‘Black Stream,’ by Tanimonure Richards Adewale is a poem about the music industry in Nigeria and how young, talented, and very anxious upcoming artists rush into it blindly to land themselves in trouble.

a sweet wildfire burns
the ecstasy of many a ear,
burns a sea of souls
gaga crazy
for a roaring star.

the world is a mighty throne
where a sweet throat
sits a god of notes
and chains many a lost child
as his street mine
of a golden glow.

but a star that roars
the wildfire of man;
a star that burns
the sweet heartbeat of souls
is a black stream
with a chain of sheol.

open your eyes
o earth.
lift your lids wide,
ye globe.

a child is a journey
of a star
as an hungry road
of a big ‘blow’.

he takes his voice
to a smiling grief
and happily sells self
for a weeping dream.

he rides a cloud of twinkles,
fly a sky of golden wools.
he sails and soars his journey
as a big god of loved lips.

and then his eyes fall down:
a god is a chain of dark lies;
a god is the bars of cruel truths
with whips merciless of a fool.

a star is a volcano of a help
that has its ears a statue of yells.
he rumbles and ruptures a salvation;
he bellows a skyful of lamentations;
he becomes a bed cold of no breath.

a sweet wildfire
of a nightingale burn
must never be a child
as a black stream of
a cackling death
and a dancing hell.