I Ain't

Inspired by Dr. Chinua Achebe

I ain’t got limbs,

But I’m a successful writer;

I ain’t got feet,

And I’m the world’s fastest runner;

I ain’t got skills, ya’ll

But I am an inventor of dimensions;

I ain’t got brains,

But I am Albert Einstein;

I ain’t got ears,

But I’m Ludwig Van Beethoven;

I ain’t got a dime,

But I’m the richest dude who ever lived.

I’m keeping my head up;

I ain’t ever giving up.

I’m tied to Destiny’s apron

This is coming straight outta the cauldron.

Ain’t got no monument erected in my name,

But I’m sure as heck making history.

I ain’t got noble blood seeping thro’ my veins

But I am royalty.

Measuring my actions

With a surgeon’s precision,

As mysterious as the eclipse,

Total like the finality of the apocalypse.

I ain’t got a face to save,

But I am a respectable personality;

I ain’t free,

But I’m a Pilgrim making stunning Progress;

I ain’t got no inspiration,

But I’m spitting poetry like Shakespeare;

I ain’t got no vision,

But my every breath fulfils a dream.

I got stranger convictions

Than the condemned with his head thro the noose,

Of better things in store:

Ignoring challenges conditions

And practically striving to even the score.

I ain’t got balls,

But I’m battling lions three times my size;

I ain’t got no locus,

But I’m situated and ready to roll;

Taking up challenges

One step at a time,

This fella gonna hit it big in his prime.

Emancipate myself from aggression,

Set my sights on redemption,

It’s time to make some changes around here.

Step out on his flyness, that’s me

As I charge the atmosphere.

I got no nuclear war heads

But I rule the world, nevertheless;

I ain’t got no strategy,

But I’m confounding adversaries from all angles;

I ain’t got strong biceps

But the worlds strapped over my shoulder;

I ain’t got no incentive,

Still I rise steady above status quo;

I’m trapped. I ain’t got a way of escape

But lookit here, I found Aladdin’s lamp.

Destiny’s child is who I be-

Descendant of a royal pedigree.

I ain’t got no sight of eyes,

But I’m putting finishing touches to my Paradise Lost.

I am the African antelope,

And this is my jungle.

My antlers positioned like periscopes

Always on alert for any rumble.

Danger is my beat,

Ducking hunter’s bullets and I’m dancing.

I’ve learned that when I believe in who I am

I’d never have to underestimate who I ain’t,

Or stand in the way of what I can

…or can’t.

Akpan

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