E MU NUMBA – poem of the month
E mu Numba
Pick your number
Right in
your dream
Or from the whispers
Of the mad
woman who lives
Sane by the garbage heap.
E mu numba
The young and old
Whose riches
have been foretold
By numbers in red and blue
Crucified on
the walls of the lotto shops
And on large crimson screens.
E mu numba
Those naira notes swallowing machines
Only defecate
ribbons of papers
With the destiny of woes in print
Naira by
naira keeps disappearing
While new numbers keep appearing
Can’t you
see you are going mad
Starving foolishly on fad?
You now ask
what numbers people see in their dreams
What time people’s appointments were fixed
And what
number the mad woman by the road bellowed
They are jacking your pot while you keep
dreaming of a jackpot.
E mu numba
Brother pick yours too
Like it were
some diamond stone
Or some investment notes
Since your
father passed it on to you
So you should be proud passing it on to your
kids.
O ya r-e-s-i
Baba o ni k-a-l-o-k-a-l-o
Get more
water to fill the basket
While you starve your children
Feed the machine
with your savings
And wait foolishly for your cravings.
Houses are bought
over
On every conspicuous corners
To summon
people like you
That dream of riches
From the
betting houses
To offer to it your loyalty of lasting penury.
How much
have you made?
What bond binds you to this altar?
To sell of
your innocence and humility
While you keep returning with more offerings.
Remember
when the devil gives you a hen
Be ready to slaughter an elephant at his den
Ayinla
Muyideen Adeleke
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I HAVE A DREAM
Today
I pick up my gun again
To
fight the same battles my fathers fought
Today
I wake up again
To
the nauseating sight
That
the darkness of my skin
Still
shadows the brightness of the burning sun
Till
this day I still wake up
To
tell my son the same tragic tales
My
forefathers told their sons
About
how it is not a crime to be black
Till
this day I still go to sleep
And
dream of the infamous trial of tears
Harbouring
in my mind the Seminoles worst fears
I
still see the “Black Panther Fist” in my dreams
Held
up in the air – high
Standing
defiant even to the most high
I
still close my eyes
And
in the darkness see soldiers being bleached
After
keeping Britain’s walls from being breached
I
still step on the blood of my kins on streets
Yet
unable to wash the stains off my feet
For
fear of forgetting their remarkable feats
For
fear of forgetting what they died for
For
fear of acknowledging the fact
That
the darkness of our skin
Is
enough reason to earn us a bullet in the head
Till
this day,
I
still close my eyes and have dreams
Putting
on the peculiar black beret of Ernesto Che Guevara
Atop
the patted afro of Malcolm X
In
my dreams,
I
still stand on the same podium upon which Martin Luther King was shot
Till
this day I still slumber off and hear voices
“I
have a dream
I have
a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal."
“I
have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and
mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the
crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
“I
don’t care if I fall as long as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps
shooting”
“Cruel
leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel”
“You can chain me, you can torture me, you can
even destroy this body, but you’ll never imprison my mind”
But
these are not my dreams
These
are the dreams of those
Whose
lives are now footprint on the path to freedom
These
are the dreams of
Al
Hajji Malik El Shabazz, Patrice Lumumba, Stephen Bantu Biko
Thomas
Sankara, Harry and Harrieta moore, Ruben Um Nyobe
Walter
Rodney, Martin Luther King, Ernesto Che Guevara
The
seeds of these dreams were watered by their blood
It’s
trunks and branches moulded with their bones
I have
a dream
I have
a dream
That I
would never dream the same dreams
That
my fathers dreamt
I have
a dream
I have
a dream that no single drop of blood will be shed no more
No
single live would be dropped anymore
For
the same dreams my fathers died for
I have
a dream that one day
My son
can look at his dark skin
And
sees that it shines brighter that the radiance of the sun
I have
a dream, that one day
My
black son would hold his white friend
And
the only thing they both see is two humans holding each other
I have
a dream that one day
The
naira would cease being the dollars errand boy
I have
a dream that I would not die dreaming these dreams
But
live to watch it become a reality outside of the TV screen
I have
a dream and I believe
Because
at the end of even the darkest tunnel
There
is brightness
The
fiercest windstorms
Snapping
tree trunks
And
lifting roof bunks
Is
always succeeded by the warm smile of the shining sun
Because
it is on the day the night is blackest
That
the stars shine the brightest
It is
at the point the night is darkest
That
brightness is closest
For
until there is no single man with a dream
Only
then can we say we have truly lost
Because
in the words of a man with a dream
We
have a reason to keep fighting
Because
in the words of a man with a dream
We
find a reason to keep the torch of struggle burning
Because
in the words of a man with a dream
We
find hope and peace
I have
a dream
This
is our hope, and this is the faith that we hold on to.
AJIBOLA HABEEB
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE COVER
It’s the day
before the new week
The week
that ushers in your wedding day
And you have
forgotten to book table covers
But you are
oblivious of this
Because you
think your decorator has it covered
It’s unusual
of you to forget anything
Since you
have a to-do list
And the
first thing on your to-do list
Is a note to
check your to-do lists
Just an
extra precaution
Being the
organized one of your siblings
Taking right
after your father
It is two
days before your wedding day
You have
checked off every thing
On your list
including table covers
You even
convince yourself that
They will
come in orange and white
That’s how
meticulous you are
One of the
reasons why you
Still have
your job
It’s the day
before your wedding
You are
driving to the wedding venue
Whistling
softly to yourself
Ticking off
things to do
Like get
your nails fixed
And remind
the artist
That you
don’t want heavy
Make-up.
Your phone
rings and it’s the man
The man who
proposed
Your man
The one to
whom you will soon be joined
Forever
The smile
that involuntarily warmed
Your face
momentarily freezes
Table
covers?
It’s been covered you say
You would
later wonder if the man
Hid under
the cover of scolding you
About the
table covers
To show you
that you are in fact
Imperfect
A fact you
never disputed
But which he
repeatedly gloated over
The day
before your wedding
Now as you
cover his large hands
With your
small fragile ones
And recite
your vows
Your eyes
dance around the hall
Seeking
faces and hidden thoughts
You curse
the decorator for not telling you
That you
didn’t pay for table covers
After all,
Who wanted
uncovered tables anyway?
You wonder
if the failure to have table covers
Was a sign
of your future dis-abilities as a wife
You wonder
if something as small yet significant
As a table
cover
That simple
piece of cloth that hides away the
Shame of
worn tables
Would haunt
you
And if it
does, for how many
Of the days
in forever.
KEMIBON
///////////////////////////////////////////////
I wish I could touch
I wish I could touch you once more
In the quiet moment we share
In the time ,our love we cherish so much
To this day,we were made for each other
In God's arm,we were tiny pencils
Of this special day we will be one
In our heart,we were like shining light
Up in the middle of the earth and sky
We were like beautiful ornament
Nobody could seperate our love
Because we were made for each other
Right in my arms,I felt the dust
As I touched you,we felt the dust
From this moment,we fend to live
In the darkest hour,we were praised
When oceans could feel our tears
We were adored and cherished for love
So much more,we were dear to love
To love ourselves without blemish
Where hopes and destines are unveiled
I could touch you just the way you are
At this time of our lost found love
I was there to love you once again
From the bottom of my heart felt
I wish to love and cherish you
In human's eye,we will married couples
Of this special day,we will be blessed
In our heart, we were like water beam
Up in the middle of the depth and shore
We were like beautiful mermaids
Nobody could recognise our origin
Because we were created for each other
Right in my arms,I felt the water
As I touched the helm of his garment
From this moments,we made for the waters
In the shallowest mood,we were mixed
When the oasis could not contend our joy
We were barred from the Crimson's tomb
From this day on ,we were good for love
In the quiet moment we share
In the time ,our love we cherish so much
To this day,we were made for each other
In God's arm,we were tiny pencils
Of this special day we will be one
In our heart,we were like shining light
Up in the middle of the earth and sky
We were like beautiful ornament
Nobody could seperate our love
Because we were made for each other
Right in my arms,I felt the dust
As I touched you,we felt the dust
From this moment,we fend to live
In the darkest hour,we were praised
When oceans could feel our tears
We were adored and cherished for love
So much more,we were dear to love
To love ourselves without blemish
Where hopes and destines are unveiled
I could touch you just the way you are
At this time of our lost found love
I was there to love you once again
From the bottom of my heart felt
I wish to love and cherish you
In human's eye,we will married couples
Of this special day,we will be blessed
In our heart, we were like water beam
Up in the middle of the depth and shore
We were like beautiful mermaids
Nobody could recognise our origin
Because we were created for each other
Right in my arms,I felt the water
As I touched the helm of his garment
From this moments,we made for the waters
In the shallowest mood,we were mixed
When the oasis could not contend our joy
We were barred from the Crimson's tomb
From this day on ,we were good for love
UBONABASI EKPO
////////////////////////////////////////////////
CLICHES
Man
I look around these days
Wondering how much our sins weigh
Wondering if we have similar DNA
Wondering if this is all just foreplay
Friday to Sunday
Sinners ardently pray
Monday to Friday
Our government decays
Its all like a display on Broadway
The people listen to deejays
Lyrical essays about feet of clay
While at midday
Our strongest fly to the USA
To the UK, SA and even Bombay
What's with this maze
Why are we living in ashtrays?
Where's all the hope of yesterday?
Man
If Disco's controlled daylight
We'd have 24hours of night
They'll probably take away our sight
A political gunfight, dogfight, cockfight
Who cares? Just give us light
And keep your tales by moonlight
Outside they put on streetlights
Inside we use torch-lights
The average Lagos mans plight
(Abeg oh I'm not trying to incite
Na poem I dey recite!!)
Man
Imagine the world as it should be
No one fighting for supremacy
No armies
Or clashing communities
Just a global city
Peaceful and free
Paul & Stevie
Sang of Ebony and Ivory
Living in perfect harmony
Sounds like a fiction movie
Mental injury
Forgive me
For thinking abnormally
Poetry seems to be intoxicating me
Man
We can spend all day
Preaching 'change your ways'
Or writing lovely essays
Or inspiring screenplays
We keep hope on a tray
Hope on full display
Hoping that one day
Yes... one day...
That... special day
Man
This day
Silence pays..
Everything else is just a cliché.
Man
I look around these days
Wondering how much our sins weigh
Wondering if we have similar DNA
Wondering if this is all just foreplay
Friday to Sunday
Sinners ardently pray
Monday to Friday
Our government decays
Its all like a display on Broadway
The people listen to deejays
Lyrical essays about feet of clay
While at midday
Our strongest fly to the USA
To the UK, SA and even Bombay
What's with this maze
Why are we living in ashtrays?
Where's all the hope of yesterday?
Man
If Disco's controlled daylight
We'd have 24hours of night
They'll probably take away our sight
A political gunfight, dogfight, cockfight
Who cares? Just give us light
And keep your tales by moonlight
Outside they put on streetlights
Inside we use torch-lights
The average Lagos mans plight
(Abeg oh I'm not trying to incite
Na poem I dey recite!!)
Man
Imagine the world as it should be
No one fighting for supremacy
No armies
Or clashing communities
Just a global city
Peaceful and free
Paul & Stevie
Sang of Ebony and Ivory
Living in perfect harmony
Sounds like a fiction movie
Mental injury
Forgive me
For thinking abnormally
Poetry seems to be intoxicating me
Man
We can spend all day
Preaching 'change your ways'
Or writing lovely essays
Or inspiring screenplays
We keep hope on a tray
Hope on full display
Hoping that one day
Yes... one day...
That... special day
Man
This day
Silence pays..
Everything else is just a cliché.
ERHIO
//////////////////////////////////////////////
SILENCE
I can hear
the sweet sound of silence
As I peep
into wisdom’s gate within
Listening
with an open mind and soul
Resisting
the temptation to speak
To learn to
speak more with few words
Golden
silence has given birth to ruby words of wisdom
Planting and
watering ideas
I can feel
the powerful strength of silence
Like raging
storm
It grows
Cooked by
time
To fill the
pot of wisdom
If I see
silence
What will
his mantle be?
If I look at
his countenance
What will it
be filled with?
Who has seen
silence?
If you see
silence
Then you
will describe it without words
Ifeanyi
Okwosha
////////////////////////////////////////////////
THIS DAY
This day we
believe God for our daily bread
Though cake
and cream will be nice.
That after
all is what Marie Antoinette is reported to have told
The less
than genteel poor!
She had to
die
No question,
though we question the use of the guillotine
As
excessively cruel and unusual punishment
This is the
day God has made
The day when
we must pay attention even if we are too broke to do so
This day
when and in which we resolve to be glad
Inspite of
all the indications to the contrary
Glad not
with the gladness of pontificating fools
But in the
hope that the ship of state will come home
And our
leaders will quit faffing around
And take
their fingers out and find a way through the morass
Moses did
it. Eventually.
Though he
like Martin did not get there
Never mind
not fearing death and the importance of longevity
As the
cliché goes- not duration but donation
China did
it!
Changed
spots; became chameleonic
Leopard
changed its spots
Snake
sloughed off its skin
Millions
lifted out of generational poverty
Choose you
this day whom you will serve
Always this
day, to day and in the moment
The moment
where all the New Age Guru’s encourage us to live
Seizing the
time; Carpe Diem and redeeming our days
Praying with
Moses that we will be enabled to ascribe axial value
To our time
and times
That we
might ultimately apply wisdom to our hearts and other parts
This day
which is Christmas and Easter and every celebration
Rolled in to
one
A creation
of your view of this day or any other
Supply and
demand; seeking and finding
Seed time
and harvest; sowing and reaping
Giving and
getting; to have and to hold
Planting and
harvesting; laughing and mourning
This Day,
the Newspaper has all that and more
And reports
them as the news of this day
This Day-
new and news!
ANDREW WHYTE
//////////////////////////////////////
AUJOURD'HUI
Scales are
crushed under the weight of lost battles
Weight
hoisted on the mind of a rooted soldier is more pressing
Than a
boulder on a shoulder
Failed
attempts at recycling leaves the mind with a gash
Deep sitting
lesion not needing an aid
No drug
No Band-Aid
Grass-blades
have gone blunt in Athens
And now they
stage a protest
Baring roots
separating from the soil when her health is failing
She goes the
extra mile without taking a stride
Hands them
divorce papers
Unearthed
fibers lay dried-up in the scorch of the sun
Mocked by
the gullies of cracked feet
Sojourners
of circumstance
Palmyra
Ramadi
Ankara
Feet bearing
marks of hardship
Throng
Airports and Stadia
Bearing no
balls
Only tales
of hardships and dropped bombs
And Athenian
greeneries protest the invasion
The blunting
of blades
Lacking the
care of whetting stone dentistry
We watch
greenery stand their ground for combat
Incurring
casualties
At the hands
of cracked feet and arid soil
Wounded
soldiers
Formation of
green blades
Platoons
losing soldiers by the noon
Losing
courage by the moon
Blunt blades
tell tales
Of horror
and green blood
Mouths
filled with gall sets the teeth on edge
Athenian
grasslands are hissing
At the
missing a policy limb
Project
pro-grass
A
Prosthetics policy
The genius
of Abuja
The
repopulation of endangered grasses
From the
purchase of grasses from Brazil
For
privileged bovines
The oath of
secrecy
A pledge not
to divulge the truth
That
miserable pest always eating away at the fabric
Of their
opacity
And the
killing of complaining ants with a sledge
The
upholding of their magician’s mystique
Throwing up
a handful of stones to cause change on a Richter scale
A dozen
baskets of bread
To feed the
poor and needy of yesterday
To retrieve
by force the funds fed to vaults in France
From this
day forwards
Today!
Today!
If they do
not understand accented English
The French
Lagarde will
be help with a translation
A whisper to
the ears of François
Aujourd'hui
EMEKA “DEUS” NJOKU
////////////////////////////////////////////////
THAT NIGHT
He was
angry.
She knew.
He sat by
the fire,
Looking at
anything but her,
Thinking
why…
She stood by
the wall,
Pretending
to not,
Watch him
closely.
He had not
looked,
He did not
understand,
Why she was
too tired,
To make him
smile tonight,
With a bowl
of editan soup,
In his
hands.
Moan!
It was time.
Time for
another secret,
Some other
“water” to be broken.
Moan Again!
She had been
waiting.
Waiting for
five hours,
Thinking of
him,
Knowing he
would soon arrive.
He looked
back,
Finally
noticing her soft cries.
The way she
looked,
Made him
think.
He had
forgotten,
There had
been baskets.
Baskets of
what?
He couldn’t
recall.
He hurried
to her baskets,
He saw the
wrappers and tiny clothes.
He looked
back at her and said,
“Let us get
you to the midwife”
She fumbled
with a smile.
“He might
just be sensitive after all”,
She thought,
all the way to the clinic.
ABIOLA BONUOLA
///////////////////////////////////////////////
A STRANGER’S WELCOME
Hello, hello
Stranger! It’s your first day here
What tales
of a distant time and clime do you bear?
Over you, I
have on many nights my watch kept.
While you,
in the womb, for three quarters of a year slept.
Your rude
awakening came on the wings of this early morn
Amidst the
birth pangs and joyful tears, you were born
The sound of
your cry awoke in me what I knew not abound
Upon this
day: I am lost, I am found!
Your eyes
closed, you are so small cradled in my arms
You have
disarmed my defenses with your witless charms
Everyone is
in a frenzy and with teary eyes, they peer
At the
welcomed stranger, you sunny child of good cheer
You have
given, and are, a gift, and made of me a father
The gravity
of which overwhelms me; myself, I cannot gather
The sound of
your cry awoke in me what I knew not abound
Upon this
day: I am lost, I am found!
I shall
shield you from the throes of the world, while I can
But for a
brief while, for you must learn to love all you can
Know that to
love is to know joy and to know sorrow
That living
is in the now, and not yesterday nor tomorrow
Tomorrow
promises strength, greatness, hope and bravery
Today,
Stranger, you are pale skinned and fragile; your memory blurry
The sound of
your cry awoke in me what I knew not abound
Upon this
day: I am lost, I am found!
I shall
guide your steps through life’s journey in ways manifold
And weave
good thoughts into a garment to drive out the cold
Ya! Ibni
Irfan
Ana uheebuka
katheeran
IFEANYI MBAH
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE FORGOTTEN
On this day,
Thunder
remembers
An abandoned
town,
there
where
It snows all
summer.
These days
No one
remembers
The dance
steps
To songs of
the season,
The world is
ill,
She suffers
from future syndrome.
The living
Saddle
themselves
with keeping
the corpses quiet,
They say
letting go
Is a form of
love;
My mother
loves books,
Particularly
those that are gone out of print.
She says
There was a
river
Flowing
south-westward
To join that
another flowing south
of four
brothers pass;
It lost all
its tributaries,
So the river
died of thirst.
We too die
of thirst,
we share our
mother’s health,
Always
trying to live it again;
We see the robed
world
Through
god's naked eyes.
At the
prayer ground,
We look up
at the rolling sky
Seeking for
the seventh proof.
So tomorrow’s people
get stuck,
Struggling
to grope on loss,
Holding on
to the memory
Of a
yesterday
That never
was,
That never
will be.
We are
fighting to keep our sanity,
We are
fighting to prove our existence
Soonest Nathaniel
//////////////////////////////////////
ALL THE THINGS . . .
All the
things that make us human
All the
things that explains us as humans
The sadness
from loved ones
The
happiness from an enemy’s fall
The
uncertainty of love
The
certainty of hate
The laughter
at the end of an anger
The hurt
that defines us forever
All the
things that make us human
The doubts
that crush our dreams
The
surprises that make us cry
Makes us
laugh makes us fear
The fear
that cripples
The fear
that clouds us
The clouds
that form rain
Then blocks
us from seeing
The blocks
of life we cannot lift
That makes
countless suffering fit
That makes
life’s beat a death beat
All the
things that make us human
Washed away
by fear . . .
That makes
this day
The only day
to live
CHISOM
/////////////////////////////
GENESYNOPSIS
-
Once earth, undefiled
Water, air, light, hemmed
In one harmony
Peaceful, scenery
Life, lifeless, condensed
Pieced, undivided
Ahmed A. Hassan
//////////////////////////////
STAND YOUR
GROUND
It is about a magic spell
The very spot where happiness dwells
Approaching the end of the beginning
And realizing had this been a game
That you are definitely winning
It is about being calm
It is about silence
Even when you are asked to bear arms
You know it is about your charm
Content defining sweetness
It is about evidence
Words of the recipient
The minute details of a continuing experience
Say it softly
So that it lands gently
Say it and be firm
Tell them about the harvests in your farm
Say it with your eyes
Discovery of dimples which used to love to
hide
Show them where you stand
And the very being who stands beside
Say yes with your soul
And all contrary things from without wont
gain a foothold
This is about time
What has begun, and what continues
What is already in the purse, and what
continues to accrue in revenue
This is like the springs
Purpose, pace and direction
You may also observe it to be pure
It is consistent, it is why we are sure
This is about the heiress, the princess
And the excesses of joy
Treasure found in conversation
The chemistry,
Of flows without ebb
Of getting to a scary place
But not needing help
This is the moment you are about to be born
When all of a mind’s lights, comes on
When life becomes ready for your dreams
This is what it is about
Time to move ahead
Time to stop circumambulating a roundabout
When the street becomes broad
When the past becomes a fraud
And the future becomes revelation
This is the moment to face the traffic
And wait for the lights to be green
This is when you stand your ground!
Akeem
Adetayo Oyalowo
////////////////////////////
THIS DAY
Let's sink
grudge ship
Like the Romans' Carthaginian fleet.
Let's name honour in public
As the Jews
Thisday
You evolved from the big heart stream
Hitting men with one-hundred thousand turns
From your waterside town;
Brandishing your colourful self
Edging over the cell
Arise
Your tale bearer
Made you proud
Through light wires,
You hit the sky
In the culture and style
Of the Black Nation
But for Private Eye tales
Again
Your ship sank
Not like the Roman fleet
But for wages and goods
Your ship sank
Unlike Bishop Berlanga's Galapagos exhibition
You cleared out to extinction.
Like the Romans' Carthaginian fleet.
Let's name honour in public
As the Jews
Thisday
You evolved from the big heart stream
Hitting men with one-hundred thousand turns
From your waterside town;
Brandishing your colourful self
Edging over the cell
Arise
Your tale bearer
Made you proud
Through light wires,
You hit the sky
In the culture and style
Of the Black Nation
But for Private Eye tales
Again
Your ship sank
Not like the Roman fleet
But for wages and goods
Your ship sank
Unlike Bishop Berlanga's Galapagos exhibition
You cleared out to extinction.
Chris N. John
////////////////////////////////
THE FISHERMEN
(e.g of
found poem as written by Dr. Andrew Ode Eyeoyibo. A found poem is a poem made
up entirely or 95% from another written source)
We were
fishermen
Omi- Ala was
a dreadful river.
Father was
an eagle
Ikenna was a
python
Ikenna was
undergoing a metamorphosis
Abulu was a
madman
Those the
gods have chosen to destroy, they inflict with madness
Mother was a
falconer
Turning and
turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer
Locusts were
forerunners
Ikenna was a
sparrow
Boja was a
fungus
Spiders were
beasts of grief
When a
mother is hungry, she says:
Roast
something for my children that they may eat
Obembe was a
search dog
The one who
discovered things
Who knew
things and examined them
Hatred is a
leech
The thing
that sticks to a person’s skin
That feeds
off them and drains the sap out of one’s spirit
It changes a
person
It does not
leave until it has sucked the last drop of peace from them
But Abulu
was a leviathan
A thing not
easily killed
Hope was a
tadpole
The thing
you caught and brought home with you in a can
The thing
which despite being kept in the right water, soon died
My brother
and I were roosters
The
creatures that crow to wake people
Announcing
the end of nights like natural alarm clocks
And the
awakening of the dawn
Who in return
for their services must be slain for man’s consumption
Benjamin was
a moth
The fragile
thing with wings, who basks in light
But who soon
loses its wings and falls to the ground
David and
Nkem were egrets
Wool white
birds that appear after a storm
Wings unspotted,
lives unscathed
And this is
a sort of poem, made up almost entirely
From the
opening lines of the fifteen chapters of Chigozie Obioma’s book
And serves
as some kind of homage to the luminosity of the writing
The book
carries the same title as this made up poem
They were
meant to be fishermen of good dreams
Unrelenting,
menacing juggernauts in pursuit of fish
He meant
them to be fishers of men.
