By Farida Saidu Yusuf
Pretty little rose
beauty in a curse
petals between thorns
my pretty little rose
thorns standing like soldiers
prick those who try to pluck
doesn’t matter if you are young or old
all it knows is to protect
the beautiful treasure
which lies in its midst
Oh! My pretty little rose
lures people with its beauty
an illusion it projects
when you reach for the rose
its thorns know no friend or foe
all it knows is to guard
the pretty little rose.
Farida is of Spring Secondary School, Kano.