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| WINNER POEM OF THE MONTH AMAMI HENRY |
(Supplications)
Nna
biko
Eze
biko
fi
ṣá ma anyan miri
dim
naya, nna biko
fi
ṣá ma anyan miri
dim
naya, eze biko
Uncertainty
burdens
the heart
the
cry of dependents
weigh
heavily on one' shoulders
fi
ṣá ma anyan miri
dim
naya, nna biko
the
days
are
unusually long
night
looms endlessly
dawn
falls to weariness
fi
ṣá ma anyan miri
dim
naya, eze biko
The
path
to
the stream
are
filled with thorns
‘cankermog’
invade
our farmlands
Is
this the first
of
the seven plagues
or
the seven plagues
in
one full blow?
if
anything, at least
answer
the 6-year-old
who
ask the mother
"when
will everything be okay?"
fi
ṣá ma anyan miri
dim
naya, nna biko!
-Amami H.
////////////////////////////////////
THIS CHILD OF OHIMINI
I am a child of a river
Ohimini;
Storm darkened by day
Brackish brown by noon
Starry bright by night
Full and flowing with
Love, grace and glows
as silent as light
So, do I
I was born by a Hill
Ojuwo Atogu;
A birthstool of giants
An anvil for forging titans
Ancient, long and strong
full of life, grit and glory
And as solid as granite
So, am I
I was born by the savannah
Guinea-forest;
tree of canopies like starched gelées
and leaves like thousand green tongues
dancing, whispering to the winds about
Wetness, wildfire, and wilderness
as sanctuaries for seekers.
So, do I
I am the son of a river
Whose breasts nursed me
I am the son of a hill
Whose shoulders raised me
I am the son of the savannah
Whose green gold feeds me
I am the son of a furnace
whose blue fire rises like a sea.
So, am I
This is who I am
A child of a river, and
I do what rivers do
I rise!
@Achile Michael Umameh
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
THE RACE
There,
they stood (brothers called Ann Sisters
because
all men have but one parent)
To
race - to run for life, for good.
Tremors
swimming in each one's veins
Colourful
thoughts came in and went.
"This
one's for the grandkids, " One Ann Sister said.
"This
one's for a country where I'd be stead."
"I'll
do this by the book." "Me, for the name."
"And
me for a place where mother nature came."
"And
let's make a race that no one will forget.
Put
on these blindfolds, one for each head."
"But
why have you not got one?" One Ann Sister asked.
"Worry
not, my brother - closed eyes too are masks!"
ON
YOUR MARKS! (and in your masks) SET!! BANG!!!
Tobia Aby
//////////////////////////////////////////
"TO THIS VIRUS"
(A Poem)
I. Lover:
The last time I saw
her was a day before the lockdown,
Time froze under that
bridge where we held hands;
That music from her
touch -
still singing - in my
blood.
So to this virus, we
promise:
“Many lockdowns can
not quench love.”
II. Rebel:
The last time I passed
my bus-stop was two months ago,
Our "Ruler"-
says we must stay at home;
But there is no home-
without food in our bellies,
And my kitchen tells
me that rules were made to be broken.
So to this virus, we
clarify:
"It is hunger,
not you, that we are scared of!"
III.
Caregiver:
The last time the
politicians visited was never;
they are lab-rats for
the foreigners!
But now that all cages
abroad are closed,
We will treat them, in
facilities they didn't build.
So to this virus, we
give silent thanks;
At least now we'll be
paid more, attention!
IV. Magician:
The last time was a
boom when Ebola came,
business never
remained the same!
The gullibility of the
common man-
Is such a bottomless
gold-mine!
So to this virus,
they'll pay taxes!
For rituals! To pacify
ancestors!”
V. Common man:
The last time we were
fooled was a lifetime ago;
We are born again now,
our múmù don do!
Where's that guy who
so much wanted to free the sheeple?
Well, the sheeple in
lockdown have been hungry, still awaiting his donation.
So to this virus, we'll
pay tithes,
“Thank you, for making
us realize our runaway-daddy never truly loved us”
VI. Jester:
The next time we are
tagged as lazy youths,
We will remind them of
who made Savage trend on Twitter;
Our “active elders”
want us to smile while we suffer,
But we are crazier
than they think; we'll suffer, make jests and laugh hard!
To this virus? Say no
more,
On social media we've
said more than enough.
VII. Innocent:
Next time, we won't
sing "Holiday is coming" 'cos holiday has come -
since Co'wona started,
and we want it to stop.
What can we do to this
Vai-worse?
And mum, what's the
meaning of “Vai-worse”?
VIII. Preacher:
The next time reality
takes the place of religion,
the world will still
theorize it as conspiracy.
So we've learnt, that
he who goes against the flow
must anticipate the
wrath of the ocean;
Yet, to this virus, we
say nothing else
except “Be gone and
cast into the sea!”
IX. Hero:
Next time, we will be
proactive!
Closed airports will
be the first thing!
And it won't matter if
it's the President's kid,
Our nation means more
than my next-kin!
Honestly, to this
virus we have nothing to say,
but to our negligence
and unpreparedness.
X. Dreamer:
Whichever time we
awaken from this nightmare,
please brew us some
coffee in abundance -
that we may spend
sleepless nights
in the refinery of our
day-dreams.
And whatever we say,
do or don't say to this virus,
May it never leave us
bereft of our visions.
@tolu_neodaniel
/////////////////////////////////////////
PANDEMONIUM
This lunar year
Pandemonium is the new calm.
Dictated to by the unpredicted Asian bug,
My partner: Age, cheated on me again.
It snuck out at midnight and struck grandmother,
I desire your number, it demanded.
81, she said!
Ohh, that’s the highest I will ever get, it said.
And out, like a brief candle, she was snuffed.
Ololade
Rhea
////////////////////////////////////
MY BREATH
The fire booted my
head
At least not a kneel
on my neck
I only wanted this
knowledge
To put me on existence
map
My body has become a
boot
of crawling fingers
Which is better?
My colour the reason
for the hate?
What is my sin?
I am in His holy house
before His majesty
These sinners
have no respect
No fear for the Holy
They had their way
Why take my breath?
Chris N. John
///////////////////////////
REAWAKEN THE SPIRIT
This is for you
Yes I mean you
who craves success
and you with dwindling
hope.
Let's ignite the spark
tonight
when the sky's blanket
is dark
and the stars are yet
to be back
Let's bring back the
embers
Wherever the night
bids us.
Let me reawaken your
spirit
to embolden that zeal
to be exhumed
from that dampened
mind.
Let me bring forth the
rays
you have long hidden
within you.
It is never too late
to start believing
It is never too late
for reawakening
Before the day of
reckoning
when words shall be
called upon
to re-write what it
had learnt.
Believe that where
others have failed
you can earn yourself
laurels.
Muyideen Ayinla
///////////////////////////////////
LIBATION
I
say that this land will not reap the seeds we have sown
Isee!
Let
it not take libations of blood poured every day anymore
Isee!
Like
a deaf and dumb let it not hear with the hearing of the ear
Isee!
And
may it not speak with the speaking of the tongue
Isee!
To
rogues and charlatans who crookedly limp in the night to plan evil
Isee!
May
this land not see eyes that see evil and smile
Isee!
May
it not hear those who hear evil with their ears and nod
Isee!
May
it not give breathe to those who snuff out the light of hope
Isee!
May
those who choke this land fall like ripe Udara
Isee
This
land, you must clap in their ears like tropical thunders
Isee
They
will not hear us coming like the cat hunting a rat
Isee!
They
will not see us like the bat in the middle of the day
Isee!
Because
we are borne from your loins
Isee!
And
with your fats you have fed us and continue to feed us
Iseeeeeeeeeeee!
Chisom
////////////////////////
A TIME LIKE
THIS
There is a
scoundrel on the loose,
He ravages
and attacks ferociously.
Everywhere
he rears his ugly head
Falls into
despair, at a time like this.
They say he
puts the old in a noose,
What kind of
coward attacks the elderly?
With an
uncouth demeanor that we’ve never read
Or heard of
as at a time like this.
Though
herculean seems the task,
For us to
put up a worthy fight,
We must
first strangle fear and let courage breathe,
Especially
at a time like this.
Shield
yourself with face mask,
Stay away
from others and then you just might,
Survive if
your sanitiser is left unsheathe,
Then,
victory could be yours at a time like this.
When our
progeny hear this tale,
They shall
know that despite this strength of his,
We stood
strong to come out hale,
And defeated
the enemy at a time like this.
Bayo.
///////////////////////////////
THIS:
This is
that, that we have often spoken about.
The 'that'
of old men dreaming, young men envisioning, young women prophesying;
prophylacting and not to forget the wailing women weeping at the walls!
This is
that, when they said,
if you
refuse to reckon with
Martin, you
will have to answer eventually to the spirit of Malcolm and Brown!
That
Baldwin's fire next time
is now the
ongoing fire this time
Fire,
gangrenized, galvanized
and
weaponized.
This is the
that of consequential inaction, action and pro-action.
This is
picking a priority and establishing several posteriorities which come to bite
you in the posterior and now you can no longer sit on your seat of learning,
though you refused to learn when the Board of Education versus Brown was handed
down and misapplied!
This is what
happens when all structures and strictures that underpin our foundations are
let loose on the altar of the
generational search for flow,
fluidity in
morality, sexuality
and gender
specificity and all
round
"wokeness"
This is that
moral ambiguity that has brought us to this place.
When and
where the rules no longer apply and have become
not the
imperatives, but the suggestions, the tentative indications and no more the
inexorably commanded.
This is that
This is what
happens
This is why
there are no
orchids for
Miss Blandish
This is why
And now
these!
Andrew Whyte
////////////////
EARLY BIRDS
RISE
If dawn
comes along with rain
They want no
surprise
Flapping
their wings
An endless
dance with the winds
Floating in
elegance
Voices
become the pendant
That necks
desire to wear
A pattern in
the skies above
There’s a
mobile choir in the rear
This rare
view
Of a earth
sprawled below
Wherever the
land boils
Our eagle
eyes will know
Early birds
rise
Freedom is
not being forced to fly
Happiness is
having open sanctuaries
Meditating
within sights but out of earshot
Moving
without a map but never getting lost
There are no
passersby with ugly glares
We do not
cough from the smoke of your endless flares
We do not
sip from the gossip that keeps your lips moist
We do not
rise to the bait of hate via clusters
We do not
have lovers who cannot have other lovers
We do not
restrict the happiness that love transmits
We do not
have doors and have no use for keys
We may share
a kiss just to say please
We do not
need to grease before the face glows
So we don’t
know what you mean when you say more grease to your elbows
We do not
bow to the king that reigns down below
Early birds
rise
Feel free to
sell your cages because we will not be slaves
We do not
use the tree for free because we pay with our songs
Do not call
us citizens, we belong to no one
Leave us to
the skies to thrive
Leave us to
the rivers to play with
Ask the
winds if we are not joyful to play with
Include us
in your team, we are happy to play wings
Given me the
parched scrolls when I become a raven
Tell me the
secrets that shares craving
Send me to
the son with no known father
Leave us out
of the banter
With no good
offspring
Leave us out
of the flock forced to pay offering
Don’t share
with us, your spoils of war, we are not hungry
Let us bring
you the news of your neighbors in famine
Let’s help
you refine the hatred you have for those you don’t know are family
Let’s help
you add sugar to your mornings
Sweet songs
served to your hearing with no prior warning
Let’s be the
push you need to draw your curtains
Let’s teach
you how to find beauty in the plains,
Early birds
rise…
Akeem
Adetayo Oyalowo
/////////////////////////
THIS LINE IS
A THIN LINE
I have lived
like stars during the day
Like a
rainbow at night
Hidden in
the tears of the rain in the oceans
My name was
not to be a reference
For we are
many
A man’s
quest best known to his possessor
Turned the
eyes of sauron on him
A tool that
represents his kind
Unleashes
the dam of the oppressed
It grew dark
and we saw the stars and the red moon
This is not
the beginning
Not the end
It is a
point within spaces in time
Vengeance is
not the right of men
Under this
banner everyone his own mirror
Before you
throw that stone and point fingers
Remember that,
that which you condemn has siblings
That
reflects in the mirror
So before
you throw that stone and point fingers
Which of the
siblings is yours?
Ifeanyi
Okwosha
///////////////////////////////////
THIS IS ME
I have changed the raiment of my reality
At dawn I made you a foe of snooze
The cock is my viceroy
I paid the obeisance to the sun youthfulness at noon
The heavenly showers bowed to me in reverence at dusk
In joyous and anxious anticipation
I am a family man
But don’t count the elements of my groin
Yet my progeny caresses your skin
Its sibling defines our relationship
They said that I have changed
That I now do not follow the dictates of time
Summer my progeny has sold its birthrights to winter
For a pot of temporal porridge
Winter in fear has refused to go away
The tides now paid unsolicited visits to the coast
Swallowing innocent faunas and flora's alike
I have showcased my raiment again at noon
Yet I am auctioned in deed of disagreements
I am the one that the weather loves
Olumide Soyemi
