Victor A. Massaquoi is a native of Freetown, Sierra Leone. He ttended the Albert Academy and Moyamba Boys’ Secondary School. At the time these poems were submitted, he was a master's student in Communication Theory/Human Services Management at the Franklin University in Ohio, U.S.A. He writes, "My love for literature and writing in particular emanated from my passion for journalism - a profession I'm firmly rooted in in the last twelve years. Enjoy my poems!"

The Face of Freetown

Freetown's temptation
Is one of these
Up and down
We see them pass
In flashy dresses
With panting lips
With rolling buttocks
With smiling faces
With hungry stomach
With ringing cell phones
With technology explosion
21 century is here

Freetown is free
Freetown is tempting
Mugging is rife
Armed robbery rampant
Diseases spreading
People rebuilding
Women defenseless
People are hungry
People are angry
The sledge is hammering
Impatience is raging
The future is bleak

Weary legs
Tired faces
Flabby muscle
Confused state
Hope is building
The future may be bright
Only if and only if
Politicians are honest
People are determined
Learning is vanguard
The light at the tunnel
May be brighter
If attitude changes

Today's Marriage

Chime! Chime! The bell
Bum! Bum! The drum
Hunk! Hunk! The horn
No sound at all

The bridegroom comes
Dressed in tux
With new hair cut
Face beams with smile
Impatient for the bride
Here she comes

The bride arrives
Flanked family
Flanked by friends
Enemies alike
Hypocrisy at play
The real world at work

The pastor agrees
The imam agrees
The rabbi agrees
To wed the two
Long and passionate kiss
Seals the deal

The Bahamas is calling
Honey moon comes
Honey moon goes
Money wasted
Trouble begins
Fight creeps in
Enemy laughing
Divorce knocks
And both answer
Married bliss over
The pain wrenches