Analysis of This is Lagos
Arriving that evening
through the window screen
I saw the sign
THIS IS LAGOS
And the hustle began
No slacking on this fast lane
Agbero yells in a raspy voice
No bus parking to wait for you
Here in Lagos
Passengers jump like monkeys
unto a moving bus
So where are they all hurrying to
All these quick feets
moving tro and fro Oshodi road
Like men without destination
Roadside hawkers in the midst
Pulling your hands and dragging your clothes
Even holding you by the neck
Hassling you to buy their inferior goods
Pick-pockets pilfering under Ikeja bridge
putting holes in your pocket
My eyes have seen red today
My money is gone
my wallet stolen
I cried helplessly, hands on my head
Are you JJC
A voice jeer from the corner
This is Lagos my friend
You better shine your eyes
From Opebi to Ojuelegba roundabout
ladies hustle in skimpy clothes
displaying their bodies for sale
All you see are not humans
Some are mermaids (mammy water)
So you better shine your eyes
Anything can happen in Afrikan shrine
Here, Freedom goes wild with Afro beats
Taken by the spirit of Fela
Smoking weed, open orgies
All illegality are legalized in Kalakuta Republic
So you better shine your eyes
But is this the Lagos I hear
The dream of a megacity
A true land of opportunities
Where you can turn sand into gold
Here are the magnificent flyovers
the third mainland,
Ekò and Carter bridge
That take you over to Lagos Island
The gigantic towers in Marina
Cyclones that touch the sky
which overshadow Apapa seaport
Here are the business tycoons
And the excellent bankers of broad street
The sun seems to shine brighter
At this side of Lagos
The bright blue sky
And the soothing sea breeze at Eleko beach
A display of aquatic splendor
Drinking a portion of coconut water
Set the tune for a beautiful weekend
Over there at Bar beach, Aladura pray
All-night, singing,, gyrating like a choir drunk in spirit
The white robe, a flowing parachute as the sea waves
Babalawo throwing cowries on white sand,
Making incantations, seeing what eyes cannot see
Here are the high life of Isalekò
the Owambé parties
Men with overflowing Agbada flirting
Dancing around the thick madams
As they shake their fat hips
Here are the sophistication
the artificial life of Lekki peninsula
People claiming who they are not
Oh, Lekki women
You better shine your eyes
This is Lagos
Scheme | axbCx xxdcex dcfg xhxx ijkxgx almN xhxxlN bxoexN xfex cpix oqxxx lcqxllm kjxpx aeacx goxgNC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010110 10101 1101 1110 001001 111111 1100101 11101111 1010 1001110 100101 111111001 1111 1010111 1101010 110001 101101011 10101101 100111101001 1101001011 1010110 1111101 11011 11010 111001111 111 0111010 111011 110111 111110 10100101 01011011 1111110 111110 1110111 10110011 110111101 101010110 1011010 1010011001010 1110111 11101011 01101 01110100 11111011 11001001 011 10101 1111011010 0010100010 011101 1101011 1101001 0010010111 0111110 111110 0111 001011111 001101010 1001011010 101101001 10111111 11101010101010 011010101011 11010111 1011011101 1101111 0110 11100110 1001011 111111 1100010 00101110100 10101111 1110 110111 1110 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,356 |
Words | 433 |
Sentences | 1 |
Stanzas | 15 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 6, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 5, 7, 5, 5, 6 |
Lines Amount | 77 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 127 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 28 |
About this poem
An exposé of the hustle and bustles of Lagos state. And the stack realities of a two face city.
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"This is Lagos" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/155262/this-is-lagos>.
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