Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Life, A Walk In The Park

    Life is like a walk in the wooded green park Where strange fine flowers and plants grow, And pests; rodents, bunnies and insects abound On the roadside will be mistletoes, thorny roses, even cactuses With so many harmless weed plants sprouting all about They hurt if one touches them and won’t If one will let…

  • Haiku: Silhouettes Walk

    Grim pups howl Cold full moon Silhouettes walk

  • Muse: Love

    Love is when we stare into the eyes of each other When we smile for no reason but each others warmth It gives me pleasure to love you, masoyina And I cherish the thought of it every sunset **** Masoyina*: Hausa language for my love.

  • African Myths

    Do you know that in Africa there are so many outrageous myths and beliefs? Mind you, this is not voodoo. Myths do exist. Most times, they are used to scare or refrain children and young adults from being rude, behaving wildly or disobeying their parents or elders. So let’s define a myth to get a…

  • Last November Rains

    When it’s time for the rain to journey away, the days turn gloomy and nights cold. In a few days, the rainy season will be over. We don’t know when but the older folk says it’s almost time. Nowadays the rain falls every evening. It starts with a sudden change in the weather, like a…

  • Fresh Start

    Waking sun reminds of onsetsFor the past is kept without,So light dew may bless the moment

  • Night Poem: Setting Sun

    Favourite pastime My favourite moment of the day is sunset. The golden rays of the setting sun reveal a lot to me: better is the end of something than its beginning. Watching the sun fall yields to me how an infant my soul will remain. I don’t want to get used to it. It heals…

  • Life

    Life is like a mist Life is a precious gift, a blessing that we should never take for granted. Life is like a mist. The mist appears for a while and disappears forever. So in your thoughts, relive the moments that brought smiles to your face. Relive the hugs from the ones you love, the…

  • Muse: Dear Starry Night

    Dear starry night, Friend of the lonely shepherd Attend to these heartbeats So that the night aura be grand Play the silent music of night Chart a path for this heart Where flowery dreams sprout Sweet & memorable moments With the approaching twilight Permit these emotions to pause At the sunset golden gate Let it…

  • Onyinye (Gift)

    Keep It On Lately, I have attempted to write more about love. In doing so, I decided to take some inspiration from my old work. I visited my archive and there’s a lot of rusty but good stuff. I grin when I see my old writing and how it has changed over the past decade.…

  • She Plays

    She plays the guitar as the winds tease the treeline Twilight brings our harmonious memories Together to admire the night sky, the setting sun, But impulses of shared affection let it again rise Fresh breeze – a moment of heartfelt enthusiasms These songs took my heart along with the rhythm Dancing, I realize I fell…

  • Peace

    A tranquil evening is nature’s wayOf welcoming a weary shepherd,Sundown – his thoughtful views heralds,Memories in which trees fiercely danceAnd soft grasses wait where birds fly home

  • Come Thunder (1967) by Christopher Okigbo

    Christopher Okigbo Christopher died fighting in the Nigerian – Biafran civil war that raged through the late 1960s. Then Nigerian politics was in grave turmoil, the military was in charge and various parts of the nation harbored umbrage for the Igbo people of southern Nigeria. The Eastern region attempted to break away from the federation…

  • Chose Africa

    Africa!Land of quasa drumNature’s valid essence,The land of palm beer,Of enormous cascades Africa!Land of hills & valleysCourteous clans,A land of milk & honeyFlowing all about Africa!Land of pots & drinksA calabash of hot soupCheerful smiles & winksA merry couples night Africa!Cradle of civilization,Terrific folk & historyMother of all nationsHome to the first man My Africa!Land…

  • Night Poem: Vocal Nature

    Night Nature has a way of entertaining itself, you know. There are the nocturnal insects and birds who sing through the night, there are the whistling pines and the stubborn wind. The night can be annoying at times when buzzing insects bother sleepers, it can also let her musicals perform lullabies to weary people when…

  • Love Quote

    One of the toughest things to say is ‘I love you,’ but it’s an expression that can heal broken hearts. Love someone today.

  • Woman

    The braids on your hairTypical of an African womanBlack and natural. Well fitStraight cheekbonesMixed into hair,Like a young gazelles face.Your nose is like the fine basketWhen you breathe, it’s a wonderSame with your walk on flowers When you dance, you smile,Showing teeth, unspoiledThe teeth: white and strongPerfect fitWhen you love, it is realYou’re black and…

  • Reflection: Faces

    Faces I am worried that my village would be a changed place when I return. It’s been a while since I left and I wonder what changed. I daydreamed on the bus as it sped down the hill. Palm trees crawled past, I lost count. The clouds seem to change with each turn but the…

  • Nightfall in The Savannah

    Night falls behind the village fenceLast traces of day, shadows fadeTree lines turn grey and blackWhile the sky host a million stars Quiet evening, sound of waterHeard down the waterfalls, by the streamsideAnd from thickets bullfrogs wadeEnjoying the fresh and sweet breeze Tree branches play with the windSoft singing is heard from huts awayWhile hill…

  • Wisdom Secrets from the Ant

    If experience is the best teacher, must it be our own experience? Wise men stand out because of their willingness to learn from the experience of others. Wisdom is not a function of size, neither is it dependent on age or experience. Until one learns from one’s experience, he can’t develop wisdom. Wise men stand…

  • Art

    Art means many things to different people. For me, art is an identity. This is an image from a friend from Algeria. I asked her to let me use it as this post’s picture. Hadjer is an artistic engineer. She loves painting and dreams of establishing a studio. Art is the beautyWe see up the…

  • Morning Wind

    this early morning wind is super happy for she is wedded to the chilly climate, this green land, her people, my delighted self, one beautiful place, I will always call home

  • How Lucky

    Gratitude I love you; I want you to know. It’s easy to take things and other people for granted. Sometimes people feel entitled because someone makes an effort to please or help them. Everyone needs to know that they are valued. Telling someone how much they mean to you is not wrong. Saying ‘please and…

  • Quote on Life

    Life grows forward not backward It’s a brand new month! New beginnings are opportunities to build something great. But remember to enjoy this beautiful life you are blessed with. Have fun!

  • Summer Returns: Tale of the Wildwoods

    Upon the glades and vales of the wildwoods The Mountain stood quietly by the forest side Sniffing the sweet smell comes from fresh growing flower shrubs The happy birds come flying back home Followed by all pretty insects and the boar herd The skies are tinted with blue skirmish Sometimes it seemed it will rain,…

  • Kindness: The Lion and The Mouse

    Here is one of the oldest and best loved stories of kindness paid and repaid. From it we learn that compassion lies within the power of both the mighty and the meek. Kindness is not a feeble virtue. One day a great lion lay asleep in the sunshine. A little mouse ran across his paw…

  • Black & White

    We are one human race Tolerance I see tolerance as a powerful word that can improve the world. It’s about accepting people for who they are. Racism, nepotism, tribalism, fanaticism, and similar issues occur when we refuse to recognize that others deserve the same as we do. Teaching children that there is only one human…

  • Greens and Stones

    There’s so much beauty in the world, there’s so much pain too. Pain prevails more because man wants it so. I wrote this poem some time ago. It’s self-explanatory, so I need not talk much about it. The bottom line is that man, in his quest for wealth and power, has become an enemy to…

  • The Shepherd’s Muse

    Glad that the night brought pleasant airsThe shepherd lay to relieve the day’s stressCrickets chirp, the night is absolutely youngBut dreams come fast to a weary nomad

  • The Deaf Frog

    Frogs Can’t Fly The Deaf Frog A story was told in the land of frogs. A competition was organized, and the prize will go to the frog who gets to the top of an electric pole. ”Frogs can’t climb. How can this be? It’s impossible”, many frogs argued amongst themselves. When the whistle was blown,…

  • Night Sings

    The wind whispers a melodyThe skies whirr alongNight flies buzz in the darknessThe moon may grow to a big fellowFloating effortlessly up the night cloudLike an evening mist in a dark worldLetting all things and time vocalize,When my silly heart hum in love

  • Bright Night

    The gorgeous galaxy serenade the earthA shooting star skips singing a ballad of loveThe night is bright, filled with lovely memories

  • Hearts

    Man and Nature Indeed, man had been nature’s worst opponent. The impact of man’s activities causes a lot of harm to nature. Logging, mining, drilling, fishing, hunting, plastics, and more contribute to our polluted and darkening world. While we seek to light up our future egos, we end up darkening the possibility of sustainability. In…

  • Muse: Lovely Dream

    Love is a beautiful thing I love the dimple gracing your face, Your smile and our mild embrace I love the joy I get when you smile And the thoughts my mind derives To taste the chilli and turmeric, Tasty soup that makes me frolic! I love the airs around you, Roses, lavender – nice…

  • Thank You

    It’s been a difficult time for me. I’ve always turned to writing poems and letting things pass. But you all have been amazing. Through your likes and comments, you motivate me to keep writing, and I find myself returning to see a loving family eager to read. To all my followers turned friends, and my…

  • What Genuine Poetry Looks Like

    Don’t worry, just write… Poetry is like we humans. Each poem is one different man. So we do not expect a poem to look ‘exactly’ like another. Each has its uniqueness. It need not be lengthy or short, it must not be like Shakespeare’s work, or like Okigbo’s piece. However, a poem can come in…

  • Dusk

    Ripples crash down,Dusks full confession close,But the elements are rugged,Sand swirls,Squinting crabs,Insects fly around,Birds chirp to the stream’s current,Now the evening is gently joined with dayUp above the clouds, are starry grinsA single moment of benign intimacy

  • Love Poem: Tryst

    Breezes carry your memory; mild rosy fragrance, The wind may sing far into the quiet darkness But we wait patiently, craving for our happy tryst

  • Night Poem: Twilight Event

    there are so many stars out here, this night they quiver in this painfully cold twilight some hide behind the trees, their peace felt the clouds must occur in chains and courts but abundant stars kept eternally silent so I lay, to attend to this personal incident, to admire elegance, lovely vision – one terrific…

  • Quote on Love

    Love is not a game, it’s a beautiful gift. Even a god finds it hard to love and be wise at the same time. Aristotle.

  • Sound of Dance

    I heard the sound of shuffling feet As they moved on the dry grassland So I waited for the style for tonight Lost in the musical earth, Of grassy turns, faded sighs, A generous puff of midday wind, Trapped in a box of an eager heart

  • Night Poem: Stars Glitter

    The cold night calls Stars glow up the skies Picturing many tales Stories only told by sight, So the Shepherd feels all From his fluffy bed of wool

  • When The Rain Goes

    I Wish, I Wish Not It’s in man’s nature to wish for a thing and when it doesn’t favour him anymore, wishes it away. When it’s the rainy season, homes, roads and streets are flooded. Mosquitoes, sun flies, roaches, tsetse and other bad guys go on a rampage. Though the rain might help many people…

  • Choices

    What we do in life echoes for eternity. Maximus Choices are tender,Just like mirrors,They are a reflectionOf what is or will beSo if in or out,Be mindful of optionsIf in, maybe gaily securedIf not in, then out of mindDecisions made every dayComes knocking many years,So let it be good always.

  • Muse: Your Smile

    I’ve loved, severally… I don’t think I’ll ever get used to writing about love. I don’t think I would ever stop talking about it. Love moves the world around. Love is a force, energy, a sort of magic that many still can not define. I’ve fallen in love severally. I fell for the beautiful flowers…

  • Kindness Makes All Beautiful

    Kindness makes everything beautiful We’ve hands so that we can help others. Kindness goes ‘hand-in-hand’ with giving. Dear friends, keep this with you always: Kindness makes everything, everyone, very beautiful.

  • Good Neighbour

    Our first neighbour is our environment – the air we breathe, the food we take in and the natural things that we see around us. Daybreak is her garment She dresses with flowers, Sings with voices sweet & soft And flirts with her helpers Good neighbour, fair nature, Flirting wind, green paradise Favourite aura, great…

  • An African Lullaby

    Come closer, come hear the song I must sing this nightCome let us sit under the mango, let us enjoy the moonlight,The sweet breeze brings memories, like the quiet riversideWhich flows freely, running in peaceful haste thru the wild The cold day took her toil on our strengthBut the night fire hands us some warmthLean…

  • Sunrise Before My Eyes

    The sun rises before my eyes,Light throws her veil on earthThe breezes travel southOn their pathLetting lyrics,Within, withoutI see how lucky I amTo have this unfailing love

  • Poem: He

    Free as the wind was heWith eyes glowing wild as tanCarved on steady rocks, his path,Submitting to nature, his passion To him walls are barriers,But fearless, he frolics aboutWading through life’s tideLike a lonely cloud, wandering,Heed to nature, his precious being