BURNING SOUP

It is like a pot of soup on fire

Boiling above a thousand degrees

Yet it was just meant for warming

But no one cares

Firewood burning unevenly

North boiling hard

While South just steams low

But the cooks care not

The soup was tasty the previous night

In this kitchen

Soups taste best the next day

But this is reckless

The smell is in the air

The last time we got here was bitter

The firewood burned out

The soup was almost thrown

And the chefs acted late

It is at a brink

The brew must be checked

The soup must not be thrown away

This is Africa

The chefs must step aside

Our mother be summoned

They are redeemers of burned food

Else we will go hungry

Nigeria