Foxes

Foxes
They adjust agbadas, wave their hands,
Flashing toothy smiles;
Manifestos laden with rousing words-
In them there is no guile.
"We've programmes for the aged, the youth, the weak;
You know whom to trust when change you seek."

Cutting of ribbons and opening speeches,
Fantastic police bands;
Hotel suites, plane flights, banquet halls...
Currency's changing hands.
"First impressions last longest, so they say,
Connections must be maintained to pave the way."

Corpulent allowances come with the terrain
Like bolts need a fine spanner,
Our man's paunch increases by the day
Bank accounts in like manner.
"Hinges need oil and plants need rain;
Be patient- this country will rise again."

"Our roads and food!" the masters cry.
The servant shakes his head:
If only they understood the schedules, the pressure,
They'd sympathize instead.
"Am I a magician to change things overnight?
But rest assured that I know your plight."

Memory recedes as new issues arise,
Responsibilities are heavy:
Our African neighbours are being oppressed,
(My son wants a Ferrari).
"Democracy won't be painless as we grow;
Our predecessors did much damage, you know."

Hope is fast-fading from our eyes;
Was the uniform as bad?
Fuel scarcity, inflation, unemployment, lack-
Should we be mad...or sad?
"Soldier come, soldier go- this saying is true.
One day you'll step down and receive what's due."

But here's a painful fact- let's perish tact-
With the mammon and treasure you've stacked
You wisely ensure you remain in the chain,
An unbroken link in the political train.
That's the pack's constitution, unwritten but present,
The lingo, the diet, the traits are inherent
So that those who come after, mere cubs in the game-
They think they'll be different, go by a new name
But they find as they rise (if they want to live long)
They must follow the code; they must dance to the song.