By
Abu-Ubaida SANI, Ph.D.
Department of Languages and Cultures,
Federal University Gusau, Zamfara, Nigeria
Email: abuubaidasani5@gmail.com | abu-ubaidallah@fugusau.edu.ng
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6447-4334 |
WhatsApp: +2348133529736
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Background: This
poem emerged from a philosophical dialogue with my conscience.
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Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
I summon you in anger, sorrow, and distress;
Were we not meant to be the closest of friends?
Did you not promise to guide me to better ends?
Did you not vow, if I obeyed your
rules,
To guard me from the world’s deceptive tools?
Have I not followed your counsel through the years,
Yet found myself in relationships clouded by tears?
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
I have been your loyalist, devoted to your cause;
I have written countless works in your good names,
And hoped that life would honour my humble claims.
I thought I had served you long
enough to earn
A little peace for every bridge I helped to mend;
I trusted you would shield me from the cost
Of lessons learned, of friendships gained and lost.
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
I have witnesses, should you question my case;
I gave people second chances, time after time,
And offered forgiveness, though the wounds were mine.
Yet when they failed me once again,
I chose to leave, though leaving brought me pain;
I walked away without revenge or blame,
And bore the hurt without a thirst for shame.
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
I stayed with those whose presence mattered most,
Despite our differences, whatever the cost;
I bent where compromise was called for and fair,
And made room for their views with patience and care.
I listened to stories I had long
outgrown,
To chapters I had written and already known;
I even heard my own tales told as though they were new,
And smiled through the moments, as loyal friends do.
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
You promised to illuminate my way,
To turn my darkest nights to brighter days;
I sowed good seeds, believing, as I grew,
That life would yield the harvest I was due.
I trusted that nature would somehow
align,
And turn its uncertain course in favour of mine;
That kindness would return, that justice would prevail,
And that the good I planted would not fail.
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
Why does it seem that you have broken your word?
Why do my cries appear to go unheard?
Must I now surrender the cause I defend,
And seek a different road, a different end?
Perhaps I mistook your wisdom for a
shield,
A sacred pact that pain would never breach;
I thought that goodness guaranteed a yield,
And every truth would bring the peace I seek.
But truth cannot command another's
heart,
Nor can humility make all people kind;
Perhaps your task was never to prevent the hurt,
But keep me whole when kindness falls behind.
Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
Perhaps I should abandon this laborious art,
Of giving too much and guarding the heart;
Perhaps I should choose the easier way,
And stop exhausting myself to make others stay.
No endless striving to please
everyone,
No carrying burdens that should not be my own;
No bending my spirit to earn another's embrace,
No sacrificing my peace to secure a place.
Yet teach me that kindness need not
mean surrender,
That patience has its limits, too;
That I can leave without becoming bitter,
And guard my peace while still remaining true.
For sacrifice must never mean
self-erasure,
Nor should humility make my spirit small;
Let me be kind without becoming captive,
And love the good without accepting all.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
I jest! I know you have stood by me
all along;
It is the world, not you, that sometimes gets things wrong.
I know we have walked together through the years,
Through seasons of laughter, disappointment, and tears.
I know you, too, have suffered
humanity's betrayal,
As people trade their principles for profit and gain;
Perhaps you now depend on the faithful few
Who still believe in what is honest and true.
And so, my friends, let us remain as
one,
Though the road be rough and the battles unwon;
For if the world forgets the values we defend,
I shall not abandon you, my faithful friends.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Truth, Humility,
Sacrifice!
Let us renew the bond that time
cannot sever;
I promise to walk with you now and forever.
But grant me one promise in return, if you may:
Keep me from my ego when it leads me astray.
Guard me from the lusts that worldly
pleasures inspire,
From pride that consumes and ambitions that tire;
Let me find tranquillity wherever you lead,
And never forsake the values my soul needs.
Let us remain companions while I
walk this earth,
Giving truth and kindness their rightful worth;
Let us mend what we can, while our days remain,
And bring a little light to a world full of pain.
For goodness is not a bargain with
the world,
Nor a promise that no pain will be unfurled;
I shall not measure my worth by the kindness I receive,
Nor abandon what is right because others deceive.
Let truth be my compass when paths
divide,
Let humility temper the force of my pride;
Let sacrifice teach me what is worth the cost,
Without grieving endlessly for all that is lost.
And when my earthly journey reaches
its end,
When dust claims my body and my days descend,
May you accompany me beyond this life's strife,
And remain my companions in the Hereafter's life.
May I remember you in Paradise one
day,
And smile at the journey that brought us that way;
May I look back with gratitude, free from all sighs,
And say, "There are my friends; the truth never dies!"
O Allah, keep these virtues in my
heart,
When life rewards me and when dreams depart;
Let truth survive the trials I must endure,
And keep my intentions humble, clean, and pure.
When sacrifice becomes a heavy load,
Grant me the wisdom to discern my road;
And when this fleeting life has reached its end,
Unite me with the good I chose to defend.
Grant me a tranquil soul, a heart
sincere and wise,
And let me find my lasting peace in Paradise.
May I remain steadfast through every trial I face,
And meet You, my Lord, in Your mercy and grace.
Amin
(18th October 2026)
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