Money Ritual

Money Ritual

by Seun Lari-Williams

E get one land like dat 

wey dem dey commot person head

like sey na goat, 

on top sey dem believe sey e

fit turn bank note. 

I no dey sugarcoat.

Dis land wey I dey tok, 

dem dey harvest human being 

like sey na yam

on top sey dem wan to bam, 

dem wan kee cow and ram. 

I dey tok as I see am.

Wetin go surprise you be sey 

na still dis land be 

poverty capital of the 

whole world, 

Na their footprint na im 

plenty pass on top Sahara sand, 

na still dem dey swim 

Mediterranean sea pass, 

Na still their pikin dey do 

ashewo pass for Italy 

and Austria. 

Na still dem ordinary mosquito

dey kill pass.

Juju dey work na im 

dem carry dem forefathers dem 

enter boat. 

For four hundred years, 

dem use dog chain 

take hold their papa for throat.

Juju dey work na im ordinary 

mosquito dey kill dem like fly?

Money ritual dey work na im 

we dey suffer, 

dey borrow money up and down, 

money wey pikin wey dem never born 

na im go pay?

Juju wey no fit carry country go front, 

dat one na Juju? 

I no tok again, 

I dey vex.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.

The Sun

 The Sun

by Seun Lari-Williams 

In winter, I watched as the sun barely bothered

to get out of bed in the morning (as though

terribly ill), only to shut its eyes again

not long after.

In summer, I could swear I saw it rise

at just a few minutes past midnight, 

and then relentlessly refuse to go to sleep

at night (like a toddler).

As one whose sub-Saharan skin had only 

ever seen the sun rise and set

really about the same time each day,

I thought to myself:

How drastically different a fundamental fact 

can be to a traveler.

Even you, glorious, ancient sun – 

you, too, have taken a stab at my tiny little bubble.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.

The Other Ninety-Nine

The Other Ninety-Nine 

by Seun Lari-Williams

You go around telling how the

shepherd left us,

the remaining ninety-nine,

in search of you, 

the lost one,

until he found you.

You say, when he found you,

he carried you on his shoulders,

rejoicing.

That it made you smile sheepishly.

You go off singing, off-key,

a love song about

how special you are.

You’ve always liked to feel special

though.

And that’s your weakness.

Call us the jealous brother but

you do realize he didn’t leave us

in an unsafe place, right?

You know he’d never do that?

And you do realize he’d do the same

for the rest of us –

each and every one of us?

Can you imagine how he’d have felt

if when he returned, he couldn’t find the

remaining ninety-nine?

No, you can’t.

Because you can’t help thinking there’s

something special about you.

You say, when he got home,

he called his friends, his family, 

and his neighbours

to rejoice with him.

But did he offer them meat? 

Did he say to them:

“Let’s kill and eat one or two

of my other sheep

because I found this one”?

Of course, not.

You know why?

You’re not special.

You know why?

We’re all special.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.

Squid Game Naija

Squid Game Naija 

by Seun Lari-Williams

Green light, red light. 

Where you for see light?

If to sey money dey am, 

maybe we for tink am.

But for Squid Game Naija,

na for only our life we dey play.

Start.

Obi Chikolobi 

Obi out! 

(But Obi for no die if to sey 

doctor dem no dey on strike). 

Ada chikalada

Ada bang!

(Container fall on top Ada

for Ojuelegba).

Tinko Tinko 

tinkoloko Tinko.

We no see uncle Tanko again, 

as we no get money for ransom.

Farmers, form a big circle

at the back of your homes. 

Now, who is in the garden? 

Ten chubby, graceful cows.

Boju Boju, o! O! 

Now open your eyes.

After round one, 

one hundred farmers shot

in the head.

On 20/10

youths played Ten Ten. 

Several raised the wrong leg.

All of them dead

(Accidental discharge by

Ungun knownmen). 

Pikin sef dey play o. 

Like police wey dey find thief,

pikin sef must find

mama and papa wey 

fit give dem food chop -

before dem even born dem.

No be me go tok 

how many pikin die

for inside and outside IDP camp 

for only last year.

There is fire on the mountain. 

If anybody run go Mountain of Fire, 

abeg help me ask 

why e be like sey na we

be de ten thousand 

falling at the side.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.

The Meeting

The Meeting

by Seun Lari-Williams 

A pandemic meets an old man on the road. 

Who is this who is not afraid of me? 

You must be religious, I believe. 

Which of the gods do you worship? 

I am not religious, the old man replies, 

I must go about my business. 

You must be immune, then, the pandemic says,

or perhaps you have found a cure? 

I really don't care, the old man groans, 

my business is urgent, I must go. 

Then surely, you are foolish, the pandemic retorts. 

Have you not heard the reports? 

I am hunger, the old man began, 

I've been here since the world began. 

Wars and diseases, they come and they go. 

None has lived as long as I have. 

You burn at both ends; your end is near. 

I burn slow like fine firewood. 

Keep them indoors and fill them with fright, 

but when l knock, they come right out. 

Your reputation precedes you, the pandemic responds 

and bows before the old man. 

They kiss and hug and shake hands like old friends and 

smile knowingly at each other. 

The old man takes his leave and continues his routine-

knocking on doors and turning knobs.

Seun Lari-Williams was born in 1987. He attended Badagry Grammar School and studied law at the University of Lagos where he served as President of the Law Society. His first anthology Garri for Breakfast was longlisted for the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature.