Inkounter

It is possible to be aware of a problem on a subliminal level, to know yet not know. One day, however, that problem will stand up and punch you in the face. That day arrived for me when I heard the news across social media — the best in community medicine had left the community. All of the sudden, it seemed the floodgates were open and I could see it everywhere. Doctors were migrating in droves to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, even to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And these were not just house officers migrating. Medical officers, registrars, consultants, professors were joining the bandwagon at a stupefying rate. The tectonics of the Nigerian health sector were shifting, but the shifts were mostly unannounced, unrecorded, off camera, silent. Oh for shame, you may say, why all the bother? We have so many doctors that this loss is just a spoonful out of the Niger. There is no room for concern. Or is there? It is estimated that Nigeria has somewhere...

Child of two worlds Born of above and below What made you think you could live Below as at above? Tectonics shift Realms diverge Will you choose? Or will you crack? How much time do you have? You need to choose now How much time? How much time? No more time

Father Those dreams of yours Are dreams no more For I, your son, have made them real Look and tell me, are you now Proud of me? Father Those mountains where you failed Your son has dug through Immovable hardness overcome By unstoppable zeal Surely this will make you Proud of me Father Those battles that you lost They became my cause My one thought as I stood upon The mounds of your enemies' bodies Was of how you'd be so Proud of me Father You see how I've become The you you couldn't be But it's never enough So, tell me what to do How could I ever make you Proud of me?

Through the darkness Through the pressure Through the steaming, humid dirt I refuse to give in With faith in my radicles And hope in my plumules I know the day comes The day I'll shrug of the dirt And rise with pride Into the light

We rejoiced That at both ends You burned, and burned bright We should have wept That at both ends You burned, and burned fast

I drank a bitter brew And it filled my mind with questions Why exactly do I live? And what happens when I die? Am I not just a monkey With a slightly bigger brain? Doesn't self awareness serve to My inner monkey chain? Oh, how should I behave? Should I please every desire? Or in true abnegation Reject my inner fire? The universe is infinite A thousand billion stars And to such cosmic theatre I think I am a farce I drank a bitter brew And it filled my mind with questions So I put a finger down my throat And spewed the brew back up

And the wolf, all covered in wool, asked the sheep, "How long will you be dumb? Look upon yonder dog. He lords it over you like you were his subjects. You know he does not eat grass like us, yet he grows stouter, probably on the flesh of tender lambs. I can't face him alone, but together, we can run him out of the kraal. Then, we shall rule ourselves and all will be well with the world." A better idea these sheep had not heard. Murmurs of "Liberty!" and "Down with the Dog!" floated amongst the flock. And the clever wolf smiled.