By: Ololade Akinlabi Ige
Our lord
who art on earth
hallowed ought to be thy name
but thy kingdom is a corrupt court
in which our gavel sways.
Thy injury-will be done today
as it was done yesterday.
We give to you this day, thy daily bribe,
to forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass over our rights;
those who raped our dreams and led us into temptation,
a way not to deliver us from evil.
They made this inequity law an injurious law
and you as the bench.
For thine is the corrupt court,
your bench, and your tyranny may last not forever
but surely, nemesis and crummy reputations
shall follow you all the days of your life
and through the length of your bench days forever and ever.
Ololade Akinlabi Wahab hails from Ibadan, Oyo state. He is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo, Ile-Ife, Osun state. He was a nominee for Nigeria Writers Award 2017 (Poetry category). He was a two-time winner of Poet in Nigeria (PIN) 10-day poetry challenge and was a second runner-up in Youth Shades international poetry contest. In 2018, he was shortlisted for Albert Junger Poetry Prize and won Ken Egba Poetry Prize in same 2018.
