SURVIVING THEORY:
a poem for liberia
By Edwin Olu Bestman
there are many ways to survive in liberia.
i.
break yourself into our country’s politics
& raise battle cries to appease deceitful men who see themselves as gods.
ii.
wear a beret with an army jacket & a
boot too.
your body making a way into our streets
& blood pumping out of your skin is an evidence for loyalty.
iii.
it is a belief to ignore what is right.
so, our people continue to hold their master’s words like good seeds
& plant it under the garden of their tongue for safety.
iv.
integrity is another tree planted on the roadways of our country's body.
for people wanting to stay alive:
they usually carry lies upon their shoulders for survival.
v.
since my country is a troubling home
where many things have unloved themselves.
this poem too has unloved itself & fighting for survival.
vi.
i pray someday everything in this poem becomes survivors.
like people who survived our country’s fourteen years of civil war
& nothing is left to kill within.
By Edwin Olu Bestman
there are many ways to survive in liberia.
i.
break yourself into our country’s politics
& raise battle cries to appease deceitful men who see themselves as gods.
ii.
wear a beret with an army jacket & a
boot too.
your body making a way into our streets
& blood pumping out of your skin is an evidence for loyalty.
iii.
it is a belief to ignore what is right.
so, our people continue to hold their master’s words like good seeds
& plant it under the garden of their tongue for safety.
iv.
integrity is another tree planted on the roadways of our country's body.
for people wanting to stay alive:
they usually carry lies upon their shoulders for survival.
v.
since my country is a troubling home
where many things have unloved themselves.
this poem too has unloved itself & fighting for survival.
vi.
i pray someday everything in this poem becomes survivors.
like people who survived our country’s fourteen years of civil war
& nothing is left to kill within.
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BIO:
Edwin Olu Bestman, poet and engineer, writes from Monrovia, Liberia. He has co-authored several anthologies and the author of two books, Genesis and Raindrops. His works have been featured in Ducor review, Loch Raven Review, WSA, Spillwords, Odd Magazine, African Writer Magazine, Agape Review, Synchronized Chaos, Eboquills, Literary Yard, Poetry Nation, Ngiga Review, SIM, Nantygreens, Sipay Magazine, Afritondo, Rising Phoenix Review, AfroRep Journal, Madness Muse Press, Rigorous Magazine, Arts Lounge, Fiery Scribes and elsewhere. |
