I write to inform you that you have been such a loyal friend, often uninvited guest to my fates. Your love is unexplainable in time of destitution, hunger, disease you stay by my side.

Staying by my side, it does not mean you help, but you only watch me suffer and chase away everyone who comes to give me support. Therefore, I have no friends but you.

Poverty my friend, why you chase people around me? Oh I guess you are jealous of them, they could come with shelter, clothes and foods for me while you always with nothing.

I remember my mum used to hate you, every advice she gave me was to work hard in class so that I might overcome you.

“Education my son is the key to success,” mum used to say.

Are you an opposite of Success? Sorry for asking you some foolish questions is just today I try to be frank with you. I fail most of time to recall when we met, but I guess is through my parents or rather my country. It’s just I do not know you much despite being my best friend.

Yes it’s through my parent; my mum gave up on me as she admitted not to afford to pay school fees. The school fees she claimed to be a ‘key to success. Therefore, she left me with no key to success. As my father did not even try as the failure was his nature. Then bursaries and charities worked for my education until I got Bachelor’s degree, the claimed key.

Well, sometimes I think you were introduced into my life through my beloved country. Yes born in this country is again a curse, your grandmother.  Poor governance, corruption, nepotism and irresponsible leaders are just forming a cloud that gives evil rain which showers unceasingly on me.

As ‘ikakuwona litsiro sikata’ this evil rain has really seen the heap of my impurities, dirties and infirmities, it has indeed seen you by my side.

I wish my mum could be alive now, I could definitely challenge her that the ‘claimed key’ is no more working in this country to overcome you, it seems you have become resistant to it. Leaders are just toasting up and down with this claimed key, playing with it as if it’s their pocket zip, they zip up and down when they want to do any selfish move. It’s really useless now.

Poverty my friend, with your jealous heart, you have put me in this awkward situation. No employer no me personally so that I cannot be employed.  You then have made the ‘claimed key to be useless as incompetent labours are the ones getting health position in companies. Therefore, the country continues to be on low developing pace.

Therefore, poverty my friend, may you leave me alone, this country too so that I may think peacefully of another key to overcome you, to honour a soul of my mum.

Your best friend, poor man.