It's just poetry, it won't bite

The Rat Race


09.29.13 Posted in today's words by

Israel Okwuje is a Nigerian writer who loves to write short stories and occasionally dabble in poetry. His work has appeared in Litro, East Jasmine Review, Saraba, Nigerianstalk, and a host of other literary spaces. 

The Rat Race
By Israel Okwuje

He hears the rooster crow
at dawn and he is afraid
to rise, to set out, to bear the brunt
of a cycle with no pause.
He’ll bend his back to till the soil
streaming sweat and blood for others.
In rain, in sunshine, he’ll stand and slog
stuck in the continuum of his wage and costs.
If only he had a big fat purse,
a way out of the treacherous curse.
He’d have a team to plough his fields,
he’d rake in gold and acquire more acres.
But all he’s got are lots of wants,
he spends his days bound by dos and don’ts.
He passes his nights in rivers of thought
on breaking the tide of this circuitous course.

 



One Response to “The Rat Race”

  1. Great description of a tired man filled with worry. But, a man that still dreams the possibility of better days.

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