By: Emmanuel Stephen Ogboh

green is green
be it lush as the grazings of Nigeria
dark as the envy
in the bladders of our ‘leaders’
cool as the essence of grape
plummy as fresh green apples
or unripe as the inedible fruits
our blind, naive followership bears
green is green
on postcards or placards, or voters’ card
on flags and banners and posters
on charts and television or news headlines
on rigged result sheets or jigged growth rates
but white is white, too
free of stain and grime and dust
free of speck or grease and rust
be it the flowing gowns of politicians’ wives
or the conscience they lack
or the garment of African leaders
who siphon their people’s wealth
and their green destinies abroad
white is white
the colour of parliament buildings that does nothing
about the dozen colours in white UN refugee camps;
white faces, red sores, black hunger, brown leaves
or the white chalkboards in dilapidated classrooms
or the blank spaces on greased Farmers’ check