"The urge to write" by Osamolu Israel Toluwani

The first poet must have been a lonely man

Tired, confused, angry, bemused,

But above all in touch with himself

The second poet must have been a smiling woman

Who saw the first poet for what he truly was

An art form that was just being formed

The third poet must have been an elite

With an eye and taste for the finer things in life

Refined and cultured

Putting down his thoughts to impress future generations

About the fourth poet much is not known

He is the 21st century loafer with an empty stomach

The pen and paper used to be symbols of elegance

The fourth poet has fashioned them to his purpose

The pen and paper have become nonsense

Weapons in the hands of selfish fellows

Everybody has an opinion, everyone has a thought

Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom

of thought

No one listens any longer; we all want to be heard

Unfortunate it is that the fourth poet has lived the longest

The poetic license misplaced, the idiotic license birthed

I salute the sophisticate and the woman whose spirit lingers on

But I write for the first poet whose memories are long gone

Osamolu Israel Toluwani is a 200-level student of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State.