Not My Business by Niyi Osundare

NOT MY BUSINESS
.
They picked Akanni up one morning
Beat him soft like clay
And stuffed him down the belly
Of a waiting jeep.
.
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
.
They came one night
Booted the whole house awake
And dragged Danladi out,
Then off to a lengthy absence.
.
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
.
Chinwe went to work one day
Only to find her job was gone:
No query, no warning, no probe –
Just one neat sack for a stainless record.
.
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
.
And then one evening
As I sat down to eat my yam
A knock on the door froze my hungry hand.
The jeep was waiting on my bewildered lawn
Waiting, waiting in its usual silence.
.
NIYI OSUNDARE

Niyi Osundare was born in 1947 in Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria. He is a prolific writer and highly valued literary critic. In December 2014, Osundare was awarded the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) for academic excellence.