POEM: “Future”

Future is the one thing I don’t see.
Infact, the future is one thing nobody can see.
Sure you can plan for it,
But there’s always going to be a plot twist to see.
The twist doesn’t always have to be tragic or dramatic,
It could be as simple as drinking tea.
The future some believe to be really futuristic,
Unknown to them it’s closer than your sister.
The future is the next second, minute,
The next air you breathe,
What happens after you blink,
‘Cos you don’t know what will happen in that instance.

I remember when I was little,
I would say I would do stuff in the future,
But now the future is here,
It’s no longer far away or even in a distance.
It all came so quickly, like a thief in the night.
One minute I was sleeping and being babied,
The next I am out here trying to toughen up,
And put on my big girl’s pants.
I am in a country where there’s money-hungry people,
And a few good ones.
I am faced with the challenge of picking a side.
With one looking like I am in a high speeding vehicle,
Heading straight to destruction,
And the other looking honest,
But with more suffering than the first.

I stay up all night,
Surfing through the internet,
Trying to understand me,
Because the only thing that defines me,
Are the countless prayers covering me day and night.
I took the tests, you know?
They find you test, the know you tests,
And none of that helped.
And when I asked my elders they said I’ll be great,
But I just can’t stop wondering and thinking of my future.

Would I maybe get to see my a-few-seconds ago dreams?
Or would I be just another dreamer,
Floating in an ocean of unfulfilled dreams,
And long time promises I made to myself,
And maybe one day choke on my confusion?

I say a-few-seconds ago dreams,
‘Cos my real dreams were shot in the head and murdered.
I’m sorry, please excuse my diction.
But that’s why it changes every now and then.
I am being told everyday, focus!
You have a bright future!
But I don’t see it!
Maybe I am blind to positivity and only see negativity.
But you can’t blame a young girl,
Who’s had dreams of innovation.
Bringing something new, fresh cut for invention.
But when you live in a world where corruption is a normal
And have never seen genuine civilization,
You tend to protect your sanity,
Against corruption and self destruction.

Imagine calling the police,
But they won’t come until you give them money,
Or see the police standing on the roadside collecting money.
And then say “we are fighting corruption”.
What kind of irony is that?
But that’s what I see everyday in my nation.

Still trying to understand if the plot twists,
And the changes are all parts,
Or maybe included in my journey,
To reach my destination.

As a poet, I try to stir up sympathy,
And awareness to what’s happening in my nation,
So the leaders can understand,
That the future isn’t tomorrow – it is now.
And there is little time but still time,
To save the little ones from self-destruction
And build them up to be respectful,
Ambassadors of great institutions.

When I was younger, I was told,
Roses are red, Violets blue.
But now that I am grown,
I have found out roses aren’t always red,
They could be white,
So were they lying?
I don’t know.
I just have questions and less time to ask the questions,
‘Cos time waits for nobody and so does the future.
You might be saying, “I’ll get married when I turn 25”,
But you just turned 30,
And don’t even have accommodation.

They say death comes like a thief in the night.
I agree!
‘Cos both death and the future slip in unnoticed,
Maybe when you notice, it might be too late,
Too late to reorganize.

You might have already built towers,
And plans in your mind for the future,
Then realization hits, and it hits differently.
You find out, you were living an illusion,
And now you’re asking,
What is the future?

–END–

From the table of the "Friendly Poet", Chinonso Achugbu