SATIRE: "A PLEA TO EL NIÑO" BY SOLA OGUNBAYO

Zeus makes a “siu”.

Ball of fire in the net,

Like rampaging Ronaldo.

Pepper mixed with iodine 

Spread on the firmament;

Coals are ice cubes inside the wine;

Hotness at the helm of his garment.

Conference of fire with Prometheus;

Embers for members to remember.

Sweating marines are fanning in the sea;

Hot water killing their mating cry.

Is your boiling cauldron 

Vexation against vices in the Villa and the Village?

Is your fiery hearth

Burning Bush against our bogus beatitudes?

Water taps spilling volcanoes;

Swimming pools pulled by inferno.

Heat hitting the he-goat on a heat;

She-goat laughs at his mere bleat.

So, Zeus cease making a “siu”.

Burn the ball of fire in the net,

Like retiring Ronaldo.

©SOLA OGUNBAYO

-Nigeria.

09/11/2026

“A Plea to El Nino” by Sola Ogunbayo is a satirical environmental poem that explores the unbearable effects of extreme heat on humans, animals and the natural environment. Through mythological allusions to Zeus and Prometheus, humorous expressions and vivid imagery, the poet portrays the intensity of the heat as though it were a deliberate act of divine aggression. He highlights the discomfort and destruction caused by soaring temperatures, using exaggerated descriptions of boiling water, burning swimming pools and distressed animals to emphasise the severity of the situation. The poem concludes with an ironic appeal to Zeus to cease unleashing the fiery heat. It ultimately draws attention to the dangers of extreme climatic conditions through humour, satire and imaginative language.