BETRAYAL by Ken Odenigbo

BETRAYAL by Ken Odenigbo

by | May 14, 2018 | POEMS

BETRAYAL

by Ken Odenigbo
The host, says the field is clear,
We wonder in fear, we are unwell,
Because the night draws near.
It’s time for war, little time for us to dwell.
Betrayer! traitor!
Our comrade, our danger,
A rouge vindicator.
Once a captain, now a stranger.
The host, our fellow,
With no knowledge of that, bagged with trust.
Our comrade, we follow,
A death battle we did not know will burst.
We were a fused prey to the host;
A conjoined toast.

BETRAYAL

by Ken Odenigbo | POEMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Ken Odenigbo, I’m currently studying Economics at Paul University.
I am 20 years old, I am obviously a poet with a bigger dream of becoming a better poet. I reside in Lagos, Nigeria.

HOW DEAD MEN COME BACK HOME by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola

HOW DEAD MEN COME BACK HOME by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola

by | May 7, 2018 | NIGERIAN POEMS, POEMS

HOW DEAD MEN COME BACK HOME

by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola

[for Safia Elhillo, after her collection, “Asmarani”]
We only mourn dead men, so why do
you grieve for a man whose name takes
on a life in your mouth? The way his songs
pour you back into a minstrel in search of a
melody is a story I have lived myself. A singer
died the year I was born & [wo]men poured
from balconies [you know the drill]. He went
by the name Fela Kuti [which means he could
never die]. Unlike you chose halim, I didn’t
choose him. He found his way into my poems,
a reminder that my people lost their way a long
time ago with no remorse whatsoever. Both of
us have found a way to bring them back home
even though we do not know if we are their shade
of preference [does he mean you by “asmarani”?].

 

HOW DEAD MEN COME BACK HOME

by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola | POEMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Kanyinsola Olorunnisola is a poet, essayist & writer of fiction. His work discusses anxiety, brokenness, [in]sanity, existential torment, grief & the black body as a warfront  – things typical happy people write about.  He has an unhealthy obsession with Ziggy Stardust, Lana del Rey, magical realism, James Baldwin, the Beat Generation & Golden Age Hollywood movies.

A lucky fellow, his writings have appeared in Brittle Paper, Kalahari Review, Bombay Review, Lunaris Review, African Writer, Sprinng.org, Bird’s Thumb, Gyroscope Review & elsewhere. He is the founder of the SPRINNG Literary Movement.

His chapbook, “In My Country, We’re All Crossdressers” is forthcoming, courtesy of Praxis. He is currently working on his first full-length, “How Dead Men Come Back Home”. Say hello on Twitter/Instagram @K_tops

BUILDING BRIDGES FOR ALL by Steven Dangu

BUILDING BRIDGES FOR ALL by Steven Dangu

by | Apr 30, 2018 | POEMS

BUILDING BRIDGES FOR ALL

by Steven Dangu
These scars are the failed
Miracles of life, the ones I failed to believe
My rush-days and failures were
Answered prayers I was praying
The cup passing over me
Not knowing they were part of the process
Of my creation, in my creation, for my betterment.
No regrets now, the process ain’t despised
Each piece is making each step clearer
Each step of the way is bringing the ideas together
As each idea in all of we is making us, making
Life more understandable here
Revealing the beauty that seemed
Never there or that couldn’t be imagined.
Your smile is a healing ministry in itself
Showering blessings on blessings
Keep shining that eternal smile upon me
That lets me know how you are glad with me
How perfectly magical you are when you smile
The whole world stops, stares, marvels and professes
The majesty you carry in your smile.

BUILDING BRIDGES FOR ALL

by Steven Dangu | POEMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Dangu Steven Simon, from Jos. Studied Medical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Jos. My love for Art got me into writing. Art is beautiful and Art is Life.

THE UNICORN CALL by Adedayo Ademokoya

THE UNICORN CALL by Adedayo Ademokoya

by | Apr 23, 2018 | POEMS

THE UNICORN CALL

by Adedayo Ademokoya
Seeing this uncommon dexterity
so pure and awesome in a mortal
dwarfing my understanding
and making my dumb mind vibrate
Even the inner me cannot deny
this silhouette of loveliness
My head and heart pounding thoughts
in the mortar of desire and the pestle
of my imaginations becoming wild
Like a young cow
my heart skipped
my body pleasured
by sleepless nights
and my bravery pressured
 by gruesome fear.
Oh, figure of light
do you know that someone
is dying to give you a kiss?
do you know that my hands dreaded
the fact of touching and not your skin?
do you know that my voice-box shatters
with the fear of calling and another answering?
do you know that my knees
are weak with doubt and desire?
Even my black sweaty cheeks
glows at your masterpiece
only for fear to distract our union
But…
if I make the unicorn call
will I get an answer?

THE UNICORN CALL

by Adedayo Ademokoya | POEMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adedayo Ademokoya is a freelance writer and a poet who believes in infusing passion into words and loves to make the world a better place. He is a lover of football that supports Manchester United. He his also called FantasticDee. His works have appeared on BraveartsAfrica, Thought Catalog, African Writer and PenAStory.

ROSE by Ndifreke George

ROSE by Ndifreke George

by | Apr 17, 2018 | POEMS

ROSE

by Ndifreke George

ROSE,
You please my eyes
and melt my heart
Succulent like yellow petals

that’s the feeling from your touch

ROSE,
You’re the chord
that plays all the notes
of the music that rises

from the depth of my soul

ROSE,
The perfume of your being flaws the precious frankincense,
Your eyes penetrate deep
down into the privates of my heart.
ROSE,
I would give you my forever
if you were a person
And I would hide you in my vault
if you were a thing.
What are you, Rose?

ROSE

by Ndifreke George | POEMS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ndifreke George is a Nigerian writer whose works have featured on; Tuck Magazine, The Poets’ Community, Social Justice Poetry, The Kalahari Review, Poems and Poetry, Praxis Magazine, The Antartica Journal, The Parousia Magazine, Medium, Blankpaperz, Aphelion Webzine, Literary Yard, More than Starbucks International Poetry, African Writer, All Poetry, Writers Space Africa (WSA), Poem Hunter, Bravearts Africa and Avaitam Speaks Literary (ASL). He also writes songs, TV Commercial skits, comedy skits, in addition to his involvement in other writing projects.
He has worked as an editor of a newsletter and bulletin; a creative director with Stareesky Entertainment, a drama director, and has groomed secondary school students into writing and publishing a storybook with the title, “The Story Tellers.” Presently based In Lagos, one of his novels will be published this year. Not only did six of his works make the Bravearts Africa Ten Most Trending Post for 2017, his poem also emerged the first.
He is a Geophysics graduate from Cross River University of Technology, in the ancient city of Calabar.

WHITE EYES by Olusegun Ogunmola

WHITE EYES by Olusegun Ogunmola

by | Mar 28, 2018 | NIGERIAN POEMS, POEMS

WHITE EYES
by Olusegun Ogunmola
With that alluring paired rarity
Housed in new ocular sockets,
You stare at me in normal curiosity
(The sensorimotor stage isn’t past yet).

 

You poke mine in Edenic innocence
(Your circumcision is still rather fresh),
I envy yours— its intimidating whiteness—
My own time they tempt me to refresh.

But white is only beautiful

For as long as it is unstained;

It is red, brown, black, purple…

That aren’t so averse to stain.

 

Those who have learned to hear

Every tick of the clock in a day,

For bread  to eat and raiment to wear,

Don’t have your kind of eyes today.

 

Eyes, which, on days long as months

Befriend smokes from hearths of clay,

Frying garri*, akara**— for peanuts—

Are now fiery as the Lord’s terrible Day.

 

Those who have emptied the library,
Just to earn a number—an alphabet too—
Mere songs in your own nursery—
Don’t own white eyes, I can bet you!
Your father’s are bloodshot with alcohol,
Your mother’s— discoloured by tears;
Your brother’s are dyed red with tramadol,
And your sister’s— tainted by fears.
Your eyes may not be pure forever,
They will be stained willy-nilly;
But let Nature be their own tinter,
Not your wrong; not your folly!

 

* garri: a staple food made from cassava
** akara: the Yoruba name for fried bean cakes

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Segun ‘Mola (Olusegun Ogunmola) is a budding poet, singer, songwriter, and musician. He chooses to see his works as media for baring his mind on various subjects, from the perspective of his faith and convictions. He places much value on “little things”, as he believes that great things more often than not emerge from the seemingly small and insignificant ones. He is inspired primarily by personal vicissitudes, society, and relationships (with God and man). He is a graduate of University of Ilorin, Nigeria, where he studied Health Education.

White Eyes

by Olusegun Ogunmola | POEMS

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