LETTERS ON WORDS
Edited: Leonell Echa
For everyone who love words, letters and reading.
P.J. PANSHAK =================== For the orphan There is calm in every gale A delight for grief A night to feel the ail A hail to call relief We Have A Weapon Poets fight pens on papers Painters fight paint and brush on walls The Preachers preach rebukes the rapers Carpenters push even when the walls make the nails stall Armies thirst for peace with guns Hunger scars your tongue for food A coward skips the fight and runs Religion claims to kill for good We have a weapon
Teams play to win trophies Gold, bronze and silver medals Fools gather around sex orgies Hurting foots like pedals
Teachers battle to use or kill their words Farmers scorch to plant seeds and grow the crop Trees succumb when nests are made by birds Mothers worry when their little girls grow up We have a weapon Poets fight pens on papers Painters fight paint and brush on walls The Preachers preach rebukes the ‘rapers’ Carpenters push even when the walls make the nails stall
To A stubborn heart I will send a word A letter I will write‌ Send it through a bird Or better Ignite I will fight The charm of the vague mystery of the sun I will write Because you are shrouded in grief Slipping your leisure into the bucket of humane tears Pleasuring boats sailing on dark fluids. I will strike a chord Caressing dances Write in words Prickling romances To a vice steward To gain is ill reward Forgiveness a due When pretense in losses accrue I will teach approve Settle a debt Force stand still move And repay the beset To a stubborn heart This should surely impart
Father Moved Out The vagueness of life caught us naive Memory came amidst the picture But daddy could not refuse the dub Insensate were his hands and legs; Murky was the light in his eyes Mother couldn’t but she barked. Father moved out. Family was sodden in tears Dread in our slum Bats, Owls and loose thread Without a knock Silence… Calm… Quiet… Still. Listen… Hear him… Calling… Still… Can we feel? Shivers wore clothes and took a stool Words twinge Frisson in a box as if to ask, “Who will”? It stole the tinge. Father moved out.
They came, we saw them conquer With a smile I embraced you With warmth and love I took you With a passion I made you known to a people Her beam accepted you My maidens did too But on our mats you stepped with shoe(s) You put a knife between the raffia You tapped an open gourd and poured bitter Now sweet sermons turned vinegar Between my seed and me I battled my progeny A curse from your ocean’s stream Now and again I prod with the cane With a loss to destiny’s gain. Oh civil man’s nation That food I refused caused constipation Still surrounding sheer subjugation
A Silent Speech The day mother left, the day father tried his white sheets Neighbors busted in tears, Families came from upstairs Sisters threw themselves down and danced to the bitter tune of drum kits The day father slumbered; the atmosphere was dark most fair As silence spoke with loud cheers Hands and feet wet from the faces portals ‌For the salvage from the sluicing mortals. The day mother stood still like a statue’s motion I found a lost meaning That in her undulation She snored in the end but slept in the beginning. The day mother left, The day mother stood still like a statue’s motion Sisters threw themselves down and danced to the bitter tune of drum kits Reading a silent speech
To An Uncle A captain of the host of many So great and honorable Because by you the Lord has taken Away the family’s ridicule
Sweet were the tales that I dare not forget The dimples given. A million fingers waving in the air and yet Appreciating your helping arms receiving.
Once upon a time you did me well And this the tale I shall someday tell You cloth me with a garment of hope. Like a catholic to a pope.
Oh Uncle! Look into my eyes, tell me what you see Is there strife receding me? Look into my eyes so I can see To someday help me believe in me.
Tell me what you seeI’m desperate to know So desperate to grow. Is there more to me?
IT WEEPS NOT Eats us deep Like cooked vegetables Slice like sudden steep And we hate to learn from fables As bitter leaf and bitter loafer But honey sweets a better offer To swindle more “knowledgeless� Still so selfish shames some shameless. Truth a scanty paste in mouth. Washing not dirt but still decaying gums When repute takes a soiree South And honesty walks the corridor in Louth but never here comes Eats us deep Like cooked vegetables Slice like sudden steep And we hate to learn from fables As bitter leaf and bitter loafer Washing not lies but still decaying gums Still so selfish shames some shameless. Truth a scanty paste in mouth.
Her state Strong and weak Rich and poor Brothers with sisters But lonely as a goldsmith’s knife You shine in your darkest glow. And nations see you as strong You are weaker than a midnight crow When shadows come along. You kill the choice in truth When your meanings cause refute You preach war to brute(s) And stir pain the aching tooth You preach hard work in lazy tones And arrest the desire in others You words support in heavy tones But behind your actions smothers With genuine repentance Failing is on the increase. Your hated sentence Supplying true caprice
Finding hope again It’s a sad day to say When our heads are bowed with woe When our bitter tears overflow When we mourn with grave hearts It is a sad day to talk about When our hearts do walk about Bearing thoughts of what we’ve lost When our spirits shrink with fiery frost It was terrible to say When our eyes grew dim in death As parents gave up their last breath Where is the better pathway? I glanced through scurvy I looked through the blind side Tears could pour ocean-wide Joy pays a visit early before morning Beyond the reach of toil and care A home to always share Behind the scale of dark and tear Finding hope would never wear
The New Plateau Little town of gentle steep, Above the deep and dreamless sleep As little nippers feed and weep Your star-like hands confirm the grip. You’ve been destroyed in the past As mortals sleep, the angels keep watch With wandering love over you they cast The gain of Midas touch Oh little town of new and fresh breath Calling angels from the realm of glory, To wing your flight over all the earth; Oh let the world take up your story. O great and mighty sages, leave your contemplations; For brighter visions beam afar! Seek the great desires of nations, For you have seen what you are. So come, sing and dance Come visit her peace in advance.
It comes in the morning After the darkest hour The morning draws nigh; After the tempest’s power Is the clear blue sky. After the drifting snow, The sunny days of calm would hang After the crushing blow, God’s healing balm saves his son. After the burdened sigh, The sweetest song ever heard After the cross of tears, The crown of joy is given; After earth’s weary years, The rest in heaven begins
In a land‌ There is a land my eyes have seen. In visions of enraptured thought, So bright that all which spreads between Is with its radiant glories fraught. A land upon whose blissful shore There rests no shadows, falls no stain; A land that corruption flee never to return That their leaders rendered selfless services. Without grievances Without deceit With love, peace and no cheat. It has no need for pretences In a land There sweeps no desolating wind: Across the calm serene abode A home you may find O land of love, of joy, of light Land that glories gild, earth darkest night A land that divine tranquil shore, for we too shall see When day shall break and the shadows shall flee I wish I can tell how soon ‘twill be But Someday the evil shall flee Beneath the rosy- tinted west A perfect nation we shall leave in. And face to face we shall dine with our enemies.
The new Heaven Down in the land of fadeless day Lies a city that shall never pass away. And there is no night maid For all the gates of pearl are made. In the city of the Lord All the streets with gold are laid And darkness visits are never paid Day and night to praise in his words. There they need no sun bright For the lamb is the greater light Their faces are shining with his radiant sight For the lamb shines taller than a heightened height While gazing on the new city of God A band of holy angels was heard The music came from the throne of God An endless music shall be heard
To my late dad You sow the precious seed in the early noonday fair A seed in the youthful hearts adoring Sowing the precious seed with patient care To a season of perfect harvesting You sow the precious seed at the early day declining A seed in the twilight deem Sowing the precious seed without repining Trusting providence to carry him You sow the precious seed with an earnest Endeavour A seed of a rare grain Sowing the gracious seed, and the hand withholding never A death, a growing gain Now the seed is due for harvest We celebrate your labor Daddy the seed is ripe so you can have it We share with your neighbor Can you hear me? Daddy?
For Plateau The knife that cut to save Severed the nerve we gave But‌ Warmth again.
Heaven the place I long to be There is a land of pure delight Where saints immortal reign Eternal day excludes the night Where pleasure banishes pain There everlasting spring abides, And never- withering flowers are seen Death, like a narrow sea, was cast For all the saints are redeemed Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood Stand dressed in living green For all the saints to enjoy their stay. Glory be to God today. This is the land of life and glory, Just beyond the shores of time, Where the redemption’s wondrous story Fills my cup with wine In the land we shall sing of gladness We shall see his face. When he cometh there shall be no darkness No more sighing, no more tears.
Sweet Home Oh Sweet and peaceful land Where we gather to graze rest Bending down at the savior’s hand We go to sleep in rest Go, tell the sweet story and don’t delay A land where the cloudless beams of day Banish the bitterness of life A land free from strife Bearing sheaves of gladness and joy Where tenderness lives in The land where purest joy heals to destroy Sadness as she creeps in Soon together we shall stand By the crystal river To eat and drink in style so grand Fear has sent away the shivers
Time Cleric Reality grabs me amidst the pace! And dumb have I become Watching a man’s discomfort become His disgrace, counted as grace Watching in silence Royal robes are stained in shame Weakness disguised as strength Where cravings uphold fame For many arising But the truth cannot be said Now many are creeping in sin With no rebuke for dead For the ancient path is ignored And people entertained with tales
As sleep comes to wake up snore Deceit like an origin hails Listen and you will hear them Choose what to be free from Many lives are to be mended Thus thy kingdom come
Thirst Sitting by the wayside sinful weak and blind Waiting in my darkness night for day Long in dark waiting, weary, sad and confined Looking to make hay Drained in blindness, leaning to pray Weary with sorrow, ache and pain Searching rectitude to not go astray A thirst for hallowed campaign Sitting by the wayside sinful weak and blind Swimming and flowing in deep sin Turning and twisting in search of my mind. Fighting evil-my sick twin Hoping One day To see what I seek.
FAITH The door, not the stairs Not the underpinning, the bricks Because when nobody cares The nest is built with tiny little sticks.
TEACHERS MY FAVORITE FRIENDS They mold minds toward good reputation. The spackling bright as they teach A selfless indication A mighty height to reach To preach or to teach? Teachers are my favorite friends. Their words‌meant to be edifying and challenging Their dresses‌ meant to be outstanding not confounding To attach myself to learn is a gain To detach myself means losing again A wisdom guide in a wild Teachers are my favorite friends. They got me out of my shell Made me excel My knowledge at rest My moving progress I got to make new friends Teachers, my favorite friends.
THE ARGUMENT BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE YOUNG Stay out of there to learn. Goes the old advise Dispute between both in turn. His wisdom- a tricky exercise Fashion-conscious Aged discomfort Young delusion But in grey- a wise resolution Civilization for today Gaping hollow
I am old and I am young Listen and learn from me True words may plunge But mellowness does follow glee.
ROOT YOUR STEM I am the root that bore the stems Maybe the stem bore branches And the branches produced flowers Like the patient root that bears Holding both the stem and the branches Proud but yet sad Waiting to be glad I choose and decide to walk on foot That one day I might have of that fruit The branches and the flowers do bear As society enjoys.
Everything I am I am the sun tirelessly working hard To shine by day and set at night I am the moon reflecting in the darkest night. The vein in intra-venous The rain that waters The air that scatters The voice in speech The hand in writing The thought in thinking The same heart beating I am everything The thing in everything
THE HARDSHIP Oft in sorrow, Oft in woe, Fight the fight, Maintain the strife,
Join the war, Face the foe’s claw Do not flee in danger’s hour Struggle even for lifeless power Let not sorrow dim your eye, Soon shall every tear be dry; Focus as you face discord Only cut but umbilical cord. Let your drooping heart be glad, Fight, but don’t be battle-mad. Victory blinks both eyes. The gain succeeds but hardly tries Onward then to glory move Like seekers you shall prove Embrace the fight for you shall win. Believe your instance that you be strong Shout the victory for you shall win If it is alright, nothing can go wrong
A letter to Rimini love Dear Rimini, The heaviness of life has forced me to slump in anger I’m hanging on your situation so speechless like a hanger I’m trying to find something to base my life upon, Something worthy in this world to come along As the years go by and time fades away, What used to be good now embrace dismay Tomorrow comes and again it goes As ambition older grows I grow wary Guarding dreams I forget daily Dear Love, I’ve fought to become who I am and wanted to be Please be with me,
Now that I realize we’re supposed to be I understand now that I’m much in need of you than ever Rimini love, let’s cover from this shiver. Come take the vow A moment of grace Sincerely yours…
Praise
FATE Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms horror to dissuade. And yet the menace of yester years Can be remembered but can’t be replayed
In The Mean Time Life’s best…very brief, Like the falling of a leaf, Like the binding of a sheaf: Finds and loses in the mean time. Fleeting days are telling fast, That the days will soon be cast, And the fatal line be passed; Time proceeds.
Fairest flowers soon decay, Youth and beauty pass away; And you have not long to stay; Time bids thee. Time is gliding swiftly by, Death and judgment drawing nigh, Sinners do no longer roam, Lest you seal you;r befitting tomb:
Time means free Be willing to carry your cross, Ere the fatal line be crossed’ And your soul in hell be lost: Time foresees. Heed the warning voice, Make a final choice, Let peace all with thee rejoice, Time still be... Come from darkness into light, Let the wrong make you right; And start for bliss tonight; Hear the voice not in sight Let the walk be time…
Heed Those years without end Will it be in that better land? Will it be at grace’ right hand? Will it be with the angel band? Those years without end Will it be where the angels sing? Will it be with the glorious king? What a sublime and solemn thing! Those years without end Will it be in paradise? …to know and see? …to have and heed? Will it be on the golden shore? With friends who have gone before? Safe and happy forever more?
Those years without end
Beauty set forte She is a gazelle of beauty An epitome of love Hear the sledges with the bells The silver bells Her beauty set forth And the melody foretells All the heavens seem to twinkle In crystalline delight. Keeping time in a sort of runic rhyme In the Icy air of the night her beauty ascends. I began to hear the melody The wedding bells to carry me Asking merry to bury a question and just marry me Through the balmy air of night How they ring out their delight From the molten golden notes To the nuptial-craving tunes But marry buried me When her marriage wasn’t me. As dirty liquid floats Her turtle dove on the moon Gloats!
With the attitude Laugh at me today Call me poor But what my school bag takes away My school bag is for In my school bag is the hope to‌ A learning with the right attitude.
Lord we pray
For the tempted, Lord we pray; For the souls that go astray; For the weary, Lord we pray.
For the tempest tots that scare For the stars that hid and a compass lost that fear. For those that in their ways do not care.
For the sailors on the dodgy seasSilently we pray for these. That in mercy they find peace
When a thousand voices cry Above their doubts their teary eye(s) Loud and clear above them all You calmly hear their tender call.
For the tempted, Lord we pray; For the souls that go astray; Beaten back by storms and sleet, Scorned by all they chance to meet.
On them let mercy shine. And remember they are thine For the sake that wrought their peace, We implore love to increase.
Picture Memory
Looking at you in picture memory You force my feet to wave good-bye Now alone I sit in a solitary place Short of words and tall in memory.
Still in a heart cold in gaze Eyes glimpse at the unseen Mind journeyed back in the past and recall Face smiled with tears and heartbreak.
Take heed and mark time dear lover And beware of the container For the inside might be rotten sheet
Oh my beautiful and beloved baby Heaven is cut And kisses are falling, But how do I praise these without thee calling?
For they that love you stay! Please stay with me today And be my lasting companion To bind this sacred but blind union.
IN CHRIST IS A GAIN We will meet again in the morning, Down a fairer day; When the night of watching and waiting
With its darkness pass away; Where no shadow veils the sunshine, Over there in the heavenly land, And the crystal waves of the river wine Ever flow over the golden sand. Climbing up the steps of glory, Loved ones gone before_ They wave their hands and call us holy Calling ever more. With radiant look they linger by the gate so fair; Wave their golden palms, and bid us Strive to meet them there So here we ask Him to redeem us. When our pilgrimages complete And our footsteps no longer roam, By the throne we all will seat, A warm welcome home Oh! What a day that shall be, When the journey on earth we close, And the angel’s homeward shall bear us see, Where the life-stream forever flows! We shall see the king of glory, We shall praise him with harp and voice; We have paid the bride’s dowry So let our hearts in His love rejoice.
To the persecuted That you must sorrow not, Even as others who have no hope. For our hope in God is given, In our sorrow to cheer and sustain, That soon with our Savior in heaven We shall meet with Him again
Our hope in the word He has spoken, That all our peace by hope be obtained And as sure as God’s word is never broken We shall meet with the apostles again. Blessed hope! How it shines in our sorrow, Like the star over Bethlehem’s plain, That shall herald its coming to reign The glory that awaits a fair tomorrow We shall meet our savior again.
Keep on Taking to a level of control? But I desire to fulfill the vision of my heroes past Hiding the truth from the masses? What can be clearly hidden? Taking over their properties? Retribution is foreseeable. Playing an imposter? It soon comes close-the curtain call. Responsible for death? Blood is an evident fluid. You mate with foreign seekers? Banishment they serve soon their guests. Co-study the Holy Books? A dot extends a line Supplying a phony look? The axe is due to grind Pains and heartbreaks too many You cause in dissolution Their gains, their lives, their properties Your deeds, your wrong, your blame, your actions.
Punishment and Peace We were wounded for the fight Scattered for the war We were destroyed for lack of knowledge. hurt for vengeance. We were killed for hatred Hunted for selfishness We hated without cause Paid in kind carelessness We lost to the ache Orphaned for hatred Widowed for battle. Irked for loss and pain I gazed at the rising sun Engaged the chilling moon And then I knew‌ A choice for a few But when I shall wake This long distance I shall take To see the letters from war The life behind heaven’s door
My one desire Nearer and nearer to you I long to be Listening amidst the tempest for peace to be still Trusting when in darkness, resting and trusting in thee When beset with danger and guilt it is you I will. Though like a wanderer when the sun goes down When darkness be over me Overshadowed with the burden of my crown My rest I seek in thee. To thy wounded side I come To abide in you I run Where so ever my path may be; Draw and keep me near to thee.
When the way is dark and cheerless Where no ray- of light I see. In your arms of love I care less Please draw me ever near to thee. From strength to strength I will love to be More than what i long to be Pure and pure may I ever be To be the light only to shine for thee Amidst the darkest night I will shine for thee My strength in times like these To live for you is what I always is To die for you is faultless bliss. Amidst the darkest night on an olive brow The star is dimmed that lately shone; Tis mid night in the garden now For my sake the suffering savior prays alone Amidst the darkest night and from all removed The savior wrestles alone with fear But we whom He loves Heeds not the master’s grief and tears. Tis midnight: and from either pain Is borne the song the angels know Unheard by mortals are the strains That sweetly sooth the savior’s woe. The New heaven 2 High in the heavenly courts the ransomed sing Casting down their holy crown before the King Banished every grief, fear and earthly wrong The saints now join the glad new song. The wondrous song of love complete The golden veils full of odors sweet Through the risen savoir for sinners slain Like kings and priest to God shall reign. Only those whose robes are washed can join that throng,
None but lips atoned by grace can sing that song: Bless us savoir from the stain of sin; Let the song of rapture now begin
To manhood Hear the everlasting song mummy sang Breaking through the sky Her boy is now a man. Hear the loud triumphant song Over the world resound; Like a mighty ocean rolls The glad, glad sound Her boy has triumphed life Hear the loud voice of merriment Neighbors accompany in celebration Of a transition to Manhood. A celebration of life To my Lovely sister Nandi You have been a mother Even when you were yet a girl You helped me play the role of a father Even when I was yet a boy I saw the deep in your eyes The day daddy journeyed back to the land of no return Neighbors mourned in their little way Kind and sweet words But you took the mantle I touched your pain And I wished to spread arms in abet But helpless I was Like loneliness at night
I remembered your sacrifices To make a man out of me Out of the night that covers me Words don’t often speak the truth. But …thank you.
Divine Love Oh If there’s only one song I can sing! When in his beauty I see the king I will smile and say of my father I request to be tother. Yes, it was love Love divine Still he doth love Call it benign. I find sweetest rest, Inspiring the heart-lock on my chest I know very well The story day and night I shall tell. Sweet is the promise As sleepy years fly Doubt not oh Thomas As he falls from the sky.
Mockery hidden beneath the gaze. I appeared in the midst, nothing short of words Sitting in the dark, in spite the bright shining sun Darkness I see in a beautiful shiny day Watching blindly in my world of darkness Lies rewarded in place of the truth Truth was denied and lies, warmly welcomed I’ve seen that before, I hear that again. I was shocked and surprised to see mockery hidden beneath the gaze of others
How much longer shall this continue? When the falcon cannot hear the falconer. THE CHICKENS PLEA. With eyes wide upon And heart in total surrender I smiled at the knife that penetrated my throat. It was a terrible tragedy that befell me and my family It was illegal for anyone to help Because it had been so designed All animals shall be subjected to man. In total surrender and in deep pain I smiled as I travelled back to the land Of my ancestors Children danced in their foolish ways As they celebrate my departure. They smiled and danced at my demise As my dead body relished the burning of hot water. My pain Their gain THE NEW AREA It clearly springs As every wave of sorrow stills, And the bells of joy rings Over the everlasting hills. A king corrupt-free A king with fear A king that pulls us near A king who judges free Great, fair and proud-a King that is A head with selfless service. Like a mighty ocean tideOft I seem to hear As on earth they softly glide Comes a vision not in tear When I wake amid the splendor That I see but dimly know, Where eternal spring abides How I long a smile so tender When no darkness fills in glow
That city in site shall arise. GOD LOVES TOWARDS ME It’s indeed a sight to delight in; When I have nothing to say When my mouth gladdens not in my ear again He sends light to my darkest night. Tis like a fairy tale, Tis like a moonlight tale; Tis like a riddle; As the sound man plays the fiddle. He turned my depression into joy. He turned my darkness into light I work in God’s employ I bear the torch bright light. When I was poor and sorrowful He stood in between the gap. Circumstances rise to the full But He made me take a nap.
MANGU MY MOTHER LAND The land of pure delight A land full of continues delight A Land where pleasure banishes pain A land full of everlasting springs O my mother land A land with sweet fields beyond the swelling flood A land of Agriculture to feed the nation A land that stands and dresses in living green. Over the land beautiful faces I see Fair as the morning star Free from their sorrows, and grief A land where we know who we are In the land more golden things we see And more reality we meet than dreams I love to tell the story
For it is pleasant for me to repeat. I love to tell the story I love to describe the beauty As it satisfies my longings As nothing satisfies like yearning Expectations In my dream I saw her beauty In my dream I saw her coming In my dream I asked her out In my dream she accepted without a doubt In my dream she was so caring In my dream I choose to marry In my dream she accepted the ring In my dream the wedding song to sing In my dream I perceive the merriment In my dream I heard the compliment In my dream I saw the dancers and well Biding us farewell In my dream I saw us together. In my dream I traversed farther In my dream we played like children In my dream we made it golden In my dream she became a wife In my dream we both had a life In my dream we promised we would stay But better is not the best day In my dream it was just a dream Reality took a trip A dreamer always dreams I need to sow to aid my rip.
OUR AGE Hand in hand we walked together Shoulder to shoulder we laughed together Day and night we’ve been together In harsh moments we smiled together. Through bad and worse we’ve been together. Through the peace and war our past together Boldly have we stood amid the hottest fire And defeated together But I am alone now With nothing to give. Oh! Youthful age, a moment with crave A now in aimless bow My future is gone ………… And my present is empty Sold it out for small too many In fear I tremble I listen to wisdom’s say “Who are these beside the chilly grave?” Just on the border of the silent wave. Sweeping through the gate of the new grave And will six feet be found in the grave? That would be pretty tall I wept and shivered with dimming eyes Waved goodbye to my beauty This has come to stay This ‘is’, was me anyway.
MY POISE Though the storms of life overshadow me Though dark be my way In his strength I will walk away With the words He provide(s)
Though cisterns be broken, And creatures all fail, The word He has spoken Shall surely prevail
His love in time past Forbids me to think Hell leaves me at last In trouble to sink. Why should I complain Of want or distress? In temptation and pain Comfort my mistress. He is my guide and good The bitter sweet taste of food.
Things you already know The ruin of a nation begins in the home of Its own people An army of well organized ants can bring Down an elephant Being taller than your father does not Mean you are the same people Don’t feel you are wiser than them for Individual productions contributes to Community grants
One can only build on old materials ‌ Solve community problems The community must pay attention in serials To solve community problems.
The things you already know Why have I been denied the cake? Why have I been denied the fair share? Why have I been tied to this stake? Why have I been doomed here? In the same country In the same state My hope a stolen bounty My success at snail rate Do I slave in my country? Do I learn in a school? Do I get to count to three To not be the fool?
With Him Happily lost in his love One thing my heart cherishes The one thing my heart desires Is that to you my heart be given I give you take and call it even. Bright with eternal radiance Is the glory of your face For you are loving, sweet, and tender Full of pity, full of grace. When I denied you, you still loved me That my earthly life may be But a shadow to thy glory Of my veiled life in thee. Long my yearning heart sought to enjoy this perfect rest.
Calmly resting at the fountain Dwelling at my savior’s, hoping to grace obtain Simply trusting I was blest. I live, but through his grace alone Dead to myself, alive to him alone My loss his rest to win, Now happily I’m resting at the haven to begin.
HOPE Long in darkness I have waited For brightened light Long I dwelt in hatred Sinking still into deeper night. Past was forced to be separated Tears lost could not be counted Fear was overrated Fear, my rejection was rejected Talents tested Where weakness contested Now at last, the light appears Hope stands upon the shore And as it calls I hear What I have waited for It knocks to heal Hope brings calm still
IF I WAS A VOICE If I was a voice I would speak If I was a voice I won’t saddle my speech I will opt to truth speak And I wouldn’t dare to lie-stitch
If I was a voice I couldn’t voice Tongue hidden behind liquid choice Actions dubious If I was a voice, I would sing a song Right and blame less wrong. I would talk over land and across seas. Mellow, below, soothing to appease. If was a voice A convincing voice, I would silence the band Put the wagon to flight to never land If I was a father I would bear a child If I was a pastor, to give out would be the Word’s worth. If I were a preacher, truth lessons I shall compile If I were a leader, kindness would come forth
If I was a voice If I could really voice I would release tongue hidden behind liquid choice To make actions curious
The almighty Ron/land. Way down upon the brighter hand Far far away in the Ron territory. There where my heart turns in ever. There, where the old folks stay. All up and down you go Your mind beckons you home To the almighty “Babal”, and The almighty vwash mwalumwan. The sun shines bright upon the land up and down the inhabitants joyfully move Especially when the, yanyon, the lawool, and the kambong are due for harvest.
Chala, chala,lolo so you hear them say. awin awin in all their happy stay. The corn flower ripens, as the kambong all in bloom, The meadows shine so bright, As the meadow – lark singsHaweyeyeye hmmmm Haweyeyeye hmmmm While the birds make music all the day Both the young and the old folks roll on the cabin floor, In merriment- happy and brighter moods kung dung ,kung kudung Kung dung kung kudung! So the drum beat goes In joy peace and prosperity they live In love and in harmony they live Joyfully they always dance Happily and peacefully shall we live. God bless Bokkos land God bless the lovely inhabitants As peace love and joy shall Continue to dwell among the people of Ron land.
TEACHER Warden of knowledge crude No mite to fit your skill and include How love expresses from ink to board When you are not sparing the rod Cradle of life’s tree Belittled by the wager’s fee But true nation builders Lifting knowledge’s bricks and boulders Abandoned by instance Like a skeleton without blood, a shadow without substance. Kill a kingdom-people die Smite a teacher- knowledge dies Tears can simply rush out our eyes But can endure in knowledge’s rise.
PRUDENCE OBADAN ……………………………….. ALLYCAT & ME Gracious and gifted and last of your kind How so you would pressure and push me to tell The more you sought the less you understood Nature and fate deem you fit to pick Called to serve and serve you shall You the king of nooks and crannies Shall wear the crown to comfort and reign
Smitten and sapped and spent I may seem Sage and strength hold forth from within Stride off my path you slayer of life Well and alife I must afford For him mi amigo mi familia n dawn For much is undone and future beckons
QUEEN RAIN Rain ... Keeper of man, Guardian of green gardens and green-wards, Obsessive is your love for mankind as Bee to Nectar...
You dance with the sun by day, You caress the moon by night,
In tiny tears, You smile down on Earth...
You are passionate towards all, Yet-predatory to all,
Bearing your heroic vexation, As you roar away in flood...
MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER In your loins; I lay waiting After mat.ins, was a human mating, On nature's back, I rode to earth On arrival-arrived also, my piercing vocal rebellion... A marriage of tears and laughter, A room laden with emotions...
In love, you nurtured this seed, You resolved; to make a replica Of you...
I aged... You aged too...
Under your watchful eyes
I made my mistakes, You let it be, You had your reasons...
When I look back
I know it's worth it Cause I learnt from the best...
I may not be my father... But I am surely, my
Father's daughter.
ADEOYE ADETOBA ------------------------------------A TALE OF TWO KINGS Behind the barded wired fence; In clustered tents awaiting Another house of canvass; In the eyes filled with tears And minds encumbered with despair Lies the multitude of a prosperous nation Embracing the viciousness of the wilds.
Feet swollen and heavy;
Feet covered with mournful dust Recount the desolation of a city Reduced to rubbles and ashes. Home long gone and lost in the flames of greed, Home no more but sheltering canvass Springing beneath the shades of the wilds; Away from death ravaging in utter blindness and rage.
Faces grim and pale with grief Faces robbed of smile and warmth Recount the tale of lives lost; Children dismembered from exploding shrapnels, Women violated and cut open, Families scattered into the wild Only to live in painful memories and hope forlorn Bore the tale of lust, greed and blood-letting; Of two kings and a vacant throne.
GIFTS OF LIFE Give them religion, Never make it one but diverse. Avail the sharpest of blades Into the receptive hands of the faithful And let the glory be proclaimed.
Give them morality, Everyman with a paint brush To hue the colors of intent On the minds of men; And a sneer at differing shades.
Give them gold, That they may descend into the mines. Treasures of the earth harvested in bounds. Sorrow, tears and blood its fruit And the people be cursed by it.
Give them reason, Never put a barrier to their limits As dominance ravage their minds To the utter hurt of their kind And life disregarded with sheer profanity.
THE WING STORY I’m a butterfly and a bee I’m not two but one I’m to be. The fluttering of my wings With radiance beauty rings.
Endeared to nature’s harmony and peace, Never once turned a shred apiece. My simplicity evokes sympathy from all Yet my frailty defies the expected fall. I like to end there But my story doesn’t end here.
The buzzing of my wings The songs of war it sings. Intrusion into my hive Leaves the intruder dead by five. No friends but foes I see And tears abound like the sea I squeeze out of my antagonist With my role being the protagonist. My story ends here But I don’t like ending there.
THE SIXTH DAY MIRACLE Come, let’s have a drink of my palmwine In a place where no colored lines are drawn. Let’s drink and be merry. Let our wine sink our past Beyond the depth of consciousness.
Our minds loosened from the cords Tethering it towards reason. Let our heads be filled with wine Till it become soaked in the calabash And we roll over one another unrestrained Like ebullient children on the field of mud Till we stumble and slumber in exhaustion.
And when the morning sun arises again, Bursting forth to a new sky; The lands and the vegetation sprouting anew, The seas and the rivers bubbling with new songs, We awake on the sixth day; Out of the pool of mud we arise, Our minds, blank tablets To be inscribed upon with inks Devoid of colors. Our eyes, blinded to the tone of shades That cast us apart.
EXPECTANT GAZE Expectant gaze sullen with endless wait Weary the spirit drowns and ebbs away. Gleeful prance debased to a humble gait Sighting lofty dreams muddled in the clay.
Tomorrow is stolen in sacks of greed, Carted away by the callous hands of few. Abject many holding to hopeful creed When dreams disappear like falling dew.
Every day is nighttime and gravely dark Dawn is turned off thoughts and from hopeful sight. Ill-fated like the damned outside Noah’s ark, The scourge of avarice mocks at their plight.
Their sights fixed to the heavens prolonged Waiting for victory they thought belonged.
THE CUTLASS Messenger of intent; Docile and malleable. Objectified with steel; Sharp and unbreakable. No penchant for taste or thirst Blood and syrup insipid they drip. Grasses it trims, crops it harvest Flesh it lacerates, bones it hacks. Life and death rest on its handle; Wooden and blunt.
BROKEN CHAINS Silence is broken! Years of dumbness is pettiness To the few words of volition. Wings, the mind sprouts, And into the skies of possibilities It flew unhindered. Dangling chains no more at sight, Flesh gripped pale by shackles and manacles Now bathed in warmth and light. Yesterday’s air was stale and chained. Today blossoms with freshness and balmy.
Tatter, hobble, dawdle, Shake off the claustrophobic ambience Of the chains. Swagger, waddle, amble, Revel in the length of your steps. Delight at the will freely bequeathed And chart a new course tethered Not to the whip. Scream to the mountain top And let the deep reverberate At the newfound voice of the unchained.
LIP-O-SUCTION The lipstick roll of thick red color Concealed the lips infested. Lips blackened; Not from the puff of nicotine But the blazing, flaming remarks Hanging at the doors of her mouth.
Aglow with red beauty, The gates of Hell; Lethal and luscious, Grief and pain it breathed out.
Discord and disorder its gift of words Father and sons pitched into warring sides Friends into sworn enemies. A husband driven to the noose And another yet to be found.
Would rather a cannon I set upon my lips Than to lick into the fury of Hell. Gunpowder I’ll gladly cast upon my tongue Than the sensual feelings from luscious lips. One day you’ll bite your lips and bleed,
And burn in the Hell it harbors.
VENERATETD ROSE Her birth was not heralded with merriments. Her crime was the form she’d appeared; An unanswered prayer Seen as a mere consolation. “She isn’t the torch bearer,” they mused. “She’s like a flower by the roadside To be excised by the hands of strangers Into far and foreign climes. A house filled with them is not strength But trade on the market stalls.”
Set into the world of testosterones; A pollen at the mercy of the capricious wind Poorly equipped for the travails on her path But favoured at the fairness of her skin. Looked upon with scorn in privy matters of the mind, Pleasurably when lust is set at the loins. She’s set as a prize to be won And kept in the locker.
Yet, the heart of men lies in the will of her hands. Her fury is like a scourge on a city
Her blessings like the shinning sun On vegetation long starved of warmth. Pandora box at her left hand, Cornucopia at her right. She’s a double-edged sword handled with care. Subtler than the serpent, gentler than the dove, Stealthier than the panther, deeper than the ocean. My heart shall be the altar of your adoration; My mind the veneration of your essence. For you are a rose that will always flourish In my poetry and prose.
THE BROOM ABOVE THE LINTEL Fade blows across the land Night draws its curtains Sleep inebriates man And into the pit of unconsciousness He safely stumbles.
Smoke-screened by the veil of the night, Men of the dark arise Beneath a sky absent the moon, Upon a land enveloped in quietude.
Their movements was unlike the day Where the sun announces directions.
Into the house they forayed To leave in the quietness Of the conspiring night. Above the lintel hung the broom Waiting to serve its purpose. Preoccupation with cleanliness Enthrals the minds of the veiled guests. Fettered to their newfound duty, Insatiably they swept till morn broke forth. The sun rising with revealing lights Announcing their dark mission.
UMAR JIMETA ----------------------------Yellow Do not take for granted a philandering man. Do not wait for the libertine to say hi, for if you are the woman, he would most assuredly say so and you will fall. Take note of the flirt, especially one that does so wholeheartedly; you will never feel ennui; this is ‘cuz he is prepared for the feat. On the other side of the gender pool, stare not too long at the beautiful Pleiades, like Medusa they will make you still. Do not listen to the siren, her strength is in her voice, listen to her and you shall die - for love, that is. The scandal is true to its cause especially when it picks the person it wishes to SCAN then put a measurement just to estimate the extent of damage- DAL. The phlegm would depict a sickness that has eaten you from inside, take caution if it is a color other than yellow, take a man’s thing without telling him and you are a thief, take a man’s wife (you actually can’t tell him) and what are you? A thief some might say, some might be tempted to call him the classic adulterer; I- however, would call him a collector.
Peoples have graced us with their cultures and ways of life, some even celebrate the scandal so they paint occasions and ceremonies yellow and invite the boisterous aura, lighting the atmosphere with a sexual consciousness, so that the air is charged and the wind seduces the birds. I have been told of BOKMAKIERIE, she is yellow breasted, I wonder why? But every time I thought of it, I could only think of her as very scandalous to the extent that it now appears on the outside of her body. “She must be very ill”, must be another explanation for her coloration. But hey, these things, we really don’t know - especially if you don’t study birds. Like we sleep together, the Bokmakierie; a yellow breasted African song bird perches and sings together too.
Call This muezzin is loud He doesn’t care, as long as his sanctity is found His prelude is all but sinful and profane But dares the gods …in a bid to proclaim His cry is long and loud, but musical. With composure he calls to prayer And for five times he indulges this ritual With an intention for answers that he petitioned in a recital His prayer is rich But they are made for the poor Paupers they are still Maybe a sacrifice will do for them more Where is the ram? One blameless; a perfect Victima In size; not enough for all mouths Let’s turn to the heifer
But hope that bovine touts Less essence is kept without
ELI MATHIAS ------------------------------
WOMAN Surreal conundrum Nectar like vinegar Potion for Romeo-a thoughtless sip in Juliet Fussy labyrinth
Chestnut like humdrum Tainted elixir An itch to prick and a phony pet Aged like the Civil War in Corinth
Louder than the whisper in a hum Burdening block on a drained shoulder A seizure to come but a headache yet A distortion not ready for synth.
Some believe me‌ Belonging to a race within me.
SITTIN BESIDE MA SICK FATHER Sitting’ beside my sick father Quickly wishing this be a duty for another Dimples best painted and owned by a giaour My thoughts struggling in my lifeless power His youthful agedness Apt weariness Blending his freckles Forcing my sniggers into chuckles My heartbeat louder than a compound ruffle As his head on the soft wool to die cuddle.
CHURCH: AT STAKE The city of the supreme has become the city of the dead The church now a graveyard Praise and Prayer are stifled; worship is dead Communion is sucked from the vineyard The preacher and the preaching paints sin (scene) Not holiness; peopled torment, not heaven Ears desperately prick to listen Their quest, judged by man-made treason freed released into the planet prison The preaching pulpit-a professional man No proclaimed verisimilitude; a tongue-stolen clan Break the proboscis and the Flea dies
Kill the preacher and you stop redeeming lies The soul like the building, now demolished For cheap word of truth we are impoverished How much delusion shall we take? When it is the Church and not the building at stake?
IT WAS BLOOD It wasn’t love she wanted, it was blood Painted with the word “love” on his skin So in the veins of their bodies pens were blood ink Soaking into both merged flesh like foam wool cotton. Sheets beds smeared with red tears it appears-a toast to a broken promise.
Anke had passed away-her little shadow. Ceased her life when he went ahead To mate her neighbor’s mother and yet another another. Twice the tumble-he turned the neighborhood into his jungle-all prey prayed.
Now he perches, hovering like a vulture using crutches, needing help to find love-broken-stolen. Anke’s bigger shadow swollen now he seeks solely. She submits in blood and oath- a tradition for revenge. And before skins combine To produce an ocean of liquid flood frozen, his was on the floor-not off his head But from his shroud beneath
WHEN I DIE!!! When I die, Friends and family won’t ask why. Few good folks who are neighborly Would seem I died aged but untimely maybe. But a lot of things shall be said Behind closed doors and beside the coffin where I’m laid, That this young old bloke, So beautiful had a magical strokeBoth for the ladies, a smile like simile. For the gents, a boldness in metaphor. A perfection very exceedingly And an arrogance to die for Though many some would say they knew, Did they wish it was earlier? Or now that my gray is heavy and sepia’.
When I die, Maybe little children may cry, Who thought me a friendly father, Deserving an Above and not an earthly Under. Maybe for the lollipop, Maybe for the petty crop, Maybe for the countless smiles at the barber’s shop, Maybe for the many stories told on a county hop.
Maybe for the evening stride to do a forest lop, maybe for the caramel as a fancy sop, maybe for an ice cream full cup, maybe for the stroke on a curly mop, maybe for a pop they always took sitting on a platform top. So maybe it’s maybe anyway. Little children, what can they say? They may cry all tears out for that day, Another day comes and it’s all forgotten when they play Because they didn’t wish it earlier, and their beards not heavy, not sepia.
When I die, Let my pretty woman think less of I Because she be grey but attractive like a needed mire. And those men who admire, Come to commiserate and sing with the choir. Worry not for I no longer hinder your desire. But approach my fair queen with glee. Let the pressure and demands be wee. Should she not want it to be, Let her decide ‘to be or not to be?’ Her curves behind will stay so Sicilian, Moribund wishes and you say I’m Manchurian. Maybe she would miss me, Maybe she would happy be.
Maybe she would remember the night of ‘mantle royalty’, Maybe not. Maybe she would cuddle my pillow in place of me, Maybe not. Maybe she’d see me through my seeds, I pray the plants grow in fruits and not in weeds. Did she wish it earlier? While my braids dark, not sepia?
When I die, Shall I visit my mother’s boudoir? And shall I suckle? Or is ‘Heaven’ so serene they only hug with a knuckle? ANONYMOUS Enough to take in
--------------------------------------I ponder on the deep sensation that holds me under Are my desires nothing but digestive ambitions? I wonder She was a lone-made with a light-skin, the smell of pomade I said my feelings are not exotic; my love for you is home-made. Unlike most kids, I loved going to school For I always looked forward to Ms. Monica’s flipside. Like a monumental epitome of pre-electrical perception My waxed candle stand tells the story of my nightly conceptions. Just as the word “anger” is a letter short of “danger”,
“Preach” is a letter more to “reach”. Momentarily, I’m lost like life’s scalar quantity of energy with no direction Possessing a map but not a compass to point.
============ Hunger suppresses a man’s creativity Mocks his calm, teases his serendipity. Love shines in variants of texture and shades The finest grades are both domestic and home-made. Figures, farce and pantomime Savoring thoughts like the finest wine. Sycophants applaud the transient candle, …Shamelessly ignoring the stand’s firm handle. Down my throat, into my belly, he strives to reach But which words of inches deep, could hardly go beyond my lips Those brilliant eyes guided my heart to anchor in your love Sojourning, savoring and swaying when two hearts fit like a glove. ======================= Like flossing teeth… And a better title is bon appétit. With cinnamon, garlic, seasoning and seed Don’t question unfamiliarly, a little boy’s greed. The words, the letters, like A B C Double letters on letters- t, t, e, e. I feel weak, sick to my weary gland
Don’t let me dim, you hold my light like a candle-stand. Pretty sad I can’t often use words as much to curse in a church when I think Cos in the Lord’s house, you write with a golden pen so no need for ink. Felt I could use me more to chart a course Session is over, scripts are taken, including my pulse. ====================== Caressing my strands You reached for my nape Lost in the beauty of this dance …makes me take me Spread your wings Bless these flings.
========================== I tasted it; it felt so strong… my heart longed for more. I couldn’t have wasted those minutes, so healthy like pure oil Give me some space; I’ll bring you some gain Choke me each day, and I’ll leave you more pain Turbans, seven virgins, suicidal… Oh, I was mistaken, for it was nothing…the smell of the virgins ========================= What smoothens life must be applied pure Between frictions that attraction lure From the core erupts every offer And vacuum can’t a stillness proffer
Despite the source, is no flow Of true belief so profitably low
============== Gives you an effeminate feeling Falsely, deep down it is cleansing Letters and numbers, numbers and letters I would place separately to feel the soothers In my darkest moment, lights me up Through the days and nights, fills my cup
========================== Divinity condenses and pours down My dust receives and kisses the ground Peace evades my will Peace? Be still. I looked everywhere for you‌the stars and everywhere else My search ceased when I looked into a calm stream and saw myself. ====================== Like the aftermath of a potion A spell I dare with caution. Beyond the sophisticated feelings of the first time we saw It’s the constant thought of you that I adore. The lingering of rioting thoughts-(ah)
The intrigue of a voiceless word. A music to behold; a melody for the soul. Yet, a tango for the heart. In the cleavage of your chest Lost in between you…-intrude into bodies And let the duvet be our buddy. It’s a disease that eats deep into the bone marrow To oneself, an invitation of sorrow.
--------------------------------------In hate or love similes The affections hinged around assembly. Cursed by the compendium of my emotions Could I not coat them with emulsions? Feelings fill my heart like a clustered field Oh gods, be kind and let laborers yield. I think of the word, the place, the people, the act-part of scripture She delicately caress, a designer’s work of couture. I was cold Even when beside heat I strolled. Deceit is always what It is And oh, it smells like shit! ======================= Come close to me my beloved Shield the arrow of cold from me.
Every time I see this lady with her lips so pink I know my heart will always beat with a wink. He smiled and opened his teeth I wished he never offered to greet. You came into my life and there was light You stole away and darkness became my companion The thoughts of you taste like ice cream And I will scream to make reality this dream. I bask in the warmth of your love Like the flora and fauna seek the sun The mind of a man is a labyrinth cord of web The spiders could entangle little.
======================== ‘I want you’, she said But I could only think of my car. Cataclysmic didn’t seem right But for one I could fight. What is it that a mad man requests A wish for his garbage’s best? Feelings for a jaunt; to Ghana I must go But a welcome as cold, a perfect place is Moscow. In Rome, act like the Romans do But in the bush, I’ll need you. What goes around comes around
What burns gets hotter It was dark when I entered a hole And I wasn’t sure, but it felt like my nose’! ============================ My murky exertions capsized my pristine boat In my tears I float
Swimming with contrition’s tide Its crest I ride
To reclaim my virtue I lost In the sea of lust!