SATIRE: "THE BOTTLE" BY GODSON OSARENREN

The fall of the bottle

Will be louder than thunder

And every shattered piece 

Will become a spectacle

Accompanied with many happy Amen.

The bottle hears only his hoarse voice, 

Boasts it cans everything, 

Corks arrogance as crown 

And daily mistakes it's content for eternity.

With a rough tongue,

The bottle ministers doom and takes off roofs. 

Boasts of fowl play on every pitch,

Commands the machinery of power,

As though a private slave.

Alas!

While the dog keeps barking.

Woof! Woof!

Silence! 

Only Silence is seen,

Because the sheep long saw and kept quiet.

Not from lullabies of sleep, 

But from bleeding hearts.

Its glittering pieces gathered, 

Its empty shell swept away, 

Into the dustbin of memorable bitterness,

Accompanied with many happy Amen.

For every bottle that mistakes itself,

As the hand that holds it, 

Will soon have the ground that pounds.

©GODSON OSARENREN 

-Nigeria 

“The Bottle” by Godson Osarenren is a satirical poem that criticises arrogance, abuse of power, and the false sense of invincibility that often accompanies authority. Through the symbolism of the bottle, the poet portrays a powerful figure who boasts excessively, uses influence recklessly, and mistakes temporary power for permanent greatness. The poem also condemns the silence of those who witness oppression but fail to speak against it. The anticipated shattering of the bottle represents the inevitable downfall of the arrogant and oppressive, while the repeated expression “many happy Amen” suggests the satisfaction and collective relief that may accompany such a fall. Ultimately, the poem teaches that power is temporary, arrogance invites destruction, and no individual should mistake themselves for the source of the authority they possess.