I generally don't write poetry but i decided to give it a shot. New year, new things eh? It's my very first poem so don't expect much o! Infact, I don't even think of it as a poem; just prose on different lines! Fancy that; my very first work for 2013 is a poem! Well, here goes!

Dear PHCN,
Thanks for being with us all through the previous year
Through hot and cold
(mostly hot at night)
Thick and thin
Light and darkness
Well, maybe just darkness anyway
Sorry for not asking Santa to send you a gift during the yuletide
But while we were trying to send the email
The power supply went off
And since our UPS went bad due to numerous power surges
We couldn’t send it.
And you rewarded us with a Christmas without electricity
For which we are well and truly thankful.

Dear PHCN
We had thought you had begun to disappoint us last year
After we spent a number of nights
Sleeping peacefully with light
And we could procrastinate on ironing our clothes
Because we actually depended on you to provide electricity when we needed it
But your response was swift and ruthless
Nearly a month without light
And an electricity bill so high
It made our neighbourhood pastor
Cry out to his ancestors

Dear PHCN
We know you can’t disappoint us
You are the only one
Besides God
That remains the same
Yesterday, today and,
We hope not in your case,
Forever.

Dear PHCN,
It’s a new year
And you’ve already set the tone
And shown us you plan not to disappoint us at all
By crossing us over into the new year in darkness
Then showing us light two hours into the new year
Only to withdraw it after five minutes.
We are happy to know that you have not forgotten us
And that you have no plans to disappoint us
And that you will remain something people can use as a reason
To insult the government

Therefore we say, happy new year, PHCN
Welcome to the new year with us
As we have made our resolutions
We know you also have
Not to let us down
To give us as many mosquito rampaged nights as possible
Punctuated with the sounds of terrific slaps
Delivered by us to ourselves
To provide us with as many moments of incredulous and outraged shock as possible
By withdrawing your precious commodity
Just as we are about to find out
If Allejandro is truly Rosalinda’s long lost lover.

Dear PHCN
Don’t mind those people that insult you
Each time you do what you are best known for
They don’t understand talent
And the need for moments of gnashing of teeth
When the lights suddenly go out
In the operation theatre.
It’s a new year
But you are still the same
And we are happy for it

But PHCN
Can you provide me with just ten minutes of light?
I have to go to the New Year service in church
And all my clothes are rough
Please?

(i'll also be be starting a series as well. I had intended to start it on the 25th of december 2012 (funny, 2012 is nw past!) but i was so caught up in the christmas rush, i just had to push it to today so expect it anytime soon!)
(spoiler alert: it's not comedy!)

This is what I call 'proetry'. A work that is in that no man's land between prose and poetry.
I used to write like this all the time before finally settling on prose. . This work reads like a letter written in plain old prose in terse lines.

Consider changing "mosquito rampaged nights punctuated with terrific slaps". Doesn't seem lyrical enough since poetry condences sentences. Also eliminate verbosity. We should endeavour to paint pictures with our choice of words.

How about: "reduce the number of mosquito festivals characterised by/ featuring the body slapping dance"?

My thoughts anyway. Its your work, your prerogative. Follow your instints.

Hilarious, as usual. Light humour and sarcasm flowing from line to line. You try. I can't for the life of me write poetry

thanks o, Ishi! happy new year! you are right about the "mosquito rampaged nights" but as I'm not a poet (quite frankly, the thought of writing poetry quite terrifies me. I think poetry is the exclusive preserve of deep and thoughtful people. Thoughtful, I am. Deep? Not even close!) I didn't know what would be better! I'm not sure i'll ever be a poet. however, it was worth a shot, eh?

senbonzakura_kageyoshi: thanks o, Ishi! happy new year! you are right about the "mosquito rampaged nights" but as I'm not a poet (quite frankly, the thought of writing poetry quite terrifies me. I think poetry is the exclusive preserve of deep and thoughtful people. Thoughtful, I am. Deep? Not even close!) I didn't know what would be better! I'm not sure i'll ever be a poet. however, it was worth a shot, eh?

Kaga baby, I disagree!! I am deep and thoughtful (at least I try to be ) yet I dont write poetry. I just can't marshall my thoughts to write it. I only write poetry when I'm under emotional pressure and I usually deliberately make it ambiguous.

Yeah it was worth a shot. I attempted something similar here: https://www.nairaland.com/1128779/land-called-insomnia.

Ishilove:
Kaga baby, I disagree!! I am deep and thoughtful (at least I try to be ) yet I dont write poetry. I just can't marshall my thoughts to write it. I only write poetry when I'm under emotional pressure and I usually deliberately make it ambiguous.

Yeah it was worth a shot. I attempted something similar here: https://www.nairaland.com/1128779/land-called-insomnia.

Visited the link and i must say if you wrote that, you should be able to write poetry. That was way more poetic than my laughable work up there. The depth and thoughtfulness came through and i could feel it. Maybe you just don't enjoy writing poetry but i'm sure when you feel like it you can come up with something awesom.

senbonzakura_kageyoshi:

Visited the link and i must say if you wrote that, you should be able to write poetry. That was way more poetic than my laughable work up there. The depth and thoughtfulness came through and i could feel it. Maybe you just don't enjoy writing poetry but i'm sure when you feel like it you can come up with something awesom.

O Kaga, why do you insist on making me blush??

Yeah I wrote it. I come up with stuff like that when I'm under emotional duress; which isn't often.

I can't express myself or release myself in poetry the way I do with prose. Its too restrictive.

Nice work u hav here embellished in sarcasm.
I'm nt really a poetry person so i'm waiting earnestly for d series. And we dnt want tragedy o.

Ishi... Happy New Year.

Good work, really nice. Also good to see your ability to take to correction while responding to Ishi's comment, modesty and humility shows too (hope i'm right?), & @ topic, really do hope PHCN don't take to the 'Yesterday, Today & Forever' character of God you labelled them with.

...and lest i forget
HAPPY 2013.

Dear PHCN
We know you can’t disappoint us
You are the only one
Besides God
That remains the same
Yesterday, today and,
We hope not in your case,
Forever.

That got me ahahing...

avicky: Nice work u hav here embellished in sarcasm.
I'm nt really a poetry person so i'm waiting earnestly for d series. And we dnt want tragedy o.

Ishi... Happy New Year.

lol, thanks Avicky. I'm not a poetry person either....no, I wasn't high when I
penned this . I just decided to try something new in the new year.

will be starting the series shortly.

senbonzakura_kageyoshi:


will be starting the series shortly.

*clapping excitedly* can't wait