(AGAINST COMPLACENCY)
by Oladipo Agboluaje
On one hand I count the massacres,
the daily attrition of death
rubbing against life in a dry corner
of the globe, that reeks of something homemade,
something as familiar as next door's dog
My finger pauses on the wailing of veiled widows who recount their woes, personal and communal.
I dig deep but find the only original empathy
I can muster is a disinterested sigh, all-knowing,
universally sage, as I channel surf
from conflict to light entertainment,
engaging in my own battle with a sleepy head
dying to find watercooler fodder
for the next grey day.
Oladipo Agboluaje is a Nigerian-born playwright. He lives in London.