This Place

This place
Where I have learnt persistence
Where I raked up lessons
Where I picked up lessons encased in lemons
Where my noble profession abandoned me
Where patience was truly a virtue
And endurance rare gold

This place
Where our mattresses were thin 
And our bones would kiss the ground as we laid down
Where we wished the elements would be in our favour
Where water was liquid gold
And a drop on the floor came with an avalanche of regret
And prayers for a downpour were abundant

This place
where oranges were bountiful 
Plantain bunches were welcome gifts
Where compartments of our house were out of arm’s reach
We would smile after sighing
This place where contact with civilization was an achievement
And we received calls with fulfillment in our heart

This place
Wished that our hopes and senses of humour would survive with us
Where we would countdown every minute of everyday
With hopes that time would be shooting star
But it seemed a snail 
Where our hopes would grow taller with every dawn
And daybreak was a blissful sight.
-By Ruth C. Odikaesieme.

N.B: so I decided to use RubyRed but so many people are saying I should stick with my name (Ruth C. Odikaesieme) and preserve my identity. It got me thinking and now I am yet to decide. What are you thoughts? If anybody is interested in what made me write this piece I would be glad to share. Enjoy!