A car ride and journey
A stop at a major roundabout
A typical weekday morning
In Lagos, southwest Nigeria
A cacophony of sounds and motion
A sudden unnerving assault and invasion
Descends upon your eardrums and psyche
An uninvited unpleasant orchestra
Maddening chaos round and about
Pedestrians, vehicles, traffic, and commotion
Cars, kekes, okadas, and danfos
Trucks, trailers, tankers, and lorries
All competing for already packed lanes
Car honking and screaming drivers
Swearing conductors and impatient passengers
Members of the unofficial and officialdoms
Nurtw, Lastma, Police, Area boys, Lnsc,
Frsc, Vio, Civil Defence, and Nscdc
Pedestrian traffic chokes on all sides
Some seeking to cross. Some scurrying to work
Some rushing to trade places or the day’s business
School children so tiny
Young ones leading even younger ones
Hawkers and peddlers of wares
Meandering in between cars in the traffic lanes
Anything is standard fare
Kitchen utensils, artwork and stationery items
Household appliances, phone and car accessories,
windscreen wipers, woven items, and more
On the roadside and at every curb
Savory snacks and local delicacies
Agbado and ube; Boli and ekpa;
Aya, Dabilo, Garden egg and groundnut paste
Cucumber, carrots, oranges, and apples
Banana, Pawpaw, pineapple, and watermelon cuts
Sights and sounds
The maddening and the bizarre
Stranger things to none but uninitiated JJCs
Blissfully unaware that nothing is impossible
On these wonderful Lagos streets
© Faminu Imabong, 2021
What do you think?