Chuks Obi is a law student at the University of Ibadan. He has written poems and articles which have been published in magazines and anthologies, both online and in print. His poems fulfill a duty to humanity; soothing wounds with the wonders of words.
The days have raged like an angry storm
Young men have taken to beer and rum
The feet of the old are pale and numb
Dreams washed away in the fiery tide
Like life has taken us on a ride
Through hardship, loss and trying times
There’s no strength left to stage a fight
All that’s left are falling rhymes
It’s not too late to start again
The sun will smile at us someday
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Remember those days when the land was young
We taught our children right from wrong
Those precious times did not last long
Now all the land is filled with dung
On the altar of filth, our values hung
They insulted us and refused our songs
We saw it coming but could not run
He who has a home should not have to roam
Even though the skies appear so gray
The sun will smile at us someday
Let us put away the thoughts of doom
This land of gloom will one day bloom
In the heat and cold, we daily toiled
Our last days shall be greased with oil
Through the rumbling cracks I hear your voice
Our struggles for them will not be void
This long journey should end in joy
We might not live to watch the bud
Let’s hope that they remember us
When the sun smiles on the land again
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chuks Obi is a law student at the University of Ibadan. He writes poems and articles which have been published in different magazines and online publishing sites. He strongly believes in the power of the pen as a tool to make the world a better place.
I remember those days
When hunger knew my name
My stomach was in flames
It sang a noisy song
With every scent of food
Discordant melody replayed
One cannot blame the cook
Preparing meals he would not eat
Of what gain is the aroma
That is spread in generosity
When the essential delicacy
Is denied to watering tongues?
I remember those nights
When I studied without light
The philosophy of famishment
And ideology of inner torment
The blindness of the government
To the anatomy of starving children
No professor would impart
Knowledge that no words can tell
Of what gain is propaganda
Sugarcoated manifestos
To the long acquired culture
Of feeding the poor to vultures?
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I remember those midnights
When it was best to sleep tight
But for wailing in the tenement
For the souls that waved each moment
Those bones still build a monument
In the study of hungerology
In furtherance of Biology
A crucial path of our food web
Relished by decomposers
What else should I remember
Before these hands get weary
The smell of rotten bodies?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chuks Obi is a law student at the University of Ibadan. He writes poems and articles which have been published in different magazines and online publishing sites. He strongly believes in the power of the pen as a tool to make the world a better place.
You are not growing younger
Were the words of my mother
Breasts as firm as a pumpkin
Skin glistering with youthful hue
When shall you bring the man home
That will balance your equation
Plant fertile seeds in your soil
To germinate as boys and girls
So I went to the husband market
My perfume’s scent stronger than camphor
Clad in a dress of advertisment
High heeled shoes sounding ko ko ka
With feminine curves visible to the blind
And a mastery of the art of catwalking
I shook my credentials from left to right
To the stares and smiles of spectators
In the search for a God-fearing man
I joined the ushers in service
Welcoming men with charming smiles
Saying ‘you are blessed’ in the sweetest voice
Bending and rising to the songs of praise
Lifting gold bracelets in adoration
It seemed like I had no luck
But my pastor said, ‘the siege is over’
On a Sunday morning, my prayer got answered
Through the handsome chorister
Whose voice was like a nightingale’s
He sang a hymn that touched my soul
And I felt this divine turnaround
As his hands performed magic on the guitar
He later confirmed the thoughts in my heart
I felt this peace inside of me
From the day I got his diamond ring
I began to swim in the pool of love
With his salary, he pampered my stomach
And made me his royal queen
Judas promised to marry me
He was the man I had waited for
Although he claimed his parents were dead
He was too born again to lie
It was wedding preparation time
Tarrying in prayer in his room
When he grabbed me in his loving arms
Reaching areas beyond the normal range
I broke away and made to leave
But he threatened to desert my life
Just few months to my wedding day?
No obstacles at the edge of breakthrough!
Can you tell the story from there?
My gateway has been broken through!
The ring still shines on my finger
Judas is nowhere to be found
Judas Junior now rocks my womb
Insults and jests I hear each day
If you meet Judas someday
Tell him I can’t bear the shame
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chuks Obi is a law student at the University of Ibadan. He writes poems and articles which have been published in different magazines and online publishing sites. He strongly believes in the power of the pen as a tool to make the world a better place.
Was it not yesterday
That I came into this world
Innocent and inspired
Filled with expectations
Of a beautiful world
Visible in my dreams
Was it not yesterday
That I discovered I am unique
Talented and blessed
A leader of tomorrow
To leave the world a better place
And secure myself a place in heaven
Was it not yesterday
That I ran mad
Stricken and nauseated
By mediocres and pretenders
Destroying my homeland
And frustrating all good efforts
Was it not yesterday
That I found myself in this rat race
Shocked and dumbfounded
By the selfishness of human nature
If every man is to live for himself
What then differentiates us from animals?
Was it not yesterday
That I spoke to my friends
Youthful and strengthened
Of the beauty of honesty and diligence
How I sounded like a fool!
An object of derision and laughter
Was it not yesterday
That I sat down to ponder
Hopeful and hopeless
Clueless of today
Afraid of tomorrow
In the beauty of solitude…
Image source: www.inclaritas.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chuks Obi is a law student at the University of Ibadan. He writes poems that bring to light various issues affecting Africa with the aim of drawing public attention to them, thus, making the world a better place.
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