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| Bayo Babafemi Winner Poem of the month |
UNREQUITED – Poem of the month
I was captivated by someone
else’s beauty
It moved to me with
soft fragrant shackles from both sides
Feeding my ears with
sweet nothings that left me empty
Erasing the memory of
where true love resides.
I was unaware of the
love in her care
For ignorant eyes
could not see the affection hidden in her smile
Begging earnestly for
a moment to share
With me in true love's
arms, would be worthwhile,
If only I had known
true love’s colour
I’d have been wary of
other hues that it made
And everytime the
rainbow’s content did pour
I’d have recognised
true love by her shade
I have parted ways
with slumber, I am now awake
Eyes which were once
drowsy, are now alert with the burning passion
To take charge of
fate, for a lifetime of happiness is at stake
Bu! It is too
late, for true love has moved on.
Bayo
Babafemi
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
LONG DISTANCE – worthy of mention
I have awoken to an uncomfortable truth
That I find it easier to relate over distances
Where feelings tug at me in near quarters
I am quick to back away
Could it be traced to my father’s absence at
home?
His love for me seemingly overshadowed by his
love for work?
Or my distance from people who are not
characters in a book?
My Aloofness creeping in slowly and unknowingly
I have awoken to the ease with which I bear
relating from a distance
Needing space
Craving aloneness
Even My marriage was distanced
Emotions and disputes fed through the wires
Little things seemed so big
And big things brought to the state of nothing
Distance does that
Creates separate experiences
Distance relates with caution
Distance knows that love can get lost in the
space between
Different time zones
Why do I seem to gravitate towards
distance?
Whose affections will bring the desire for intimacy?
That distance will become a thing regretted
and discarded?
I am awake
But my eyes are shut
I am not ready to let go of the soothing space
that distance affords me.
Kemibon
//////////////////////////////////////////////
THIS WINDOW AWAKENS MEMORIES
I look into this
window
The kindness and
consideration
Joy and sorrow
Compassion and
love
All mirrored at the
same time
Like the warm breath
of the sunshine
That awakens the
sunflower
And like the sunflower
follows the sun
We follow each
other
The beauty of it all
is our sun never sets
In between this space
and time only constancy
We may have forgotten
When the time comes we
will remember
As our pages keep
turning within time
We sometimes cross
swords
Hold mostly the thorns
on roses
And our hearts bleed
May be miss each other
sometimes
Get carried away by
storms and the dust of everyday toil
After several pages
lived
When I look into this
window
It shines like coal
under the pressure of millennia
The difference is the
warm glow
Ifeanyi Okwosha
/////////////////////////////////
AWAKE
Let the men of this
land wake
To the beauty in the
light we call morning,
To the life living in
the greenness of nature,
To the blue and white
that line the face of our sky.
Let the women of this
land wake,
To the shadow of
darkness we call dawn,
To the heat of blazing
fire
That calls their
fireplace beautiful,
To the fresh air,
croaking of frogs
Gentleness
At the village stream.
Let the children of
this land wake,
To the jingle of the
school bell that calls them
Leaders of tomorrow,
To the sand field that
houses yesterday's
Half fallen sand
castles,
To the grass lawn
where a grasshopper
Hops once again
Before ending up in
the palm of a rugged black
12 years old boy.
Let the people of this
city (Naija) wake,
To rewrite the
definition of the Democracy
Already driving them
crazy,
To rebuild the
politics that's only based on profit,
To build a
"Togetherness " that has
No land border nor
tribal marks
Nor religion.
©Àdèlé
///////////////////////////////////////
AWAKE!
When will I be exposed
to the reality of my existence?
and rise into the
realm of opulence?
For the Compatriots’
calls requires my obedience
to birth bliss, not a
sire-land bereft of peace.
For I am a recluse…
Awake! O sleeping
beauties, from your unbroken slumber
and let’s, as one
who’s bonded with a righteous anger,
make a noble effort
and stand lofty
with justice on our
shoulders
and tranquility,
in our homes
I repeat,
Awake from your
slumber,
the sleeping Giant,
Africa.
Adegboyega
////////////////////////////////
AWAKE
Arise and shine
Greetings
The dawn arrives
Arrives life anew
Unburdened with new beginnings
Burdened with the unknown
Fascinated by the untold
Innocent alas! Ignorant within
Life a lesson
Prepared yet unsuspecting
As flowers are thrown
Stones will follow
Halter skelter we run
Accelerating towards roads unseen
Speed unchecked
Obstacles imbedded
Life taking it’s toll
The bill comes due always
Awaken sinking ones
Rise up with force
Beyond your imagination
Step up with vision
Reality now an illusion
Forces lurking in hiding
Looking for victims
Screaming and shrieking
Hanging by the noose
Sick minds are loose
Fears, terrors and horrors
Awake people
Face the now
Leave the after
Battle for yourself
Kindle your humanity
Race to the mountain top
To the glory of sunset
And when the sun rises
Then hope shall emerge
Awaken sinking ones
Awake people
Chika Nnamani.
//////////////////////////////
REAWAKENING
The reawakening of my body happened
with the permission of my mind.
She told it about pleasures shrouded in secret
places
That had been wrapped in bundles and bundles
of modesty.
About games, she said you could play with her,
Mind games? No, fantasies, she replied
Painting a picture of the very one it burned
for
Before it was told desires were a taboo.
Who cut you? Tradition and Religion, twin
offspring of oppression?
Mutilate them in revenge with the liberation
of your urges
In God you trust, so seek for your fulfilment
for this is our Period, and we will stain the
façade of patriarchy!
LOLADE OYE
/////////////////////////////////
BREATHE.
Breathing became dangerous
Oxygen filtered
Being alone became a good thing
Twisted hand of fate
Still we have faith
Just a bit of shame
For we realize our own mistakes
The world held it's breathe
I for one lost my lungs
Now I am plunged
Plunged into a pool of despair
A little red I see everywhere
Fear was present
Death was present
Could this be the end
I held my life in my hands
Like a briefcase I held it tight
Like a briefcase with money
Money is wealth
So is health
And health is life
So I held the Greatest of all possession with
me
Still, curl deep inside of me is the need to
know, is this truly the end or is it just another trial I still don't know how
to overcome.
PJ's words.
ORIENO PAUL
//////////////////////////////
IT’S NOT
Flared nose
Flared eyes
Fluttering
hearts
Even pure
love hung on a tree
Yet they say
faith sees best in the dark
But then
Fate loves irony
Uwaezueoke.
Chisom
