Ransom Account

Dedicated to Bulama Cartoons
Saw a cartoon
By Bulama, my friend
And thought it good
And worth sharing with you;

A man ready for a trip
Sat behind the wheels
As his wife bade him farewell
"You may use all the money
In the 'oza' (other) account

But please don't, I repeat
Don't touch the consolidated Ransom Account!"
Why? You ask: Exigencies!
As he made the journey he knew
He may like Uncle Jonah in the fish's belly
end up in the den of kidnappers and robbers

Who run the roads as the lion runs the jungle
The ransom account would come handy
To negotiate his freedom, for even the police,
Soldiers and government functionaries
Pay ransom or mortgage to hoodlums to move about freely;

Who then is the son of a bloody 'talakawa'
That he'd not make arrangements in advance
For his release, for as my people say
The chicken with stunted legs begins the race
Against rain early enough, long before the rains Start to avoid being drenched.

Emmanuel Inya Otu-nwachi
(C) All Rights Reserved. Poem Submitted on 11/30/2020

Poet's note: "Ransom Account" is based on a cartoon that a Facebook friend drew where a man who was travelling told his wife not to withdraw money from a special account they kept money for the payment of ransom in case anyone of them is kidnapped.
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