ABOUBAKAR TWENTY-FIVE

Calmness personified,

Into the pitch

When his nation

in peril clawed,

Hopes, he heaves

And raining smiles

Like the smooth words

Of a playboy

On doubtful faces,

Beam.

This black invader

In resilience cloak,

With contagious courage

And a poacher’s

instincts,

Like a real

wounded black Lion,

Roars

And the balls behind

nets,

in sad-joyful knells

Chimes.

His indomitability,

Focus and fighting spirit,

Thorny sins to world

Class defenders and goalies

Course in veins,

Upheavals

As joyous stampedes

Raid the hearts of fans

With joyful tears.

A fantastic captain

Whose dangerous legs

And headers

To the pride of the nation

Decorate,

As he nestles

Glories

That on exile

Send sleep.

Abubakar twenty-five,

The sound scripture

Of African football,

The dreaded detritus

Whose glistening scoring

Abilities,

In drowning applauds

Across the continent

And the world,

Reverberate.

The mellifluous discharge

Of integrity

and excellence,

The bitter concoction

Of aches and despair

To opponents,

The dreaded lion

Whose spectacular invincibility

And vaunted ferocity

In phantasmic hullabaloos,

Impregnate goalies

And a melanin

That eyes at attention

Hold.

Twenty-five,

The unbridled hope

That slays football Goliaths,

The tender crush

Of many,

The name, in green red yellow

Boldly imprinted,

The essence that joy

Heralds,

And in patriotism

Saronged,

That satisfying factor

That like virgin orgasms

Savor fans,

That parched throats

Water,

The gushing spree

Of yawning smiles,

The history maker,

The golden boot recipient,

The captain of the indomitable

Lions.