A Silent Prayer
A Silent Prayer
May our silence not be consent for evil to rain
Upon our land a torrent of sorrow and pain
Till the cost of our silence takes its toll
And the tears of the innocent overflow
May our silence not be consent for evil to prevail
For mothers in the land to mourn and bewail
The loss of those precious and dear
Nourished with their love and their care
May our silence not be consent for evil to reign
Till it becomes a man eating lion which non can tame
A raging inferno which none can contain
A spark lighting the tinder of an ever burning flame
May our silence not be consent for evil to become
As constant as the rising of the early morning sun
A dark cloud obscuring the light of the moon
An ominous foreboding of impending doom
May our silence not be consent for evil to ascend
To heights which history will labour to transcend
That those yet unborn will in amazement wonder
At the tale of a people divided, torn asunder
May our silence not be consent for evil to take root
Till Justice is trampled and perishes under foot
Till the people become a captive of the choice
They made because they refused to use their voice
May our silence not be consent for evil to take form
To become our way of life , our pattern and our norm
Till we abandon the victims to their fate
To the mercy of the enemies at the gate
May our silence not be consent for evil to abound
Till all hope and faith is lost and never to be found
Till all that remains are the sighs and hiss
From the regret for the things that we miss
May our silence not be consent for evil to take hold
Till fear grips the fainting hearts of the young and old
Till all the people think of is how to escape
From a land filled with violent plunder and rape
May our silence this day come to an end
That our nation may begin to heal and to mend
To recover its strength and walk the noble path
To take its place amongst the nations of the earth
Opeyemi Iyekolo
24/12/2021
