Prologue 1

 

THE UNFULFILLED MAN OF YESTERDAY

 

He was born into fame yesterday,

But he lives the church rat of today

He would want to live the god of other men tomorrow

And he would use the common resources of today to achieve his goal.

 

He gathers the public grains of today

He stores them in his private barn against tomorrow

He prepares his world of bounty for tomorrow without any qualms

But he starves to death his kind of today in his unbridled quest

 

He builds his house on sand today

He would want to convert the foundation to rock tomorrow

He pollutes the atmosphere around him today

But he wants to breathe the clean air of tomorrow

 

He was given a simple name yesterday

He makes it a compound and intimidating name today

He had a human name yesterday

He re-names himself Oyinatumba tomorrow

 

He was understood by his friends and associates yesterday

Assumed opulence and delusional disposition distance him from his friends tomorrow

His name connoted meekness and compassion yesterday 

Oyinatumba is a chill that will catch a community tomorrow

 

He was a human being yesterday

He has become a self-styled god by today

He had good neighbors yesterday

He converts them to tools for his use for tomorrow

 

His neighbors were his friends yesterday

He wooed and courted their friendship as he went

He would want to convert them to his tools by today

And he, a new god, would make slaves of them by tomorrow.

 

He could walk the streets as a free man yesterday

He has become an ‘endangered species’ by today

He walked devoid of guards yesterday

Multiple guards sniff his paths for dangers against tomorrow

 

He used his simple reasoning yesterday

The reasoning of the simple human being has abandoned him by today.

The sleep he treasured came naturally yesterday

He will need hypnotics for sleep by today

 

He beamed the natural smile yesterday

The genuine smile is gone from his face by today

The frown will find its way in, by tomorrow

He dopes himself to force a smile on his face even by today.

 

He used to be a man as simple as the rest of us by yesterday

Money and power have taken their toll on him today

He is no longer with us even as of today

He will even be further gone from us by tomorrow

 

He is no longer a man of today

But he is surely not equipped for tomorrow

He will be too far gone by end of today

Today and tomorrow have both rejected him

 

He gropes in the darkness of his assumed wealth today

He will become a carpenter of riches by tomorrow

He will see the rest of the world as hammer and nail tomorrow

And the rest of men will turn to saw dust in his eyes.

 

He gropes in the dark in search of peace of mind

Laughter in other men’s faces amazes him

He sees fulfillment only in form of silver and gold

But these, even in their billions, have brought no laughter to his face

 

He sought for mere handouts for survival yesterday

He became unsatisfied with a ‘mere million’ dollars by today

One billion dollars will bring no contentment to his soul by tomorrow

He remains today, and forever, an unfulfilled man of yesterday.

 

He merely sought a spot to perch yesterday

He finds a bench of rugged wood for a seat today

He seeks a seat of gold for tomorrow

A gilded tomb will become his fancy as he goes.