate the bat’s head
While a child ate the head of any bird
Agba oje loje wewe nto leyin
He ruled in absolute
Irukere loye loye
A mere symbol of authority
The crown, the mantle
Balogun, the war chief
Talo njeun ti aja nju ru
Before the main crown,
The beads and the honour

Otun, the senior chief bragged and beat his chest
Grassland deer is so comfortable that it wants
Its chest to be as big and broad as a horse
The staff, the voice of the king
Iyalode, the women leader bragged too
Osi is subjected to calming
There is space for Nupe people
They were building shrine for their masquerade
But the staff spoke in annoyance
The village preached peace
The crown stood
His subjects subjected to standing
And dared not to look him in the eyes

But now,
The source is completely dry
The culture is totally punctured
Now we are famished and thirsty
Dead and stranded
I can’t shout to the south
The absolute power of the crown is faced off
Antiquated honour is no longer Antique
The authoritative staff lost its command
The crown is traded for money
And the place of honour reeks of horror

Civilisation strangles everything
The horses are no longer royal
Science takes the position of the state affair
And politics dictates the pace
And the place of the crown is only ceremony

What are the ministers?
Mere figure-heads without useful intents
When there is a written law
Their bye-law never had ink anyway
All were just Babake‘s bookless orders

Where are those ISAKOLE?
They are now TAXES
And never for any crown
The crown no longer has the power
His command less bears effect
His power lacks the sting of vigour
His crown has been squeezed and crushed
And replaced with a humorous cap

Abiola Abidemi