THRENODY: "CHILD OF A BROKEN NATION" BY SULAIMON KHALID

I am a child of a broken nation,

where broken roads stretch,

where broken lives strive to survive.

I am a child of a land

of broken promises,

of broken trust.

Born where the pledge

stays at the lips’ edge,

never reaching the heart;

where flags rise

and hope falls,

where blood and tears flow more.

When the roots decay,

the tree leans toward ruin, they say,

but I am a child of a broken one,

where both the crown and the root

decay together.

I am a child of a broken nation,

where streets swallow dreams

before they breathe,

before they crawl;

a land where the hope of “e go better”

lived in my grandfather’s era,

lived in my father’s era,

and now still lives with me

in my own era.

I am a child of a broken nation,

and yes, I'm broken 

but not totally.

© SULAIMON KHALID 

- Nigeria 

The poem expresses the pain of growing up in a nation plagued by broken systems, failed promises, and inherited struggles. It highlights how cycles of disappointment pass from one generation to another, shaping identity and hope. Despite this, the speaker holds onto a fragment of resilience, refusing to be completely broken.