How Much's Life? Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDE FGHIJ AIBKLM ANOPQ ARSTU VOWXPYY| How much is my life worth | A |
| In dollars | B |
| Pound Sterling | C |
| Euros | D |
| Or the worthless naira | E |
| - | |
| When I'm only a living corpse | F |
| Waiting to drop | G |
| Into a shallow untimely grave | H |
| Dug by men in a hurry | I |
| To dispose of my useless remains | J |
| - | |
| How much am I worth | A |
| When I could be wasted easily | I |
| Either by police or soldiers | B |
| Like Endsars victims whose bodies disappeared | K |
| Into thin air to cover up atrocities | L |
| Schemed and executed by the state | M |
| - | |
| How much's my life worth | A |
| When daily my brothers and sisters are butchered | N |
| By aljanu in human skin | O |
| And all the authorities could do as usual | P |
| Is shift the bulk of blame | Q |
| - | |
| How much am I worth | A |
| When I can't step out of the confines | R |
| Of my home without being afraid | S |
| Without writing my will | T |
| Because I mayn't return home alive | U |
| - | |
| Is this really life | V |
| That we're battered by hunger within | O |
| And can't go out to fend for ourselves | W |
| In fear of being battered by agents of hell | X |
| As we waste scarce resources on people | P |
| Whose interest's not our preservation | Y |
| but our destruction | Y |
Emmanuel Inya Otu-nwachi
(C) All Rights Reserved. Poem Submitted on 11/30/2020
Poet's note: "How Much's Life?" is a poem that speaks against the wanton destruction of human life in Nigeria. In it the poet condemns killers, kidnappers, armed robbers as well as government functionaries who sit and do nothing to safeguard the lives of innocent and lawabiding citizens.
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