SUMMON THE GODS
Bring me rubles from Maiduguri
Let me build a monument to Allah
Bring me blood from Bornu
Let me fill this trench like Elijah
Bring me charred bones from Baga
Let me commune with my ancestors
I will split my heart on this altar
And send them as ravines to the gods
Life is a free gift after all
One that I desire no more
Here god take it back, take it all
Kill this foolish feeble feather-flight fellow
Then reincarnate me
The will to go on
A heart of steel
A desire of stone
And a thirst for home
Addendum
I will summon the gods
For baga's blood speaks sadder things
Let heaven be closed to their souls
And hades to their spirit
Let their wailing weepings be puppets
To strings of my anger
Against them that put them there.
© Adetimilehin Vic'Adex Inioluwa
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
TO THE DEAN
You dared me to write a poem without rhymes
To sing a song without a tune
To speak of actions without verbs
To draw up a calendar without dates
You dared me to write a poem without rhymes
To draw an elephant without its trunk
To dance without music
To read without words
It seemed impossible
I rubbed my eyes…
I twisted my hair…
And then
I learnt that Rhymes were the sugar
Rhythm the tea and Imagery the cup
So a poem without rhymes was just
A classic cup of tea…sweet!
I learnt about the power of words
The potency of pictures
The importance of the beat
And the sacredness of vision
Fish all have wings but they don’t all fly
Ostriches are birds but they don’t fly either
You dared me to write a poem without rhymes
And I learnt how to fly without wings
So thank you for the dare Dean…
Though I still think double dares are mean!
ERHIO OBODO
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
BLUR
I wish I had a better
way
To put her feelings
into words
But she alone could
feel
As far as experiences
go
You own yours
She owned hers
Wore it ever so proudly
yet painfully
In her voice, on her
face and in her walk
It was easy to miss her
plea
After all she looked no
different
From me
A closer look and an
apology later
We strolled along in
companionable silence
Or I strolled
She stepped
Bumps crept up my arm
The moment catching up
With me
Me sometimes ungrateful
And often lamenting
Saying “the sun is in my eyes”
She could tell that I
was easy
She chatted
The plan of the grounds
Clearer than clear
Every step was either
familiar
Or unfamiliar
Until we arrived at
The perfect spot
She departed
With thanks
I departed
With shame.
Kemi Bon.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
COMPLETE
Throbbing my heart danced with anticipation
Of the impending meeting
Like a well oiled machine
It raced to welcome you
Memories so dear
Flashed through,
Mind blowing
My heart began to skip
A feeling of implosion
My heart driven,
Eagerly awaiting the moment
In its prison
Milliseconds became hours of experiencing
As my heart pumped this wonderful chemicals
A feeling of rejuvenation
Young again
Excited
The sparkle in your eyes said it all
I am complete
Ifeanyi Okwosha
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
No Vacan-see
i don tire
dis naija self na fire
kai man fit die before him retire
to get job na wire
Dem say job dey google
say he brekete like indomie noodle
but i search sote i come be like mugu
Dem say make i ask one Jobber man
say na him dey give people job.
na so i take blow 2k data
untop dis job mata.
No vacan-see
everything na dapada
Oil job na dapada
telecomms na dapada
Power self na dapada
to enter,
you must know oga for centre.
No vacan-see
na so sabuke come useless
untop struggle wey dey endless
na so B dey quarrel with S and C
Even M self dey vex for S and C
for naija qualifike na purewater
everybody just dey carry paper.
shai I no fit cry
cos my eye don dry
now na affidavit we dey carry waka
cos age na serious palava
old man wey don reach fifty
still dey claim thirty
with this beard wey i get so
se i go fit claim twenty?
now wey man don jegi
and dem no wan see degree
twenty years experience
na where man wan take get dat one?
abi dem don forget waec wahala
dem forget neco hold people neck
and the jamb jamba
i tire for dis naija.
now wey vacan no dey see
him suppose dey hear
say people wan pay school fee
man to waka go pay T-fare
and to make ends meet beginning
man pikin must to win enough bread.
(C)Ayinla Muyideen Adeleke
i don tire
dis naija self na fire
kai man fit die before him retire
to get job na wire
Dem say job dey google
say he brekete like indomie noodle
but i search sote i come be like mugu
Dem say make i ask one Jobber man
say na him dey give people job.
na so i take blow 2k data
untop dis job mata.
No vacan-see
everything na dapada
Oil job na dapada
telecomms na dapada
Power self na dapada
to enter,
you must know oga for centre.
No vacan-see
na so sabuke come useless
untop struggle wey dey endless
na so B dey quarrel with S and C
Even M self dey vex for S and C
for naija qualifike na purewater
everybody just dey carry paper.
shai I no fit cry
cos my eye don dry
now na affidavit we dey carry waka
cos age na serious palava
old man wey don reach fifty
still dey claim thirty
with this beard wey i get so
se i go fit claim twenty?
now wey man don jegi
and dem no wan see degree
twenty years experience
na where man wan take get dat one?
abi dem don forget waec wahala
dem forget neco hold people neck
and the jamb jamba
i tire for dis naija.
now wey vacan no dey see
him suppose dey hear
say people wan pay school fee
man to waka go pay T-fare
and to make ends meet beginning
man pikin must to win enough bread.
(C)Ayinla Muyideen Adeleke
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Simple
affections pushing you to peel off your gloves
And
feel the pulses of another
I
love the rare absences of bother
Days
when you could walk to and stay by the stream without buffer
You
have a right to move
If
you went in looking for joy and yet that lacks proof
If
affections are spurned
Just
because our soul fails to respond
Tell
he who made you his first love, to wait for the second
I
will walk beside you for miles
And
will stay on longer than a while
If
your words remain sweet and simple
Sweet
enough to make me smile and think I have dimples
I
love walking away
Once
projections refuses to pay
And
checks continue to bounce
On
simple testing grounds
Yes
I love to copy
But
I can’t be taught to love puppies
Anything
that barks
Should
pack
I want
all dreams to come true
Except
those of those without shoes
Whose
joy depends on the demise of others
I
love to discover
Souls
who make you love why they are different
And
will not attach a stigma to those not in their preference
Once
upon a time
To feel
this way was a crime
When
talking about it, men fell in their prime
So I
will be sublime
That’s
why I’ll say you are a moron
You
take the truth out of fun
And
make the greens of our lawn
Seem
the best of our future
How
I love the tortures of culture
And
the simultaneous breeding of love and hatred by religions
If I
had the thirteenth legion
Men
will be sent to oblivion for proving they belong there
How
I walked with you to that place where
Flowers
grew and shared fragrance
Where
mornings welcome you with the sun being pleasant
Why
I turned back was because the sun forgot to be gentle
And
whenever a small rain falls, floods will settle
I
arrived home with a dead feet
Seemingly
ready to admit defeat
About
to give up on pictures I had internally taken
Like
that thing they call vision
I
was shaken
Found
while I was still shaking
A
little less than Brutus trembling after the deed
I
was turning to the wall
Ready
to break it to the balloon that it isn’t a ball after all
And
then you knocked
In
you came, you didn’t walk
Flying
in to my arms, while locked in an embrace
Ants
had you traced
Walking
in colony, still measured pace
They
walked up to your face
Having
started from your feet
They
knew that if they were found
Only
their corpses will return to the ground
But
nothing will convince ants not to walk up to sugar
And
you allowed their ascent a little longer
Till
lessons of that endeavor was brought home to me
So I
may learn what endurance means
Adding
that the fates only favor
Those
who never give up…
Akeem
Adetayo Oyalowo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
Tonight,
After your cold play,
I'll drink of the oasis.
I stay awake
To imagine dragons,
Yes I am an isotope,
I am radioactive;
But you,
Your love is a cancer
That carbon cannot burn.
I need a miracle drug,
They say hate is;
I wish I could hate you too
Like I despise myself.
But I want to drift inside your head,
And spend 5 seconds of summer.
I want to rework your 13 engines,
To help you stop seeing
3colors red,
And 78violets.
RIO
Ours is a silent film,
An after midnight project.
In this age of chance,
And an army of anyone;
We must take heed
Of arctic monkeys,
And let love be
Our armor for sleep.
We build faith as tall as lions.
Beyond ash,
We are the asteroids
By some atlas genius,
On a galaxy tour.
We know well,
The tales
Of angels and airwaves;
We know too
Of bad suns,
Ours is a bad religion.
You teach me lady,
You teach me balance and composure,
We'll make a fine band
A band of skulls;
But there's envy on the coast,
So the sweet birds of Tokyo,
Are haunted by the black crowes
The birds of Satan.
Nne let us hide
Till that blue October.
I fear
Your blood red shoes,
They make me uncomfortable,
They pass to me as retribution
For the classic crime.
Still, my crooked fingers
Long as pilgrims
To worship at your temples;
Forgive these disciples,
But what Adam refuses' Eve's apples?
Its the eleventh dream day,
I've just learnt
Gravity kills;
But I know also
The dead can dance,
So save a bullet for my valentine.
God lives under water,
Meet me again
At the green river;
Come nude,
We'll be naked and famous.
Fear no suffocation,
Who said we can't live on helium?
Tonight,
After your cold play,
I'll drink of the oasis.
I stay awake
To imagine dragons,
Yes I am an isotope,
I am radioactive;
But you,
Your love is a cancer
That carbon cannot burn.
I need a miracle drug,
They say hate is;
I wish I could hate you too
Like I despise myself.
But I want to drift inside your head,
And spend 5 seconds of summer.
I want to rework your 13 engines,
To help you stop seeing
3colors red,
And 78violets.
RIO
Ours is a silent film,
An after midnight project.
In this age of chance,
And an army of anyone;
We must take heed
Of arctic monkeys,
And let love be
Our armor for sleep.
We build faith as tall as lions.
Beyond ash,
We are the asteroids
By some atlas genius,
On a galaxy tour.
We know well,
The tales
Of angels and airwaves;
We know too
Of bad suns,
Ours is a bad religion.
You teach me lady,
You teach me balance and composure,
We'll make a fine band
A band of skulls;
But there's envy on the coast,
So the sweet birds of Tokyo,
Are haunted by the black crowes
The birds of Satan.
Nne let us hide
Till that blue October.
I fear
Your blood red shoes,
They make me uncomfortable,
They pass to me as retribution
For the classic crime.
Still, my crooked fingers
Long as pilgrims
To worship at your temples;
Forgive these disciples,
But what Adam refuses' Eve's apples?
Its the eleventh dream day,
I've just learnt
Gravity kills;
But I know also
The dead can dance,
So save a bullet for my valentine.
God lives under water,
Meet me again
At the green river;
Come nude,
We'll be naked and famous.
Fear no suffocation,
Who said we can't live on helium?
SOONEST NATHANIEL
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A VISITOR AT NIGHT
A visitor at night
As I laid sleeping not too tight
It came knocking
Behind the thick skull blocking
The right side of my senses
Making wrong right excuses
A stranger from beneath my noggin
Standing, my presence attending
It told me a story
That caused me worry
Made me sorry
Then filled me with fury
About a land
where oil flows like sand
In the sahara
Sadly, back into the gouge of a gaara
Strikes not by thunder
Precipitating rains of hunger
Makes me wonder
How could sand be scarce in the sahara
At the center in a rock
Live our luck
Draped with patience
In all commitment bliss and ambience
Contrasting the starvation
Enveloping the nation
The giants of Africa, Ironical
More like the jai ants of Africa
Fleshes burn
Souls onto heaven turn
Yet our luck stood idle
Dancing his way into yet another chapter in the rock bible
Terrorism flourished
Corruption nourished
Under the canopy that is haram
Unsurprisingly, even boko becomes haram
Rain of curses every morning
From masses pained always mourning
From voices wretched almost dying
The end, a story not so funny
My visitor left without a sound
Walked out my door
Without unlocking the lock
Back to its place within my soul
But left me with a course
To identify the cause
Of my people's curse
And hopefully get them back on course
On this mission I set out to be heard
My pen with a lot yet unsaid
I'm not a prophet who foresee
But with my eyes surely I can see
We would need more than luck
To rebuild this crumbled block
On this path I'll carry on till the end
Long after am gone and even dead.
Ajijola "beloved" Habeeb
A visitor at night
As I laid sleeping not too tight
It came knocking
Behind the thick skull blocking
The right side of my senses
Making wrong right excuses
A stranger from beneath my noggin
Standing, my presence attending
It told me a story
That caused me worry
Made me sorry
Then filled me with fury
About a land
where oil flows like sand
In the sahara
Sadly, back into the gouge of a gaara
Strikes not by thunder
Precipitating rains of hunger
Makes me wonder
How could sand be scarce in the sahara
At the center in a rock
Live our luck
Draped with patience
In all commitment bliss and ambience
Contrasting the starvation
Enveloping the nation
The giants of Africa, Ironical
More like the jai ants of Africa
Fleshes burn
Souls onto heaven turn
Yet our luck stood idle
Dancing his way into yet another chapter in the rock bible
Terrorism flourished
Corruption nourished
Under the canopy that is haram
Unsurprisingly, even boko becomes haram
Rain of curses every morning
From masses pained always mourning
From voices wretched almost dying
The end, a story not so funny
My visitor left without a sound
Walked out my door
Without unlocking the lock
Back to its place within my soul
But left me with a course
To identify the cause
Of my people's curse
And hopefully get them back on course
On this mission I set out to be heard
My pen with a lot yet unsaid
I'm not a prophet who foresee
But with my eyes surely I can see
We would need more than luck
To rebuild this crumbled block
On this path I'll carry on till the end
Long after am gone and even dead.
Ajijola "beloved" Habeeb
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
LOST
I screamed
for birds to lift
Shadows of
draught
I cried to
carve the anger
I remembered
a part missing
In the
african drama
Reality
played jokes of vanity
I jumped
from the clift
To a terrace
of roses
Disturbed
the country boys
Swaying to
their tune
Laughed with
lazy fun
Missing you
I held on to
the table
Edges made
of glass
Fell to the
floor
Pain turned
on the light
Tricycles
ride away
Forgotten in
the swiftness of adrenaline
Starring
pictures of Winnie the Poo
Crosses the path
I walk
Spiderman
was not available
Flowers
adorn his head
Scooby
solves the mystery
I wake from
slumber
Sleeping
with calm
You lay
beside me
Heavy pulse
in my heart
None in
yours
It wasn't a
dream
This was the
dream
Oluwemimo
Bonuola feb 2015
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SWIM OVER SINK
Cup your palms ahead of
you
And dig away the waters
Stroke away the salty tear
Cried ages ago by the gods
in pools
Look upon the stretched
greenery
See hope running along the
horizon yet stable on the table
For when you are caught in
this battle
You don’t seek succor from
a skin akin your kin
Flap your legs upon the
sea
And never wear a weary
Push against the tide
opposing your position
Swim over sink, nothing in
this game is meant for losing
Listen with the ears
within you
Heed the cry and rattle at
the battle
Let not the wave speak to
the ears it sees
Let loose your mind upon
the water, let your body follow
Dream with your eyes open
Never let the Sun take the
lusion
Hope for the happiness your
dream evokes
Let it be the air under
your arms of fin
Dig away the waters like
when the paddle oars
Do all you can today you
may wish you did today
Draw yourself closer to
spirits that charge you forwards
And steer yourself down
the surface that floats a boat
Chukwuemeka
Feb 12th 2015
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I DO
They say
love is blind but mine is not
I guess that
is why I can see all your beauty
My six
senses firing at the same time
Tells me to
love you
Tells me
that I love you
Can somebody
please tell me when to hate my wife
Because all
the tales don’t rhyme
I forget she
is my wife sometimes
And want to
ask her to marry me
I hold her
like she is a stolen gem
I will never
give her up after
3 children
and five years in Marriage
So I ask
again when can I start hating her like they said
When we are
old and wrinkled and I don’t know why
Or when we
are dust and don’t care
I can do
anything for her I will die for her
I will
always be there for her I live for her
I know now
and forever when the priest asks
My lips will
still say I DO!
chisom
