POEMS READ AT LOUDTHOTZ POETRY READING SEASON 5 EPISODE 10 'DEAR'

THOUGHT OF ESCAPE - POEM OF THE MONTH OCTOBER 2014

Starring at the moon glued to the sky

Like a bird he yearns to fly

Far among the clouds

Across the seas and above high mountains

Alas! He was but a prisoner in chains.

MUYIDEEN AYINLA

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We Believe!

Forged in Frankenstein's lab,

painfully stitched together

limb by limb from different beings.

An edifice of wonder

by the hands of the Niger and the crown created,

a business deal well struck.

Thus began our century old journey

of back and forth and back and forth.

our Nigeria, oh! the hope and the terror.

(CHORUS BY ALL) And we believed!

Our first step was sure and steady

we grasped our future like a hard earned trophy.

Oh that bright day in October

Yes! Freedom tasted better than the palm wine.

But alas! It lasted only for a while.

Freedom turned sour before we had our fill.

a coup, a war and downhill we went

a dream fading like thin fog.

Limb against limb

each pulled in different directions.

Our stitches now far stretched,

held together by the barest of threads.

A hundred steps taken,

more like drunken staggers in all directions.

Our limbs beat our very eyes swollen and shut

yet we see the rays beyond the horizon

(CHORUS BY ALL) Still we believed!

In the strength of our fragile bonds

and the oneness of our humanity

for we know that the battle is not to the strong

nah! The battle belongs to the strong believer

who dares to believe regardless

(CHORUS BY ALL) Yes we believe!

In the beauty of the scars we bear

and the memories of our struggles and pains

for they are medals of honour

and stuff of legends

for a people with a story

(CHORUS BY ALL) Yes we believe!

In our raging diversity

of tribes and tongues and religion

true testaments to the richness of our being

for even the rainbow is made beautiful

by its colourful diversity

(CHORUS BY ALL) Yes we believe!

In the labours of our heroes past,

the struggles of our heroes present

and the victory of our heroes to come

for we know that ours is a triumph

slow to come, but sure to come

(CHORUS BY ALL) Yes we believe!

In one Nigeria

united, progressive and great

a towering beacon of the black race

forged anew with the vigour of love.

If you believe, let me hear you say it loud!

(CHORUS BY ALL) Yes I believe!

Forged in Frankenstein's lab,

painfully stitched together

limb by limb from different beings.

An edifice of wonder

by the hands of the Niger and the crown created,

a business deal well struck.

Thus began our century old journey

of back and forth and back and forth.

our Nigeria, oh! the hope and the terror.

(MENTAL CHORUS) And we believed!

Our first step was sure and steady

we grasped our future like a hard earned trophy.

Oh that bright day in October

Yes! Freedom tasted better than the palm wine.

But alas! It lasted only for a while.

Freedom turned sour before we had our fill.

a coup, a war and downhill we went

a dream fading like thin fog.

Limb against limb

each pulled in different directions.

Our stitches now far stretched,

held together by the barest of threads.

A hundred steps taken,

more like drunken staggers in all directions.

Our limbs beat our very eyes swollen and shut

yet we see the rays beyond the horizon

(MENTAL CHORUS) Still we believed!

In the strength of our fragile bonds

and the oneness of our humanity

for we know that the battle is not to the strong

nah! The battle belongs to the strong believer

who dares to believe regardless

(MENTAL CHORUS) Yes we believe!

In the beauty of the scars we bear

and the memories of our struggles and pains

for they are medals of honour

and stuff of legends

for a people with a story

(MENTAL CHORUS) Yes we believe!

In our raging diversity

of tribes and tongues and religion

true testaments to the richness of our being

for even the rainbow is made beautiful

by its colourful diversity

(MENTAL CHORUS) Yes we believe!

In the labours of our heroes past,

the struggles of our heroes present

and the victory of our heroes to come

for we know that ours is a triumph

slow to come, but sure to come

(MENTAL CHORUS) Yes we believe!

In one Nigeria

united, progressive and great

a towering beacon of the black race

forged anew with the vigour of love.

If you believe, let me hear you say it loud!

(MENTAL CHORUS) Yes I believe!

TEMITOPE, Joseph Olanrewaju

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GRANDMA’S LETTER

Dear grandson,

I heard you’ve come-of-age

And have decided on a career

Path that soothe your heart;

So I write with a hope

That it’s not poetry.

You see john,

Your grandfather

Was a chimney sweeper,

So we traded soot

To give your father a white hair;

But when your father decided to be a poet,

My life closed twice,

My son, my executioner.

See son,

Poets will not make the kingdom of God,

Cos they do about everything the book says

There is to never be done;

‘Thou shall not make images’

Yet they meet at night

On moonlit heath

And part at morning

by lonesome bank.

Son,

They are a sect,

For they use symbols.

So Robert is always on the road not taken,

Always stopping by the woods

On nights with piercing frost;

Just to watch them fill up with snow.

And William is ever seeking

to cure the sick rose;

Jew awaiting the second coming,

but the clergy man’s horse bites him.

Your father

Who could never sew a stitch,

Spoke to the virgins to make much of time;

May God forgive e.e cummings,

Who writes his name in lower cases?

Son,

There’s no frigate as a book,

But I’ll rather you ride a Rose Royce phantom,

Got to bed in a Ferrari

And wake up in a Bugatti

If you wish;

But definitely not the coursers

Made from a page of prancing poetry,

We hail from the east,

You can judge the distance.

Dear grandson,

My sweet boy John;

I write to tell you to forget

Them that go to catch the falling star,

For Lucifer too is a starlight.

With love,

Grandma…

SOONEST NATHANIEL

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CLUES

To begin with, I do not understand what pleasures a man

His feelings might lead him

Moments when dreams are worth just a pittance

Moments when it seems, he is now willing to last the distance

Someone then went and invited him to a dance

If the sky is a canopy, what are the stars

If that canopy gets lifted, will we be scarred

A man’s charred remains going into the earth

There isn’t much difference from a fresh-bodied…body

So lay upon me your burdens

Let me lead you like Macaulay

You might get paid with my face on a note

On a sad note, you might be waylaid

Your pockets emptied at gun point

By robbers who earlier that evening finished a game of ping pong

Knowing the night will be as loud as the day was silent

If there is no resort to violence

Let me take a step back

While saliva adds gloss to your lips

And you are found ready to leap

And jump into a known stranger’s defence, even when none is seen in attack

Let me be the attachment to silence

Let my unspoken words become science

Till hearts become terrified of the quiet

A mouth had remained closed

Because the sound of it is a growl

And a man might into a dog grow

If the shiniest part of his soul

Does not find its space on earth to glow

I’m going home

Remember four if ever you thought I gave up

Life is like the game in fifteen

We might do the best, when it’s our turn to sing

But we’ll be alone, if to a dead song’s chorus, our tongue clings

You might hate me for not sharing the saliva drooping from your lips

But remember I’ve been stuck on one since the beginning

This man is only aware of his thoughts and the effects of two

Don’t ask me why I can’t love you, even I don’t have a clue.

Akeem Adetayo Oyalowo

October 2, 2014

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MY DEAR

It isn’t out of place to need some mental space

To want everyone off your case and out of your face

Without being termed a nutcase

You see… it’s just a phase

It’s not out of place to want to be a social hermit

To wish everyone goes away to a different planet

To leave the world behind with a book and a blanket

Without being termed inconsiderate

It’s just another phase

Now everyone knows a party pooper is no fun

but sometimes we too  wish we had a gun

For all that loud music and boisterous cheer

Makes even deaf men cover their ears

But all that’s just a phase

So if I decide to dye my hair green

Or put holes in my jeans

Or get married at fifteen

Or just smash your windscreen

Try not to scream or be mean

It’s just another freaking phase

So for now I love to dance, sing and write

I’m practically the queen of the spotlight

A sunny delight

I excite and ignite

But with the right amount of foresight

You’ll know…. it’s just a phase.

ERHIO OBODO

OCTOBER 2014

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With mouth opened

I gaped towards the south

Where she sat in wait

Holding all down by the allures of her heavenly body

Was it Alora, Monique or Mercedes, that chic from South Carolina?

She looks more like Monique,

I remember seeing her that full

The last time in South Africa

Yet,

Something tells me there was more to this

That saying

“Not all that glitters are gold”

Rang in my head

As I beheld the magnificence of her beauty

Sweeping me off all senses

That saying is a collector’s lie I think

Lies or no lies

Time will tell

My will to know will take me there

Ten steps closer and my mind begins to waiver

I’m struck with the fever of what the pleasure within will be

From without

Yes, I can tell

But, hell

What lies within I can only imagine

I have not the slightest idea

Can I get a hike?

As if that was the very word for hi

A smile greeted me

As I gritted my teeth at the idea of no word spoken

My feet kept moving

Inching to get a feel

Do you mind if I touch you?

More of a thought until my guts filled up and I could mutter the words

Still she chose the route to no words

Silence must mean consent going by the alluring smile on her face

I assured myself

Wide smiles, big bright eyeballs could only be consent

My blood is pumping

Adrenaline is running

My balls are sweating

Yea!

So much taking place within me

So much torque

In anticipation of what lies within

I made it to the touch

Yes the touch with out ensnared me the more

Urging me to keep on

Behind her lies a holy mound

So round a monk will flinch

The gazes around are enough

To encourage you to go on a grazing trip

Yet, all she offers is a smile

Very inviting one at that

I must be reading ninety by one forty-three of mercury by now

She winks me in

And whip myself on like I couldn’t be wrong

Damn if I am wrong

I can deal with the consequences

My heart sinks in

Taking solace from my fears in her bosom

I follow her instructions based on my interpretations of her winks

Like there’s a chip located somewhere within my being

Thoughts of her not being dumb rents my head

As wonder what games she has up her head

Only a lioness winks in this manner

She must roar like one I thought

In I go, gently pressing my thumb on her right button

She whines

Coming gradually alive

My thought stuck on going full throttle

I must win her for life

Lion or lioness

I pressed a little further pushing my right feet ahead

She roars as she adjusts herself

To take me head on

It was not a fake roar

As the entire neighbourhood felt the fusion

Of our union

7 days after my account is empty

In payment for her dowry

ILUPEJU 2014

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EGO CONSCIOUSNESS

The stillness within

Brought with it millennia of memories,

Like Abiku

It replayed

Memories of all that I am

What I was

What I am now

What I dream to be

The reality of how far

I am from real life

And how close to death

Dawns on me with every moment

The ship is on fire and sinking

In the middle of the Dead Sea

That spiral through the black hole

Will I escape?

I hear the thunder clap ever louder

As the lightening rents asunder

The dark clouds,

A breath of fresh air

My ego consciousness weeps

For all that I am

After the breath of fresh air

Is slowly falling

Is slowly

Is

Lukewarm

Cold

IFEANYI OKWOSHA                         OCTOBER 2014

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O ANDREW OF SUFFICIENCY

Firstly, it bores my mind to repent

Secondly, it costs my heart to obey

Freedom to respect the integrity and dignity

As in the days of Martin Lurther King Jr.

With the sacrifice of humanitization

Far from political ambition

Stressing the suffering of the masses

Like giving them the means of livelihood

Collecting their power to represent them

As in the time of George Washington

With their vote of confidence

Bar wonders in the comfort of leaders

Lifting the constitution to perform

Like the terms of service in office

Promising the nation from laxity or want

O ANDREW OF SUFFICIENCY

Comely it looks like a clue

Versely, it swallows our speech

Freedom from the bondage of death

As in the days of Julius Caesar

With the splitting of the arrow head 

Far from beyonder’s village

Stealing the wife of Oculus

Like the gladiator spears of war

Savaging the poor to fight for fear

As in the dens of onlookers

With the Spartan of warriors

Bar reigns in the king’s throne

Leaving the brave to survive

Like the stream of haemoglobin

Rescuing the warriors from the enemies

So says Andrew of sufficiency

UBONG ABASI

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DEAR

Dear,
I am not ready to leave you
I am just getting to know you
I met you first as a little one
Didn't know much
Except your name
How to spell it and not what you
Represent
I am not ready to leave you
 I am just getting to know you
Then we started to relate
Even though I do not know till date
When your presence
Began to mean more to me
Than a name
I am not ready to leave you
I am just getting to know you
You billowed around me
Filled up my senses
Got me to need you
And introduce you
I am not ready to leave you
I am just getting to know you
It's been fourteen years now
And you are still a mystery
You intrigue
Me
Yet frustrate me
I am not ready to leave you
I am just getting to know you
I wish to leave you
Better than I met you
I wish to make you
The one they bow to
I am not ready to leave you
I am just getting to know you
Do not cower in silence
Let your voice be heard
Your presence be felt
Do reign dear law
I am not ready to leave you law
I cannot know all of you!
KEMIBON