Life within the walls of time
Lines written after reading news of the arrest of fake Law Professor in Sierra Leone by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
By Saidu Bangura, Praia, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), July 19, 2019.
You are in, out, but in
Within the walls of time –
Where the thought of time is in
Itself part of the ordeal of doing time –
Where or when others time your time,
You cannot be in control of [your] time.
This is life within the walls of time:
– Either out of love, hatred, or crime –
Time runs slow if it does not stand still;
The mind forces itself to focus on things
Less thought of while out of walls.
The tortoise-paced time of the clock
Within walls is the contrary of the time
You outdo others while out of walls.
But in life within the walls of time
Every minute is sixty times more important,
More precious, pricelessly productive out of walls
As you count on time to outrun time within walls.
Time sorely weighs you down more doing the time
That you have ‘smartly’ spent on things that are now
A bother on you and your (mis)calculated smartness.
Calculate time well when time is not timed
In your drive to outsmart others and their time!
The expression “in, out, but in” is inspired by Elcelina Silva, a colleague at Uni-CV.
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