A Road Trip To The Distant South

Beneath the watchful

gaze of the ivory moon,

amidst the natural

air conditioning of the

very quiet breeze.

I boarded a rickety

Suzuki of vintage 

Japanese technology.

I had my ear drums

nearly punctured by

the piercing sounds from

revving engines at the 

chaotic bus terminus.

The yelling from uncouth passengers

and bus drivers did very little 

to cheer me up.

But when we left the frenzied

motor park, I delightfully hummed

my first hymn, as we drove

into the ambience of the 

serene highway, to begin

our long but silent journey 

to the distant Nigerian south.

From our take off point,

I suddenly felt the warm

reception of the cool night’s breeze.

And the hushed discussions

of fellow passengers, some of whom

had been involved in altercations with

insolent transporters at the rowdy

terminus.

They verbally re-enacted the 

unpleasant events at the terminus,

as they cursed in absentia, the transport 

agents and drivers they had bitter feuds

with. But as we ventured further,

everything seemed to be forgotten.

With a fixed gaze across my window,

I watched the placid landscapes of 

the arid Nigerian north-east.

The nocturnal monkeys flitting from

branch to branch, revealed slightly

by the full moon in October.

Our exciting but somewhat strenuous 

journey ended with the refreshing dew

of the distant Nigerian south before

sunrise.

We enjoyed discussions about politics,

current affairs, relationships, fashion, 

spirituality and entertainment.

All of which strengthened new bonds

for a night’s odyssey.

The exhaustion and attendant sleep 

that characterized our lengthy discussions,

all equally contributed to making our road

trip, a real vacation on wheels.