1000 times before
We said never again
And here we are
1000 times over
Again

Making meaningless pledges
Which you can’t consume
Guiltily plastering your sores
So that they may be out of sight
And so out of mind
But the benjamins don’t heal your wounds
Rather they leave them festering

Your empty bellies
Swollen with sorrows over our empty words

1000 times before
We said never again
And here we are
1000 times over
Again

Who assassinated freedom
And buried it 10 feet under?

Who wrongfully convicted justice
And incarcerated it indefinitely?

Who orphaned peace
Scarring it eternally?

Who crippled progress,
Handicapping it permanently?

Who overthrew hope
And replaced it with fear?

Who paralyzed love?

Who?

It’s Cairo, Casablanca & Cape Town
Addis, Abuja & Accra
Ouagadougou, Timbuktu & Antananarivo
Lagos, Lomé, Lusaka & Lalibela
 
Its peace and turmoil
Order and chaos
Evolution and revolution
Anarchy and regulation
Innovation and duplication
Progress and retreat
Static and constant change...

‘This poem is inspired by the events that unfolded in Tunisia recently but also born out of frustrations with our so-called leaders all across the globe who spare no expense in putting their interests first but don't think twice about the needs of their people. Mr President is an umbrella term for all the presidents – male and female – generals, prime ministers, and all who seem to rule our world with iron fists,’ writes Nebila Abdulmelik.