POEMS READ AT LOUDTHOTZ POETRY OPEN READING EVENT SEASON 9 EPISODE 10 BLAZE

WINNER POEM OF THE MONTH Akinyemi  “Asapen” Akinmusire

‘MAN'S THEOREM’ – poem of the month

Open spaces,

Yet closed angles,

Undulating elevation, on

Irregular reasoning,

Fixed points lost in radius,

Parallel thoughts flow with,

Mindless degrees, which are lost in 

Squared notions,

Encircling the perimeter of life.

We draw our triangles,

And walk on infinity formulas,

Yet countless problems unsolved,

Our answer sheet have not been marked,

Even those who carry expo,

Are waiting in line for their results,

We seem to have lost our bearings, 

Even though we know our locations,

Our co-ordinates are missing,

Or don’t we know the equations.

The square root of our problems,

Are not the cubes we drop in the circumference of the cup of our tea,

Maybe there's a theorem that we would apply,

Yet our four figures tables don't right out all our answers,

We still need to calculate our miseries on a sheet of paper,

Yet the power of exchanged is squared, 

If only you are in power,

We sketch our own problems with another's pencil,

And forget to draw our own lines on our sheets,

At the geometric rate we are going, 

We might soon run out of decimal places to hide our sorrows,

As the virus that surrounds us threatens our existence,

We just have to always update our hope app,

And upgrade our various operating systems to the current windows of realities.

Life's software's don't run on its own!

Akinyemi  “Asapen” Akinmusire

////////////////////////////////////////

TO ALL THE MOTHERS WHO NEVER LEFT(WORTHY OF MENTION)

Yours are the tears that were never recorded

The cries that got swallowed in corridors of patriarchy

I salute your courage

The strength of a thousand wills could not shake you

You deep rooted tree of nurturing goodness

Silent fulfilling fiery foundation of hope

You steered the ship and landed us safely

On the shore of adulthood

Did you have to?

You signed off on your life

Mama!

You bore the lashes of tongues

You mortgaged your dreams

For the safety of our stability

You stayed

Today, I validate your sacrifices

Strength mustered in the face of aggression

Through the baptism of fire

You stood firm

Woman of sustenance

Woman of substance

Woman of subsisting Strength

To mothers that walked this path

Let tears of joy and pain

Slide down your withered faces

To all mothers who never left

This is for you

We see you

We don’t judge you

This is from daughters that watched you walk

Teach us to walk away

When the fire is blazing

Kemibon

////////////////////////////////////

THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

I want to fly like a bird

Sang Goody Two Shoes

Sitting in a cage

On the Yellow Brick Road

Waiting for Rumplestiltskin

The new Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard had stolen

A deal from his lips

And never in his short life

Did Goody Two shoes think

He would feel such loss

And such painful neglect 

Of good warm character.

He sat stuck without his shoes

In a cage of cold iron and poor hay

And he couldn’t think of a single idea

Or deed

Or solution

Or resolution

To help him back on his way,

Searching to gain 

some really good shoes

For Kaptain is my potion

A constant friend is He. 

His eyes is on the sparrow

And he watches over me

Sang Goody Two Shoes

Abiola Bonuola

/////////////////////////////////////////

HERE THEY COME AGAIN

Halt!

Listen!

Here they come!

Here they come with their flowing gowns and brute tongues.

Here they come with their smiling faces and open tummies.

Oh, here they come again!

To once again feed to us their spoons of prophesies and phoney promises.

Here they come with everything we have ever wanted,

Before our eyes, dangling like baits.

We watch,

As the pendulum swings from side to side.

Swish...swish..

We wait.

We know,

But they do not know that we do.

They think of us, blind, deaf and ignorant fools.

If only they would see that in our foolishness, we have become wise.

We have tasted the bitter wine from the sparkling goblet.

We have drank to our fill.

Our veins have turned against our hearts.

We know we were poisoned,

And we have vowed to drink no more.

We have vowed to pause our lips, when forced to put the cups to our mouth.

We will drink no more

Of their bitter wines and rivers of lies.

We will watch

And we will wait.

We will pause our lips and harden our hearts.

For we know why they have come again.

We can see beneath their layers of scarlet robes.

We will take the pendulum in our hands,

And we will drink no more.

Ohikhuare Honour Chiagozie.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

BURN

All you need is a spark

A gentle push towards the mark

Hunger or pain

Blizzards or rain

It takes one shattering wave

To make you brave

Or send you to a living grave

Murder all sprouts of greed

Bottle all flittering needs

Push your vanity aside

And dig deep inside

For passion is not bought 

Hard labor can add up to nought

Face your lot and plot

Stop looking at Dangote's pot

Turn sparks into flames

Earn yourself a name

But watch how you burn

Whatever it is you burn

Learn and relearn

Starting a fire and letting it die

Is enough to make any Angel cry

No be lie

E hard die

Success no be by force

But please give laxity a divorce

Life comes in steps and phases

But we don't all have common bases

So find your way out of the maze

Strike sparks till you start a blaze

Redefine your heritage

Escape societal bondage

Discover the 'who'

That makes up you

Not the one on auto pilot

But

The one with a potential to turn

Sparks into flames that burn

Erhio

//////////////////////////////

AS WE GO TO THE POLLS

As a youth, I have a few observations,

I think it is important we understand where we are

And why we need to do this right away

It seems we’ve lost our dignity

It seems we’ve lost our lives

We’ve put our future in the hands of those who never saw one

We got ourselves where we are and we are desperately in need to get out of this one

We traded our fortunes with bags of rice and other forms of merchandise

We claim the colossal appearance but deep within is the midget approach to things

Great father figures seize to exist as their response ability drops to zero

Elites and technocrats are in their shells

Protégés no more have mentors

Master and servant relationships has been soiled by selfish ambitions

Professionals are unappreciated

Mediocrity in high volume is celebrated

Quality and Standards are compromised

Values have degenerated

Respect is money driven

Money, however gotten is how you become famous and popular

Identity capital is on the all time low

Opinions are at the surface level

Thugs, drug lords and criminals are immune by law and the constitution

Youthful strength and energy are channeled to violate rights and liberties

Conspiracy is at every institution

The government is accused of social prejudice

And my question is what hope does a common man have?

A common man with a common sense and intelligence

A common man with a common dream that seems impossible like Ethan Hunt’s mission

To have a fair chance to become the next big thing not by politics and corrupt practices

but by merits across fields winning big like Amazon

The elders have failed,

The leaders are selfish and clueless,

The youth, part of which I belong are jobless,

Frustrated and have become followers of people with fake body parts,

Followers of men without a cause,

Followers of money to show off,

Followers of dreams that are not their own

And followers of trends and cultures that they pick up from their mobile phones.

In a land bountiful with resources

Graduates turn to hustlers

Hustlers could end up being fraudsters

Fraudsters turn to thugs

Thugs turn to Militants

Militants turn to politicians

Politicians rule over the people

And everybody is just trying to survive this jungle

“It reminds me of one of Nas’ rhymes “Everybody is looking for something”

Maybe we are looking for the wrong things

We got to be serious about tomorrow

Re-write the manifestos

We all cannot move to New Mexico.

Perhaps, the real change is silent yet true and unpopular

The future and the revolution could be here

Own it. It is yours.

I am Lexain.

///////////////////////////////

6-3-3-4 SYSTEM

This day when my strength is my weakness
I am Hopeless! Helpless! Sightless! Clueless!
My understanding is darkened
By the weight and pain of my overdue pregnancy

I wear a black faced mask
That continuously disorients me
So I am always saddened in thoughts
Of my Unborn task

To whom do I run? On whom do I call?
The 6-3-3-4 system after all
Is not meant for all
Its way of generalisation
Has killed my expression

It has given me a stage
To be caught up in flames
Made my potentials lame
And tied me in bondage

Tobi Best

////////////////////////////////////////

HEY
The house is just by the corner
It's system was perfect
One hand washes the other
Beyond that
There is nothing I know
The past holds so many regrets
I can't say which one
but I know who can.
Watch the road dear friend
Be nice
I'll watch your back
So for your sake
I hope you watch mine.
Sleeping flames
Will soon to their forms return
Peace is boring
And some secrets are best kept in the dark.
Am on my own way
Hey...
Please understand...
Don't assume the condolences
We receive
Gives us a monopoly on suffering.
Make no mistakes
We are at the cross roads
I don't feel the pain any more.
Nothing we did was in vain
Think of it.
Catastrophe takes one's mind
Off tragedy..

Nathaniel Increase

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

MOMENT IN TIME

I felt each moment pass

Not dead in time

For time is an enigma so beautiful

That every moment lives; once upon a time

The day may come

When fire may get burnt

Water may drown

Air may suffocate

Earth may be buried

But not today

Today time stands still

And every moment passes once

Take this moment

Don’t stop

Breath

Live

Ifeanyi Okwosha

/////////////////////////////////////////////

THE LINGERING HURT

Tempting fire,

Dancing to the tune of thy moanful divan

And captivating by the seduction of thy  bleeding heart.

Thou cut through my heart with thy flames of love

And sear through my skin with the burn of thy passion.

I ache from the pains that tortures thy soul

And grow weary of the cold nights that banished your warm smile.

When your pains breathe they strum my ears as music so soft

Serenading my fearful heart that it begs bleeding.

Teary eyed relinquished faded  memories

As they film vanquished joy within wispy smoke.

For I am petrified by the temptation of your ebbing fire

Dreading the songs that it coaxes from stark silence.

Dark cloud looms

As sanity begets horror.

Keep my heart from the day of fire

And save my tears for a time beckoned.

Thrilling burns,

Quiet, as loud as imprisoned agony that may last forever.

Time, as felt as a broken spright that will mourn unending.

Tick says the clock, but death says the time.

I trembled to outlive the day thy soul kissed the sky goodnight

Hoping the night would survive for I dare not see a broken dawn.

I became a lake on fire that scavenges a droplet of your refreshing breath

Alas, thy  tortured days were too long, your sunshined life too short.

Wishes have become unicorns that can ride us to where the tales of love began

And memories have become a jabbing spear to my side to break what's left of my sore spirit.

Why is life a single shot without a spare?

Console not my rage, allow it burn.

Let it ignite my despair afresh

For hope has chosen to lurk in the shadows of dawn.

I salute the queen of my birth who watched from infant grown

Let her heavenly tears be the waters that showers me a new joy.

Still blaze,

My heart is stung by the illuminating flame of your wearisome smile.

I reminisce the thrills of hope kissing the morning with rejuvenation

And sip from my fill of horror burning the nights with thy demise.

Hope is  a thin rope from a burning candle

But despairing faith lingers on the brink of moribund.

My nightmares embraces me with solitude smiles.

My biggest fears tells its own reality.

On moribund's peak I chastised your doom with faith

With chariots of hope in company.

But bended knees failed to seek reprieve for thy soul

From the clutches of evil and shadows.

As Mercy breathes a sigh on you

Blessing set ablaze rejuvenates

Joy from ashes reverbrates.

And Praise from hallowed void resounds.

Keep me in tune to the rhythm of laughter.

Let us sing a toast to better days.

Emmanuel Ifeanyi

//////////////////////////////////////////////

FIRST GONG

In the fervent hopes of a blue moon

Tales of moonlight will be told

Of Agony’s breath of life

Of Despair’s song of freedom

Of Fire’s rule of a new begining.

For our souls cry a release

From the curse of daunting day still blinding foresight.

For we have waited too long hoping when

That our hearts regrettably waived the chorus to its joy.

But the day draws nigh

The day the first gong shall strike.

A breath conceals deep meanings

And an adroit tongue hides truth in plain sight.

The people slave of cunning from their own morality.

They pledged on lettered coverings that binds their tomorrow to servitude

But they despise freedom’s naked shame as it calls to them from open streets.

They trade their fleece of pride at the call of the white wolf

Only to pride civility in the comfort of his strewn straw.

For how long will wisdom taunt us at the mercy of the ridiculer?

But the day draws nigh

The day the first gong shall strike

And stifled agony will clamor its unrest

From the taunts of bond-makers still captivating freewill.

For we have asked too much wondering how

And weary of our complaints that have charred our palates and made us mute.

But on that day, our story shall cough to begin anew.

The tyranny of words plagues conscience

And the silence of reasoning inflames chaos.

Our fury's fire has been tamed from the creation of dew.

On the altars of truth we heard freedom sing

But have we wings that we may escape the fool's contrive?

On the paths of knowlege we thread wisdom's call

But have we eyes that we may desist the swayer's snare?

For how long will deliverance  evade us at the cost of wounded sighs?

But the day draws nigh

The day the first gong shall strike

And songs shall resonate the heated stokes of despair

From the spells of coaxing whispers still clogging reasoning.

For we have wandered too far asking where

Till our pains have melted our bones and we have no will to remain up-right.

But on that day, an inferno will seat as judge between their heavens and our earth.

When whispers among trees shall spring a flare

And rustling dead leaves shall lick the excitement of a fiery dance.

The night evil shall wear a new mask

And justice shall be trampled below on feet unshackled.

There, agony shall make us alive once more

And despair will find its voice among its people.

When beating of the drums resonates the rhythm of inflamed hearts

And silence breaks its peace to the cry of men who will slave no more.

The night blaze shall dance the tune of freedom

And tomorrow will only come from the ashes of a broken dawn.

There, fire shall become ruler to adjudicate the lowly's grief

And its blaze shall make reckoning of the lofty's comfort.

For beware the dusk that clarion calls

It only hastens the night of the first gong's strike.

Segun Peters

/////////////////////////////

BLAZE

Do not blaze in anger

Do not burn out the lion’s blaze

Shoot your own blaze

Blaze and burn out the cannabis

Shoot your own blazing achievements

Throw hell out

Blaze and burn creation

Blaze the way

Mark stardom

Leave a gray hair trail

A trail visible in the dark

Do not blaze

Certainly not in anger;

map out your life

In a blaze of glory!

Chris 'N' John

///////////////////////////////////////////

IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES

The Jury

Here, case number 20112105

Reference the day Mr ‘I-am-still-Right’

Walked Mrs 'No-longer-right'

Down the aisle

And both bellowed "I do"

To the refrain "For better! For worst!"

Now they stand in the dock

In defence of matrimony

Holy or not?

Call out Miss Chemistry

And Mr Compatibility

Tell us your roles in unfaithfulness.

Call out Mrs ‘Murdered-in-lure’

And the bisexual ‘Third-in-the-party’

Tell us your roles in snuffing trust

And planting doubt

And discord in this home

Call out the transgender ‘Mriss Ego’

Tell us why and how you floundered the happiness

And joy in this union and left

Insecurity, abuse and indignation in your wake

Call out Mr Loss of Job and his

Ill-famed cousin, Mr Unemployment

Tell us why you took bread off the table

Call out the various faith temples

Tell us why you poisoned love

And razed respect with your

Over ‘sermonization’ of the weaker vessels

To the demonization of the stronger vessels

Please take to the stand

Mr & Mrs Transfer and their numerous

Company of 'etí ọba nlé(s)' 'etí ọba lokó(s)'

Tell us your roles in extinguishing

The fire of affection that once blazed in us

When we couldn't do away

With the sight and thought of each other

Arm in arms as we walk from courtship

To the altar

Now we stand across the dock

To exchange "I do" for "I don't"

With a new refrain tagged "irreconcilable differences"

-Amami H.

/////////////////////////////////

HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, 

AND BLAZE  

The Creed's a poignant angst,

Why we graceful savants,

Never deny the thirst,

We hunger for the adrenaline,

Its locus enthralling,

What did Shakespeare say?

Life's but a vapor?

We stride the stage,

Whisper inanities of treason,

And go out in a blaze?

I laid in my lair,

Fiddling with a Roulette's prayer,

When the call came,

Will you accept this pilgrim's cross?

Death is a grim token,

I didn't become a Judas,

I have gun, will travel,

For any cost,

My life a mere farthing,

Nero's disdain was my Achilles,

I sang the anthem of hedonistic

Platitudes,

And,

A time later,

I wrote my final umbrage,

My final testament to a life 

Of inglorious genteelity,

My subject was a fair lass,

Her charade, a metaphor 

For the devil's guile,

Adorations lent tokens of reason,

Why her?

My dead heart bled a Psalmist's

Tears,

This Creed was my debacle,

My grief.

I caught her eyes and 

An Epiphany rent my soul,

An eureka of grace escaped my lips,

I would rather go out in a blaze,

My tombstone a paradigm of tributaries,

To a fallen coward,

I assayed a prayer,

And sheated death's sigh.

I would rather,

A blaze of perfidy 

Than deny the piety

Of that fair Portia,

For a daniel had come to 

Judgment,

Let Eternity's embrace my Philistine's 

denouement be.

Ugonna Teddy Richard 

/////////////////////////////

A SOUNDING BOOM !!!

The rise and fall of fire

Blazing hot and briskly

Changing the economy into chaos

Burning brightly and brightly

Made by uncontrollable lust

A sounding flame

A sounding game

Burning briskly and briskly

Making lives unbearable

Burning day after day

A sounding blast

From  the comfort of doom

Burning brightly and brightly

Varnishing from one spores to fumes

Leaving lives like wildfires

Bright room with bright doom

Shining brightly and brightly

Without uncontrollable flames

2)A wandering flood!!!

The rise and fall of water

Enduring current and waves

Changing the society to streams

Weathering fiercely and fiercely

Composed by uncontrollable ruins

A wandering flood

A pondering blood

Weathering fiercely and fiercely

Making lives unwanted

Weathering day after day

A wandering flood

From the shores of doom

Weathering fiercely and fiercely

Varnishing homes to domes of death

Leaving lives like hurricanes

Endangering lives with pipes

Coming fiercely and fiercely

Without uncontrollable sin

Ubonabasi Ekpo

////////////////////////////////////////

THE COLOR OF JEALOUSY

Fear is fuel

on which

the engines of hate and desperation run.

I ask you to pray, and you ask me what is coming?

I say it’s a war,

but you already knew,

I have never been ready; all my life,

I have been dreaming wide awake.

Change is painful,

but you seem ready for this carnival of rust,

you seem ready to lock up the sun,

you care no more for what is given

and what is denied.

They say passion colors everything,

 I never knew hate could be this beautiful;

Today, I’ve learnt

the color of jealousy is divine.

Your skin is losing all signs of life,

yet the child in you still remains;

still longs to play in the rain,

still longs be moonlight kissed;

but the radio edit

has fatally altered the drama of life.

I don’t want to fight,

 but you say it’s a debt of nature;

I want to shed these thoughts,

but that too is fighting.

I bleed,

while you dance to a discordant song.

You are drunk on what I have bled,

high on rebellion;

ready for the final masquerade,

for solitude,

for exile

for desolation.

You have started a fire;

there are shadows in the flames.

You toast to new beginnings,

this storm will bring you calm.

Soonest Nathaniel

//////////////////////////////////////

NOT ME

In wondrous joy I see

In wondrous joy I hear

In wondrous joy I perceive

As I see, hear and perceive I smile

Looking at me smile

You will wonder, is she alright? Is she deluded? Is she afraid?

What do you think?

Hmmm,

She goes on and on with everything but nothing

But nothing, why?

Look further, beam the light search and search

What you see is what you are

Hmmm,

Touch her tail

Need I say it? No, I leave it to you

Consider well before answering, be reflective and responsive

Indict her, right or wrong

Music you will face

Think about it

I know you have the answer

Don’t laugh, be serious

You may not know but I know

How? You may ask

Live it up to me

I understand but not really

Don’t follow me but follow me

I blaze when need be

Don’t smile at me it can pain

Ask again why Tell tale not under the moonlight

Are you confused? Hope not.

Hope seems blink

It turns and twists

How? you may ask,

Hmmm!

The way is rough it seems

Of whose doing, the enemy

The enemy? Who is he?

I and you, but you will ask

How?

Hmmm!

Gbenga, Nonye, Bassey, Onome, Tamuno, Osaze, Ibrahim

All are after me

How?

Language, Culture, Believe, all play the game

Who will win? I don’t know

A nation blessed with resources

Human and otherwise

But wait a minute

What is the problem?

Hmmm!

Humans behaving irresponsibly

Lacks understanding, Lacks love, Looks hopeless

A nation so blessed but yet so poor

Hmmm!

Looking for liberation?

Who will do that?

I don’t know, but you do

How?

You of course, who else?

How can I? I am not like them or with them

Says who? Says I

Hmmm!

At your little corner

What do you do?

Examine it, give it a thought

Surely you will find the answer

Then I will ask again

What is your role?

Put off the blazing fire of negativity

Be a pace setter of good deeds not otherwise  

And you will understand me.

Chika Nnamani

/////////////////////////////////

THE FUTURE IS...

What does today say about memories of yesterday

What would be the fate of today when tomorrow comes

What is tomorrow if not another today waiting to be unveiled

What is the future if not history constantly put on replay

We play, we fight and we struggle

Trying to get to the top of the pyramid in this jungle

There are no manuals here

So Regardless of how hard we search 

A man's destiny cannot never be found on Google

So we pick up our touchlights and search first within

When I was four my mother told me to dream big

So I became one with my future,

Joined at the head like Siamese twin 

Although Ben Carson would have looked like a quack trying to separate this one

I learnt early the usefulness of education

By the time I was 8 I knew not to play with my grades

Cause it's good grades or end by the gates

cause no one saw the virtue in living life opening doors for to live

So we learn to leave by leaving others behind

When I was 12, a teacher barely earning above minimum wage asked what we'd like to become

I told him I wanted to become a writer

Travel the world by road and sea

And write everything I see

He looked at me with all the seriousness he could muster

And told me if I want a good future for myself and my family

I need to be more realistic

As if the reality he is living in

Is wealthy enough to fund the future he dreamt of as a kid

This is not an insult to teachers

But don't we all also thing it's high time 

We stop being Silencer creating Viruses and allow more than 3 idiots live their lives

We are constantly being made to become something we're not

Sacrificing what we are to inherit the masquerade of what we will be

We are surrounded by conventions that keeps us from rising

We've been beaten down so many times

that we get Acrophobia just standing up for the things we believe in

By the time I was 22 I had a Bsc and an Msc

My grades were filled with so much colours even the blind could see

Yet the only place I see

My dreams jobs are in my sleep

It is high time you woke up to the reality that your "A" graded term papers are better at wrapping akara

Than landing you your dream job

But dream, dream big and dream hard

One day you go surely blow

Jobs most times offer nothing but wet dreams

 At 23 I learnt to dream with my eyes wide open

Sacrificing night after night of sleep 

On the alter of success

I learnt early that a man the wakes up in the morning with great ideas 

Definitely didn't sleep at night

I learnt to speak with my heart and listen with my soul

I learnt that there are more uses for my life that just living.

The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed 

So If you keep believing you are the leaders tomorrow

You'd never know when your tomorrow would become another persons today

Stay woke

There is no future in the future

It is just a series of countless todays

If you don't start living your future today

There will no day to call your future

The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. 

The paths are to be made and not found 

Live the now so pronounced that your future would be written in present progressive tense rather than future tense.

So this is not me willing, planning or hoping to become

This is me already setting the future ablaze.

Ajijola Habeeb