Lagos Roofs
The roofs of Lagos
Technicolor
Bits of sticks, stones, nylon
Worn out sandals
Bits of teeth,
Eczema, scarifications of rain and sun
The insignia of the owner
Proud of his garrisoned house
Antenna and plates
Dishes out the illusion of paradise
And tankers of self government
Watered down from the ground
No trees, some greens choking
At the cancer of gas
Skyscrapers and legends side by side
In Ebutte-Metta
II
Makeshift bathrooms
Towelled by a long line of frying clothes
Poles and lines like Mast and Masthead
No birds
Just the dim awakening
Of generators And
the flubustering
loneliness
Lagos is a stadia
of hustle Gladiators die everyday
And the air is full of blood
And phlegm
Beer parlours and music
Women of the night dance
On the balcony
Flashing half their breasts
While the roof rumbles
with a feast of rats
Rats
Landlords
Mechanics, vulcanizers and bus conductors
Corporate personnel In the company of one roof
Petrol stations
Tarpaulins
And uncompleted buildings
In a celestial partnership
The road to God is short
Femi Morgan is the co-curator of Artmosphere, a leading Arts and Culture event in Nigeria and a co-publisher at WriteHouse Collective. He is a co-recipient of the 234Next Fashion Copy Prize and was longlisted for the BN Poetry Prize in 2015. Morgan is a co-publisher of WriteHouse Collective. Meet Morgan @fairchild09