Echoes of Existence
I am witnessing in lifeless pages the dreams within dreams;
It’s circled tops collapsing westward.
Dwarfed in its tormenting magic, the whistle of words,
Men dying to find nothing.
The agony of wisdom lies in a decaying body,
Blunted by a gazillion beliefs.
Blood mixed with certain proclivities,
An adventurer living in a single color.
Is this all a lie?
When a man’s glory is bleached by his glory,
Of what use are his wayward weapons?
_A poem in the voice of a mother_
Mr khyroo
After the night slides off the skyline & the sun
crashes into the ocean like a luxurious blanket
& the wind is drenched in gloom;
after clouds flitter aloft like
bars
& constellations grovel up & fence the beyond; after bones wriggle, waltz, &
topple
& languish punches in & loops them
& sleep discharge its nightmares &
massages them
& dreamers swoop into the lakes
within them,
a boy unlocks a door,
walks barefoot into the woods,
his broad shoulders a tree swaying its branches.
He walks into woods, his feet delicate-
dance
through ponds over solid loaded
filth
through green cliffs, over dried sticks &
rubbles
over earth drenched in daylight rubbles sun-
fizzled
over rivers & icy lakes
through dark mended roads
gray spaces & dirty grass.
he runs from barrenness, into
barrenness,
beyond sorrow, beyond tombstones &
empty spaces.
In the shadows the eyes of frightened
animals
glow like a mob of flames.
They shatter & give twilight its name.
What ringing of an alarm woke him
What ghost, what sense of a poem
Whose blizzard scribbled him
What waves crashes to drown him
Which wire of light
Which flow of water
Whose hovering spirit beguiled him
What promise did it make to him
Whose image scorched him
Whose prayer did he dash to answer
What bridge must he burn
Whose tomorrow is he running to
catch?
Dawn lies caged to a foamy fence
from which the constellations slumps
& loose its essence.
He dashes past towns that lost their dwellings
routes that lost their endings
oceans that lost their navigations & ships
rivers that lost their banks & fishermen
trees that lost their symphony & trails
plantations that kost lost their grasshoppers & farmers
houses that lost their beds & crickets
chapels that lost their followers & prayers
thunder that lost its lightning & rain
gardens that lost its flowers & bees.
The giant moon floats above him.
Symphony rises from his eyes
It lies a bridge enveloped with
tulips
drums laugh the Earth’s unending laughter
guitars ponder on the sound of the wind
hunger flash its blade
daring the mouth to eat
vowels walks the road like the wind.
Then the piano begins grumbling
& daylight loose its essence.
Dear child,
your pages are filled
you have painted all the images.
you have seen many wailers.
When the air sings,
When blossomed flowers slant the sun
to see
When the sky is drenched in light
When reflections drench in gloom
take your hours to the river bank, my child,
put out the vowels that woke you,
shatter them on the currents, gently paddle
them with your hand, & let the clear surge
admit your essence.
Not All Heroes are Big
Fragrance Adenike
If I stand tall, on the highest mountain
I’ll frail and fall
And when I fall
Do I have the power?
For a come back
My contenders are hefty
Six and nine packs
Body like block and sweat drop
Dropping off their bodies
But me,
Little me;
There’s no sweat and my tummy is protruded and stained with oil
From eating too much palm oil akara
It’s a hope
The little light at the tunnel’s end
I’m fiery and limbs are shaky
I’m the least ;
But do I have the right to aim
This high?
To climb the Kilimanjaro ?
What if I die?
I’ll die a hero
Everyone will see my footprints
Tiny little steps I took
My oily hand will also make
Marks
Only the proof
That I climbed with strength
And faced my fears
Absurdism
Jazique
I am a Nigerian
I am from Nigeria
Do I sound Nigerian?
Oh no, darling!
Do I dress Nigerian?
Oh no, darling!
Just like a Ghanaian speaks and dresses Ghanaian
And an American speaks and dresses American,
Desi speaks and dresses Indian.
Yet my language sounds like fol-de-rol
Spoken by fools
I’ve learned it
I’ve understood it
But I’ve been compelled to be fluent in another
A borrowed blanket converted into personal use
This is Absurd!
Daughter
Adeniyi Adenike
Troubles laid bare
Fear sneaked like a bear
Parading their fearful eyes
Yet a bee of hope stung
Still evidence against Hope
Feet not settling
Stamping all over like horse on a kill and save mission
Workers sweat as hot flame
Kissed the cheeks like a splattered rain
Peels getting hot
Racing to the wood
Beautifying their palms
Like a bled red earth on a bleached sand
Sickle search intense
Cough her out of the oven intend
Far away she gets
Playing hide and seek
Enjoying the heat romancing her body
Brewing more sweet flavour
Sweet enough to savour
Almost tasting it on your lips
Puffing out the beauty
Moulding the shape
Made Hope despite evidence
Showing her creation
Etched in gold unto good works
The time comes for her to be sought
She came unscathed
From the almost crumbling oven
She’s truly from her father’s loins
_A-be-ba-ri-n_*
