Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Nne – Mother

    Nnem oma, my sweet motherMy best friend!Onyem, m ji eme onuDaada! Thinking of youGives me great joy!My first love, my creator!Ina enyem obi anuri,Ina akasim obi,I can not quantify this joyYou are my blessingNkechinyerem! *** Commentary: This was first published in 2019. I think everyone should appreciate their mothers. I grew up amid lovely women.…

  • Silhouette

    It is the sunsetSmiling up those hillsNothing left behindBut silhouettes of loveI stand before you, you before meSharing, staring into those blue eyes, While the sunsetQuietly before us

  • Night Poem: Feelings

    Starry nightWishes mutualLove feelings

  • Sounds of Rain

    Rooftops flyCurtains sailSounds of rain

  • In This Moment | Arunav Barua

    There’s a war raging, so we understand, or made toHere, there’s a child who goes to school without a shoeSaw a boy trying to collect garbage, no school for himDid you have your sumptuous breakfast? So, it’d seem That old lady who can’t walk straight, goes around aloneShe has never held a gadget, oh! Recharged…

  • Hope

    I heard the wind:‘Cry no more, child‘

  • The Poet & The Peasant | O’ Henry

    THE OTHER DAY a poet friend of mine, who has lived in close communication with nature all his life, wrote a poem and took it to an editor. It was a living pastoral, full of the genuine breath of the fields, the song of birds, and the pleasant chatter of trickling streams. When the poet…

  • Quote on Affection

    To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world.” — Unknown

  • Tale of a Moonless Night

    there’s no moon tonight,just littering galaxies,there’s pitch darknesson the path leading homeshadows grip the passerbywe are told night is no friend. this night of unusual aura,thoroughly cold and dreamy,of hills surrounded by mists,and a village amidst a relic,dreams are not far awaythe night sounds are lullaby. flickering lights come aliveunnatural solar lamps glintgreen forest and…

  • Africa No Filter & African Women in the Media Graduate Trainee

    Africa No Filter Here’s an opportunity for female African storytellers! Please if you know anyone, share this with them. The latest media grant by Africa No Filter will only fund women storytellers Women’s voices are still underrepresented in the media. To help close this gap, the latest Media Grants by Africa No Filter are aimed…

  • Night Poem: Bald Moon

    Misty tasteBald moonshineLonely silhouettes

  • Like Vs Love

    When you like a flower you pluck it, but when you love a flower, you water it – Japanese quote

  • Peace Not War

    It’s time all youth let older men (those clueless leaders) fight their wars themselves Maybe we wouldn’t have arrived at wars if enormous powers were not vested in one man. When older men declare war, it’s the youth that must fight and die. My heart goes out to every Ukrainian and Russian family, to everyone…

  • Mud | Robin Bliss

    There was black mud.Dirty, slimy, smelly mud. Some seeds landed in the mire.Brown ordinary looking seeds.Nothing special to look at. But! They germinated sending,Down roots into the slime.Soon shoots appeared,And leaves grew. Bright flowers appeared.Pink, lovely blooms.The mud was covered,With verdant leaves and,Beautiful colourful flowers. Without the mud there,Would have no flowers.May the beautiful blossoms,Of…

  • A Shepherd’s Grin

    Dear friends, this little piece below is an invitation to smile. No matter what you are passing through, smile. I have won angry or unhappy hearts with a smile; we can win anything with it! A cold twilight of sortLost in quick thoughtsWhen black clouds sailAway with the day’s memoriesThe crickets and owls,Galaxies and moonshine,All…

  • Another Tale of The Wild Woods

    When beautiful summer came… Upon the glades and vales of the wild woods The Mountain took her position and stood quietly by the forest side, Sniffing the sweet smell come from fresh growing flower shrubs Happy birds came flying home Followed by pretty insects and the boar herd The skies tinted with blue skirmish Sometimes…

  • Quote on Dreams

    Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly – Langston Hughes

  • When Night Is No Man’s Friend

    The dark know many a fury When from the back of hills Shadows, fog play on paths When the moon is weary And the cold grip of rebuff, Of howling, unholy laughter Frighten the quiet evening, Sending chills down spines The path is hidden in smog Throwing over the hamlet A blanket of fear and…

  • First Drop

    The first drop of moisture upon earthThe ground rejoice in tumbling lotsUltimate love, overwhelming sootheAs tiny drips, numerous puddles createAnd smell of wet clay wake with the dirt

  • Ukraine| Robin Bliss

    Rockets whizzing through the air.Filling people with despair.Bombs explode, and tanks roar.In this one, one sided war.Forcing people to submit.Is no victory, I’ll admit.Forced submission is no winner.Like a bully taking someone’s dinner.It’s time for peace, no more hate.War its self is out of date.

  • International Women’s Day

    If you can dance and be free and be embarrassed, you can rule the world – Amy Poehler We celebrate women all over the world for their extraordinary contribution to society. Happy International Women’s Day!!!

  • Flower| Robin Bliss

    Wandering slowly down the streetMoving dead beat weary feetWanted to go out,get some airSo exhausted, as I can bearSeeing flattened wooden benchSitting on it makes some senseResting now my tired bonesWith a sigh and quiet groans Thinking I’ve had enough of lifeWith this illness so much strifeThen I saw a flower growingHow it got there…

  • Quote on Happiness

    The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves – Victor Hugo

  • Muse: Granny’s Clay Pot

    Memories Most traditional pots in Igboland are made from moulded clay dried in kilns. In times past, the Igbo society is well known for pottery. Water collected from streams and springs is fed into the big pot. So through the night, the clay pot makes the water chill. In the morning, a cup of water…

  • My Dive | Eriata Oribhabor

    I met your mystery…And dream steam burningBefore my muse-ful call…My turn and ease-ful freedom…Your cursery look, my thirst… I saw your power…Clean sparkling watersTucked from our quartersReveling in towering calmOf surrounding greens. I smiled at a dive…Challenged to striveFor same…not one to standAnd watch from the stands.I took a dive. Commentary: Mr Eriata is a…

  • Held by Ropes!

    Limits like fears are often just an illusion – Michael Jordan Limitations In my last post on African proverbs, we discussed how the eyes become useless when the mind is blind. In this short story below we will understand more about mental limitations. Held by Ropes! A gentleman was walking through an elephant camp and…

  • African Proverb: Closed Mind

    Proverb: Eyes are useless if the mind is blind The eyes see tangible things, but the mind sees much more than that. Ideas are shaped in the mind. After ideas are formed they can now be manifested into real things. Therefore, while eyes are physical, the mind is mental. A mentally blind person can walk…

  • Quotes on Compassion

    Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength – Dalai Lama The highest form of knowledge is empathy – Bill Bullard

  • Tweets

    Lovely tweets From treelines Hot midday

  • Fresh Start

    Every new day is a chance to make amends for the wrong turns we’ve made. It is a chance to get things right. It is a chance to live our best life – Ricardo G. Williams

  • When Woodlands Sing

    The Earth has music for those who listen – William Shakespeare Now the woodland singMany voices play out,Zithering cricketsHissing reptilesTweeting birdsAnd snorting boars All incessant criesFrom hawks and egretsThe sky an airy circus,Below squirrels and rodentsForage through tree rootsWhen beloved nuts drop Water from rapidsThrow fine curtainsDown on dull rocksWhen the rush reachPebbles hurdle jointlyAnd…

  • Quote on Hard work

    Hard work compounds like interest, and the earlier you do it, the more time you have for the benefits to pay off. -Sam Altman

  • Thoughts On Eastern Europe

    I hope the Ukrainian spirit which represents freedom is not crushed It’s a sunny, peaceful morning here. Birds fly and sing over the rooftops, and squirrels swing from trees. At the same time, beautiful Kyiv is under siege. Traces of smoke from homes rise into the sky. A once peaceful and progressive country, now gradually…

  • Prayers For Ukraine

    I hope that this senseless war ends and that peace returns to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

  • Morning Aura

    This dawn, the mist,Evoked a modest tone The smell of the lush forestOver nature’s fair kindness

  • Memories

    The night is young and lonelyStars keep the herder companyMoonlight, of hazy illumination It reminds him of his dear one

  • Muse: Starry Night

    Starry nightDreamer’s mateWishful thoughts

  • I Have A Dream – MLK

    I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. ——Martin Luther King

  • Dialogue 7: Laziness Vs Hardwork

    Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa!! Storyteller: Good evening, my friends! Today we will consider two characters. I wrote about this short rhyme for kids and teens. It came back to me when I remembered the story I read as a school kid—the tale of lazy hoppers and busy ants. The ants were seen as losers because…

  • Morning

    Windy fog, glad yawns,Up the hill, a quiet townMisty paths, bird tunes,All, green forest’s muse

  • Muse: The Promise

    As long as there’s the sun in the sky and the moon that takes its place at night, you’ll always have my love.

  • Tree Leaves Fall

    Tree leaves fall Happy loops Dreamy wind

  • Love Quote

    Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything. –Katharine Hepburn

  • Lullaby: Starry Night

    Lovely starry nightOne of bright galaxiesOf breezy wind & cold.Lonely against the dampMists are to the villageSo pathways are hidden.In the solitary darknessAre branches of the IrokoStanding like lonely knights,Waiting to stab their victim.Let the huts in the valleyEngage in tonight’s fantasyA momentous time, a lullaby

  • Even Trees Talk || Arunav Barua

    Hearing is not akin to listening, I heardI hear, do I also listen to the talking bird?One day is spent as another, only free nowFrom the monotonous repeat, tell me how… Give me a canvass that is as white as snowPut in some colours, pictures that reveal, showThe way to a heart is through words…

  • Go For It

    Go for it

  • Muse: When You Smile

    It’s past 6 AM, and I’m up musing about love. I woke up writing a love poem. Love makes us do crazy things, right? Most of my love messages transcend a person, it’s my passion for humanity, for life and hope. February is marked to celebrate love. Expect more love musings! Good morning. Muse: When…

  • Soar

    Fly happy Soar higher Free as air

  • Valentine’s Day Quote

    The best thing to hold onto in life is each other – Audrey Hepburn

  • Some Facts About Africa

    1. Modern humans are believed to have originated in Botswana, within the past 200, 000 years ago, solidifying the “Out of Africa Theory. 2. Equatorial Guinea is Africa’s only Spanish speaking country. 3. Morocco is the most visited African country. 4. Nigeria has the richest black person in Africa, Aliko Dangote. 5. Samuel Eto’o was…