Author: Oke Iroegbu

Small seed, a poor prize
Which I carried along all this while
In my forgotten pocket and in my heart
I am going to plant it someday though
And watch it grow from my window
And everytime I wake in the morning
I shall look to it as the sun rises
From my old rusty window
And I shall remember everything
That ever happened to me
The good, the bad and a memory
That must tell me how lucky
I am to make it home

When the creepy hands of darkness departs
Then comes a flush of renewed energy

***
Do you feel the sweet and virgin morning airs, fresh?
Do you love the warmth that comes with the rising sun?

The mornings signify a new life
Never tie yesterday to this new life
But stay awake to the worlds vanity
Be conscious of the worlds dying love
Of deception, lies and gross pretence

After the ice-cold winter
With dead tree silhouttes
Comes the blessed summer
With sweet ripened raspberries

The world may seem dark and hopeless
Plants die and cripple to live again
In its wake, she becomes so pretty
And nothing takes her innocent green

Let your heart remain beautiful
Let all sweet memories of goodness
Be alive in you, aye!
Make it a garden of vegetables
Drive the poisonous thorns off
Live a life, help deserving people
Read my poetry, stay beautiful!

Do not despair, nothing stays forever
Many a lessons are learnt in mistakes
The beautiful faces sag and lose it pride
The wise and foolish all one day dies
The good soul is beautiful
The face withers, it is a deception
Noth, deserves a golden burial
In the wake of something new
Let your thoughts come swiftly back
You can be you, without the departed

See the world newly
Pray and talk to God
Write your own stories
Read with smileful infants
Run after pretty butterflies
Pick fruits from the mango
Watch an ant colony
Sit under branchy trees
Stare at the moon alone
Tell a tale to the world
Paint the colors in your mind
Count the night stars
Believe in you, be cuter!
Be yourself, be better
Dream bigger, be stronger
Never be scared of loving again
Rather be a human being!

For when a tree looses a leaf
Another one grows to replace it

When Dreams come to one
Grip them with all you have got
The dews of Heaven bring them
The smiles of infants in the morning
A very cold winter blowing in might
And twittering of birds by your window
The falling red tree leaves in a park
And the blossoming of the golden wheat
The rising sun upon the white horizon
The softness and tenderness of mushrooms

God, the Father bring these to us
To all, to you, to me and these Dreams
Make all things about life beautiful

What lurks in the darkness and nights
Waiting to jump on ones neck
When no light come from the stars?

What bears a fur and Sabre tooth
And follow the silhoutte of preys
Even as one walk in the lonely park?

What stands in a dark tree plantation
Running its ferocious claws on tree barks
And howling to the new moon rising?

What strikes grave horror and terror
Running after mens heels
Trying to stand before ones face?

What wears a sinister painted mask
With forbears of evil and coldness
Trying to feed on gullible peoples minds?

Nothing fearful is actually real
But when the night and shadows are gone
Fear only, He who kills the soul and body

Now my eyes close before Thee
Grant me sweet night airs and peace
Let my slumber be quiet and undisturbed
For the long days toil made had me tired

Let Thy eyes move before me each day
To guide and show me the right way
When the moon and stars leave the night
Always let Thy presence stay before my sight

When the dark clouds come upon the clan
All grow dim, sobre and quiet
The stars are hidden from sight
But the dark cloak holds all down
The stars, the hopes and good dreams
The fireflies cast a minute light
On the stormy and windy night
The clouds bear a weird apparition
Confused at his very own face

When the days light come
The strange feelings of loneliness
Evaporates like dews upon the tree leaves
Birds wake to sing, gladly even with sweet voices
Multitudes of fluffy nightingales weigh down
The strong branches of the Teak and Gmelina
The sun rays are bright
Upon the clans stream waters
It glitters with pretty light
Hues of green, yellow and purple
Swaying dregs of falling dusts
Fall from long farm rakes
As they pull up the dried hay
The tree leaves are ever green
For the previous nights darkness
Took this beauty from mens vision
There is abundant joy and bewildment;
Astonishment come on the clans glare
The wheat fields are golden and pretty
The ears of grains waiting to be picked
Dancing happily to the beautiful day
The sun shines
The clouds blue
The birds play
On happy trees

Beautiful days are not come yet

The church bell chimes quietly in the city
But this little town is left to Pity’s mercy
The only noise heard was the airs whine
Upon the obscure paintings as the only signs
Old dirty newspapers fly about
Passing telegrams to misty ghosts
Swerving from one side of the road to another
Times decaying touch plays the asunder
The hot sun bake the half-fallen houses
Overlooking abandoned shirts and blouses
Strange smell of burnt gas filter about
Drawing no attention, for everything care not
The airs here owes it all to the dusty wind
The broken glasses are strongly dust-tinted
Then from a lonely house by the roadside
The scenery and futility of the marvellous wild
Can be seen, structures, nature and hue
Even when the beautiful skies are dark blue
There are no birds to be seen around
Fine thorny cactus grow on the sandy road
Whereas trees are long dead from the Suns heat
No water, no moisture, no liquid of any sort
The drainage pipes of households are broken
Picturing a thousand years of abandon
And the undecent airs from there sucked away
For this city though lost to the world still stay till today

When the Sun rises, she paints a warm golden color
Upon this lonely, quiet and deserted city
For the only lovely sight here is the waking Sun

Wake me up
With your tears
Of love and care
Let my consciousness comfort you

Wake me up
To plough the fields
To gather wheats
And see your smiles

Wake me up
Even when I’m strengthless
To feel the airs
Come from the mountain

Wake me up
Draw back the curtains
Let the Golden Sun
Come shining into the room

Wake me up
To tell the world
About your love
And how it changed me

Wake me up
To the falling rains
To Heavenly desires
To Gods sweet grace

Crickets are my best insects
But why? I know not
They stay under my bed
And cry out till I have an ache up my head
But what they say also I know not
Though I think they talk about broth
Wonder why little insects
Grow even beer intent
They growl, some bark
And all these come to my back
‘Stop’ I would shout
‘No way, you are talking to yourself’
I wonder if they cared if I was asleep
‘Who does he even think he is?’
They squeak behind my hearing
Not knowing my elfy ears pick all
‘Yaaay! Let’s shriek more!!!’
They stubbornly seem to say
When they seem to hear me snore
Come what happens or may
The shrieks and strange crickety talks
Come to me as disturbing lullaby

The morning sun brings joy
Now that the dark has gone
And the clan is wide awake
To begin the days routine

The clouds are bright
For the new day has come
Birds fly away over the hills
The forest trees drift about

The mists are sucked off
As the heat of the Sun shine forth
The airs are dry
The winds are flirty

The infants wanting milk wail
Dogs, cats, pigeons; pets play about
The clan is ready to work
For the day waits for no man

The morning has come
Hopes are high
The traders offload their goods
And the town is fully woken

See how you dance by the river banks
Throwing your green hands up
And swerving to and fro to the airs rhythm
With the suns warmth you waltz
Nodding to the chattering of your pals
When a strong wind comes you wave
Faltering and bowing to the winds grace
Enjoying yet the rough caressing of the airs
So firm your stem look but tender they are
The better half of the day you sit by the riverside
Listening to the talk of the wayside toad;
And his merry kinsmen
As they tell the tales of men and women
Who come to the river by the day
To wash their bodies and their clothes
The little fishes listen too to the tales
Wandering about when all is serene
Scuttling off when a shadow appears before them
But all this while, you stay nodding about
In a fix of dance and amusement

Come this thunder
When the nights glitter with explosions
The resemblance of fire-cracker carnivals
And as the rattling for supremacy
Is heard from heartless machine guns
Spewing the seeds of destruction
Upon unfortunate children and men
‘Kwaa-pu kwaa-pu kwaa-pu, unu dum!’
‘Leave here,’ the emissaries of death say
Flying limbs, headless bodies and chaos
Destruction to humanity and justice
But the world stood watching
As children turn pale, clutching
Hungrily to their protuding intestines
No salt, no salt, no salt!
Meanwhile the jets throw their bombs
Murdering defenceless people and clans
The infantry is filled with anger
Bloodthirst, frustration and revenge
And the world watched it all
It was an action packed movie

But let the fowl allow the worm be
No matter how they chose to live
For freedom is deserving to all people
Who desire it wholeheartedly

Note:
Line 8: Kwaa-pu kwaa-pu kwaa-pu, unu dum! An Onomatopoiea for the sound of heavy artillery and in Igbo meaning ‘Leave here, leave there, leave here, all of you!’

For the Biafran babies and Christopher Okigbo

Learn Igbo language here.

The Apple blossom and turn red
Before now the Pines tell her
‘You are not what we think you are’
For then she was green and young
And when the wind blew around
The forest side, she swerved about
Like a tree leave upon a branch
‘I will blossom some day, you know’
She would say and always chuckle
Blushing in grave but absolute innocency
And in deep shyness she would look away
But these Pines would always look to her
Trying to see a fault, two or more
But the Summer will ripen all
And the grapes would never be the same again

2
When Summer arrives with her smiles
And the wheat fields glitter gold
As the clouds turn blue and white
And the Suns heat wake from her slumber
Painting the Earth with awesome hues
And all about the farm, joy and gladness
Awaken warm apparitions of love
Sweet memories of nice wine tasting
And the horse rides across the beach
The camp at the bush of hares
And the gathering of sour-sops
Summer comes taking the coldness
Upon the Earth and off peoples hearts

…by the Waterside

See the waters queer like a green tea
Flowing quietly in the dry season
The haste of waters upon the rocks
As the tides airs treat the trees
And all lively nature around it
Even in the quietness of the stream
A sort of hush and joyful sigh is heard
A soft romance of mother Nature
Between the bold rocks and the waters
And the mild air and the nearby trees
Near a steep the waters fall happily
Throwing up crystals, very white
And to the setting Suns warm heat
The falling crystals throw kisses
As the birds fly away-
Heading home to their nests
When the blue clouds grow dim
And all hue leave the Earth

It is a beautiful morning
With the Golden sun rising
And my slumberness, waking
This Light comes new to me
A perfect start for a day to be
Your Love Jehovah comes to me
For You are this pretty Light I see

From behind the light curtains
The sweet blessed airs flow in
They come and my eyes has seen
The beauty of Your love and where it could be found
Glory to God, my Sovereign!

A Crow was sitting on a tree
Doing nothing all day.
A small Rabbit saw the crow,
And askd him, ‘Can I also sit like you
And do nothing all day long?’
The Crow answered: ‘Sure, why not.’
So, the Rabbit sat on the ground
Below the Crow, and rested.
All of a sudden a Fox appeared,
Jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the poetale is: To be sitting and doing
nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up…

I hear your swift surge
Like the snaky locomotive
Cockcroaching thro tunnels
And sighing along the way

See the waters clear as the sweet spring;
Leaping crystals surge forward in haste
The waters run in joy to other lands
Feeding the shorelines all this while
Pulling along the stray crab and the torn ferns
And letting the wooing breezes of the forest befall
me

Slowly tis moon surge-by
Two shades join in harmony
As the door sides creak
Allowin’ the cold airs
To filter in calmly
Blind winds blow boldly Dogs bark and whine
And the pines call
Fear knows not himself
Yet a dark cloak
Sweeps fast across the lane
Creepy and with leaps Takes cover behind the shrubs
Blood-shot eyes of fury
Lips of dried amber drops
Teeth filed straight like the Sabre
Ears dropped to navigate
And the fur; painted half dark Gross nose and a hot fume
When the dogs bark;
There is somethin’ out there
Somethin’ is walkin’
Takin’ a lonely stroll
Castin’ a scary shadow Across those empty roads

I am writing to you
Cos of the pain in my heart
The distance we created
For nothing sake

But I am pained
Though you see it not
Love hurts a lot
But it has its worth

But remember…
I will be pleased
Only when I see you smile
Only when I see your grin
And the little chuckle you do
All that brings pleasure to you
I desire to give
That’s all about loving

The dusts wane
Clouds are free of them
Birds ski up the sky
And people return home
A fresh start to begin
And that is just lifes swing

I remember when you left for the city, walking lean and tall
When at the hilltop you turned to wave me the last goodbye
I remember the tears of the little ones as they try to hold you back
When as you walk away, facing the suns light as she grew dimmer
I remember your lovely heart warming letters written to me
When I thought I saw your face on the passing blue clouds
I remember when you sold your cloths to buy me food
When even in your traversing you sent me weekly flowers
I remember the queer nights we danced under the baobab
While the airs were soft and sweet and the moon shining brightly
I remember your tenderness, your care, your trust in me
Even when you travelled the world to find my daily bread
I remember your promise to love me forever
To hold me even as I become old, weak and frail

I return my promise to love you with all my being,
With all that God Almighty has given me
And that my love for you shall never die

Quiet nights can be romantic
And when one- a poet is alone
Words of reason come to him
But stray night flies sing about
And the crickets quiz themselves
Proposing numerous theories
Asking questions and reminding
One another of the quiet day
To them the nights should be noisy
It should be one of merriment
Noise making and enjoyment
Well, quiet nights come
When the body is at rest
And no humanly noise is felt
But for stray flies and crickets

The sun rise up the clouds
Quietly she wakes from her slumber
She sucks up the mists on rooftops
And on the branches of trees
And she paints our land gold
Bringing warmth as she ascend
Revealing the wild places of the forest
And throwing her light upon the rivulet
So the waters shimmer brightly
And the leaves on trees glitter

Hail, the sun rises from the East

A rat made friends with a bat
And they always fed together
But then the bat was jealous of the rat
When the bat cooked the food
It was always very good
And the bush rat will always ask
“How is it that when you make soup
It is so tasty?”
The bat will always hide in one excuse
Finding a way to do harm to his friend
But one day the bat decided to trick the rat
So when the rat asked after the soup
The bat replied, “I always boil
Myself in the water, and my flesh
Is so sweet, that the soup is good.”
He then told the bush rat that he
Would show him how it was done;
So he got a pot of warm water,
Which he told the bush rat was
Boiling water, and jumped into it,
And shortly afterwards came out again
When the soup was brought
It was as sweet and good as usual
As the bat had prepared it beforehand
The bush rat then went home and
Told his wife that he was going to
Make good soup like the bat’s
He therefore told her to boil some water
Which she did hurriedly
Then, when his wife was not looking
He jumped into the pot, and was very soon dead. When his wife looked into the pot
And saw the dead body of her
Husband boiling she was very
Angry and reported the matter to the king
Who gave orders that the bat should be caught
And made a prisoner for misleading the rat
Every one turned out to catch the bat
But as he expected trouble
He flew away into the bush and hid himself
All day long the people tried to catch him
So he had to change his habits,
And only came out to feed when it was dark
Perhaps that is why you
Never see a bat in the daytime.

Strings of flax fall from your stress
Hides carved from animal skin
And strange cloth embellish you

You swerve around like a drunk
Scaring children and younger folk
Caring for nothing but for asunder
The masks on you remind of the hyena
Your whip dragging behind you as you walk
As you seek peoples’ doors to knock
The dogs are scared of your appearance
For they cant stop your uninvited attendance
At homes, mothers yell for their kids
But you only care for your needs

Learn the Igbo language here.

Now palm beer is brought before you
And some lobes of finest of kola nut
For appeasing of the spirits which are come
Unto men from the ancient hills and caves
Let the kettle see the pot as a friend
And not as a foe for they two are black
Let the Eagle perch and the Kite as well
None should forbid the other from perching
Now have the fill of your beer
For your next bus stop
The wine might not be as good as this

I heard you fought near Libya
And other parts of North Africa
The stories told of your bravery
And as I watch your old pictures
As you pose with a rifle in the front
I wonder, I ponder
Will I ever grow your courage?
I was told about your exploits
About how you beat up a racist
The promotion that followed afterward
And the stories of bunker fights

I heard that you hunt in the forests
When men stay asleep and the day is gone
And the moon is gone far away from home
That you killed pythons and wild cattle
And that you hold many titles in the clan
I wonder, I ponder
When such strength I shall grow?
Heard about your ways with the wild
How you study the fish and the bird
Your traps that caught antelopes
And the wild and crafty porcupines

I heard that you farm virgin lands
That you love your people and life
And you also love your tradition
That you plant the king of foods
And you give to the needy and poor
I wonder, I ponder
If I could be this, I appreciate
I heard of your large yam barns
Of the gardens of fresh vegetables
I heard of your discipline and love
For your family and for my mother

Now they call me a reincarnate
But how true are these they say of me,
Am I such or should I wait to see?

For Chinyere Duroha
World War 2 Veteran and my grandfather

Seeing this fresh new year
Reminds of how dear
We are to God, Almighty
From the jungles of East Africa
To the snowy lands of Canada
Arise, be blessed, be lifted!
From the sands of Arabia
To the icy terrains of Russia
Let joy be-filled in your dealings
And from the cold nights to come
Even as the suns scorch come
Do not falter, for all is new
Let hope arise as the sun wakes
Carry on, be glad for life’s sake
You saw the start of something great
And at the end
We all acknowledge the Lords deed
For His power alone kept us
Let your voices sing, “we made it” thank God!
For all this while, He has made all new and blessed”

Now this piece I dedicate to you all my readers and followers, without you writing would make little sense to me. I can’t mention all the names but I want you all to know I appreciate. Let us share information; help each other with writing opportunities and contest notifications and fly higher this year.

It is New Year! And as they say New Year, New Life and New Resolution. I strongly encourage everyone to be diligent, to be good, to live in peace with fellow men and in all to work harder. It never late to start something new. Never fear to fall, for in falling you discover a new way of doing something. Have the courage to dare, to try and to dream. The future belongs to us all. Happy new and blessed 2016 to you all.

Oke- Iroegbu
1.1.2016

Goodmorning my sunshine
Should I let the curtains open
To let the suns warmth reach us?

See the sun rise fast above the clouds
From the silhouettes of caves she rises
Showing herself in between two cliffs
Painting the grey land gold;
There is smell of burning grass
Come from farms awaiting the suns heat
And there are calls of flight birds
Joined by wailing infants in the hamlet
The heat scorch their skin

Alas, arise my sunshine
Let me see your pretty face smile
Upon the golden fleece from the sun
Let me behold your beauty made in Heaven
Let me stare at your cute dark eyes
For the nights strife and cold is gone
And this morning, all new things begin
Starting from the pretty smile on your face

You stay far away
And you beckon to us

From the quiet hamlets, we hear you call
Messages passing through the forest rumbling stomach
To the white clouds garnished by the sunshine
And the tree pathways, leading to you
We sit on your banks, telling stories of the wild
You let the trees surrounding us blow us kisses
The children pick palm nuts and small rocks
And they try to crack the nuts to have the seeds
The sands on your banks provide our feet
With warmth and resounding comfort
And when we step into you; sweet and cold
But all this while, your waters flow in haste
To other lands, they rush to feed!
Now and then a stray fish shows up
Throwing up bubbles to the surface
And avoiding the current surge in moves defined
As leaves fall each time the trees are kissed
The cool breezes sent only by the wind

The trees cover the pathways leading to you
The sunshine tries to break through
But to no avail. only sun streaks could
And from up there Hawks whine as they fly
The pathways are lonely, save from rodents
And stray reptiles that seek the sun’s heat
Now and then, a fruit falls ‘plum!’
Into the quietness of your current
And the little fishes scatter in confusion
But the crabs stay careless and unperturbed

Now, you call unto me dear stream
And when we walk through the pathways to you
It all comes to us, your comfort and taste-quenching waters
And how much we miss your warmness
When we all leave the hamlet to settle in towns

I beckon to you now as you do always to me
Tell me what I have missed all this while
Let your waters wash me, let me be free
And let once more, your waters flow through my sight

There was this little yellow butterfly
Fluffy, gracious and hovering all about me
She seemed to be searching for my legs
Though shy she seemed, she kept flight
And at a point she came down to the floor
Flapping her little wings calm but swift
I watched her, trying to understand her gesture
With my hands moving slowly to her I went
And in few seconds, I was very close to her
She let me touch her yellow wings
And what a feeling I had!
Touching this pretty, small and gracious creature

Choosing a school can be hectic and stressful. Most times, selections are made wrongly by prospective candidates. Some make choices based on family influences or peer pressure, the fact is your the one who is going to school, not your parents or friends. It is important to make proper investigation on a school you would like to attend, visiting the school is highly recommended and also checking out the faculty and department is necessary. When I was ready to further my ed from the State Polytechnic, I visited four universities; FUTO, Uniport, MOUAU and Uniuyo. It was at the later that I pitched my tent. Several factors contributed to my choosing this school, one being the proximity of the school to my state. I am not the type that stay away too long from the family. Another reason was the opportunities the school and location had to offer. The school is a Federal institution translating to lower tuition costs. I fancy social resources such as the Schools Radio station, sport facilities and overall the serenity. Also, the school is versatile and many students from different states call there home.

I can summarily say that to chose a school that is best fit for you, one should consider the location and environment, the available resources (technological, scholastical etc) and opportunities, dynamism and the learning facilities and culture and tuition cost. Also, if you come from a middle or low income background, chosing a school closer to your place of residence is prudent. Atleast you wont spend much on transportation. Now some of the dont’s about chosing a school include the following
1. Dont choose a school because your friend(s) are
there. You will end up being a number.
2. Dont chose a school out of sentiments, like the
school is located in your state or city or your dad is the Vice Chancellor.
3. Dont chose a school that is known for much violence and educational inefficiency.
4. Dont chose a school located in a difficult terrain. Do you stay a day or more travelling to your school? What risks are one exposed to in such undertaking?
Those and more should be the guiding rules in chosing a school.

Take me to a place where the sun shines
Where flowers blossom in the summertime
And the yellow wheat fields stay in quietness
Even as bees and beetles buzz about the trees
And butterflies hover about in sweet abandon

Take me to a place where the airs are mild
In the mornings after a stormy night
As the Marigold and Rose give their scent
And the patter-pattering of the rain drops
Falling on the rooftops gives a lullaby

Take me to a place where the rain falls
Where pools of water grow about
And the sweet spring water leap joyfully
As the grey fishes swim about carelessly
And tree leaves fall in circles solemnly

Take me to the gates of Heaven
To the city made of gold and diamonds
And where women laugh as they dance
With bowls of almond cakes, wine, bacon
And cheese design the table for dinner

Take me to that place
Where my eyes will see
The beauty that Your love can provide

Your smiles are awesome
They make me speechless
And when the day is spent
Upon my face, the stress
With your smiles and scent
Thoughts of you are heart warming
You are sweet and hug deserving

Hide me in your Shadow Lord
Let me be invincible to the worlds strife
In the vales were dry bones lay
And up hill were the skies touch the Earth
Let me stand blameless before You
I have fallen for I am just human
Weak, frail and vain, but You perfects all this
Now I stand before You, dear Lord
Asking for You alone and all You are
Leave me not behind
But in Your invincibility let me hide

Hold my hands
Let’s take this stroll together
Let’s grow older together
Your smiles light my world
I am lost to endless wonder

Hold my hands
Let’s take this walk together
Let’s smile at each other
Let’s walk beneath the tree shed
In a dry and airy evening of December

Hold my hands
Let’s forget the days heat and toil
Let’s us play in the brown soil
Sit and watch the fine golden sun set
And let not anything our happiness foil

Hold my hands
Let’s sit hurdled together
Even as we grow older
And when the day fails and darkness deepens
Let our love find the courage to stay bolder

How happy the day ended
And now the stars glitter in the night
With laughters of joy resounding about
While up the hills, the grass burn
How joyful the hugs and smiles are
From loved ones and friends
And the entire acquiantance made
As celebrations and festivities abound

Now the birth of our Lord, Christ
Is the reason for the season
For the joy and laughter
And celebration come
Let the peace of the Lord
Dwell and bless you all

In the mornings and evening
And as the sun rises each day
Comes the joy of the festive season
On the roadsides the dry grasses lay
Waiting to be gathered and burned
So the flames can dance happily
To meet the sky, his sweet bride
And the fest ends as the soot falls solemnly
But then the kids play soccer in the fields
The dusts of the Harmattan sift about
Noise of home coming is heard all around
The hot day drives all crazy; man, monkeys and moth
As the sun prepares to set
The horizon turns gold
As the clouds move up the firmaments
And as women gather wood
For the coming darkness
Such as then, a happy extended family gathering
Sitting around the fireplace
With the queer scent of burnt grasses smelling

Oh Lord of all life
The one with the power of invincibility
He who made the Universe and all in it
With mere words of mouth
The pillars of the Earth stand erected!
He rides the thunder storm in the dark
And like the passing of grey clouds
The Sun rises on His command
The day sleeps when He wills
All life praise His Holy name!

The Scots call Him Yehobhah
Upon the stony hills on the sea side
His majesty’s power is felt
And up the skies the Eagles
Show the extent of His glory

Jehovah is invincible
He is adorable
And my God He is!

See the roofs on houses, dust cladded
And the palm trees stuck to the ground
Like a majestic knight standing guard
The streets wind up the road

Ogbor sits on a hill up the vale
The ancient city and fortress
Once on the river flowing fast
Washing strange mens nakedness

The harmattan brings dusts upon all
The skies are blue most times
Highways are full with cars that whine
But upon the gross confusion men dine

Women trade in the markets
Some men drink heavy stout
Always, people traverse about
But in the evening, the lights go out

Ariaria sits where the city allowed it
The noisy and busy Ngwa town
Wakes with the rising sun
And today a tale must be written

Commentary:
I was raised in this Eastern Nigeria city. The owners of the land are the Ngwa, a sub unit of the Igbo tribe. Also known as the Enyimba city, and harbors the Enyimba Intl FC of Nigeria. Aba is predominantly a commercial center and many markets and industries are situated there.

Let us dance while the moon shine
As we swerve about together
To see the stars as they glitter

Let us dance under the baobab
Besides the termites castle
And the grazing field for the cattle

When we dance under the baobab
And the moon light up the cloud is bright
All beautiful memories come alive in the night

Now let the wind flow about us
And let the kids gather for a tale
For such nights as this are rare

When love is taken to the moon
And for many, numerous reasons
The lines of your teary eyes
Grow dim as your love deepen
Your hug drives me crazy
It transforms my view of the world
A dance of the flickering flight
On the black eyes that watch my lips
As you peer into my sleepy eyes
Allowing your flow of love come

I’ll be there always for you
In the sunshine and the rain
And in lights out and sun rising

Once by the window side
One can see the greenfields
The tulips and the sweet smelling Rose
And the little spider crawling about in her net
The golden sun shines forth
Bringing her warmth through the window
And the birds twitter on the tree
Which live near the windowside
Sometimes squirrels come bounding in
Throwing their pack of nuts into the room

But when the dusts of Harmattan came
And the tree leaves turn brown
And the grasses grow not again
No one looked through the window…
For it all became dark and filled with soot

Now write of the falling leaves
From tree tops and heights
As they fall in solemn circles
And as the wind rock them about

Write about the mountains and hills
About the hollow sound made
When the birds hover over them
Painting silhouettes upon the ground

Write about the trees
And their sweet awesomeness
The pleasure and fruits they bear
The warmth they provide for men

Write about Natures innocence
Of the blue skies and light rain
Of the horse and her shyness
And the love that comes from above

Write about golden fields of wheat
In the summer time and of winter
And heal the world with the pen
For God is always reading

My soul longs for thee, dear motherland
To run the dusty red muds
And to swim in the rivers all over you
To climb the trees of your forests
And wallow on the shallow streams
My soul longs to nibble the tender pumpkin seeds
Freshly cut from the farms
To dance with warriors, home with wild beasts
Painted with fearful, scary colors of chalk
My soul longs to belong to this hunting party
Scouting the green forest, sniffing the hare
My soul longs to sit with the elders of the clan
And to hear the wisdom that comes from them
And to eat the round, reddish bitter kolanut
My soul longs to listen to tales from my aunts and granny
From the hamlet’s tale-teller and visiting messengers
My soul longs to see the appearance of the full moon
And as she lights the town center with her brightness

My soul longs for the long quiet, sunny day
In a tranquil hamlet, save from bird calls
And the swooshing of tall trees in the morning wind
With the Harmattan blowing away all my troubles
My soul longs to hear the winds speak
To make rainfall and drive the cattle away
To calm a horse and feed the chicken

My soul longs to see the wild
To ride through the field of Baobabs
And to drink the juice brewed by locals
To travel on a safari to East Africa
And dine with the Masai, to fright the Lions

Learn the Igbo language and culture here.

My soul seeks to love you, my beautiful one
To pick ripe tomatoes from the fields with you
And to hide in fields of corn or wheat
In the morning of a quiet summertime
To dance with you, in the quiet evening
To teach you all that poetry can be
And also to learn about the ants together

My soul longs to hold you tightly, little ones
To see beautiful smiles on your face always
To love you always my motherland
And to reverence His Majesty, Jehovah, my God

Will you look upon this weary face
When it all ends some coming day
–
When the volcanoes erupt
And the sky fall
Or will this face be saddened
With sudden human twist of betrayal?

Will there be your shoulder to lean on
Will there be your care and pats,
When tears cloud the blue eyes
And bomb blasts destroy all?

When the nights are cold and lonely
And we sit broken and hungry
Will there be a drop of water
From your dry rain-water pots?

Now we are young, but age comes
Will you keep your promise
Of loving, when my eyes grow old,
And as the candle lights go out?

Will you look upon my weary face
When it all ends some coming day?

The sun set slowly
The grey dusts of time
Sink as the dark come
As the birds fly away

The winds become softer
It lets the moons sign
Come upon the clouds as a print
The smell of burning grass rent the air

The golden color of the wheat
Which stays when the sun shine
Turn grey as the day travel
The sights of men become dim

The clouds are quiet
The moist descend also
Evenings are solemn
As the airs go fresh

The evening is cold
The airs are mild
It blows very sweet
Into the eyes of all
Burnt ashes fly about
Even as the evening is dull
And people lay yawning
The wind continue to blow

Once, deep in the heart of the hamlet
A terror strikes in the dead of the night
Tears, blood trails, and fresh paw marks

After the moonlight comes a deep roar
From the forests that live with the hamlet
A terror descends upon the quietness
Two small balls of light ravage the village
In the pitch darkness of a moonless night
Scaling the thatch fencing and in a “Maah!”
Giant goats and cattle get missing
The dogs bark angrily and fearfully
They can only bark; the beast believed
A snarl and the dog park scatter out
And in the morning people go about
Counting the loss and growing goose pimples
And staring at the disturbed garden plants
At the back yards of unfortunate victims
The children hide behind their parents
Trying to fit their foot to the paw marks
The dogs sit like bewitched hounds
Staring at the mess the visitor brought

Back in the deepest forests of forests
The deadly beast of the night stalks
Under the bushes that are made dark
By the trees that shield the forest
Waiting for instruction, a guide
The evil that men learn, strange cruelty
The spirits of men transferred to a beast
And in such grim circumstance,
There is no mercy, no pity
There is no fear of man or attitude
For once, the spirit of a man
Is transferred to a beast
Havoc unknown to time is born

Commentary
It has been known that in ancient times, some people are capable of turning to wild animals like the hyena, leopard, lions, and snakes to attack or take revenge on other people. When two occultic families engage in a dispute, most times they settle with such a fight, one is turning to a wild animal to attack another. Also, these people are a cabal of “medicine men” that can conjure men’s spirits into an animal, thereby allowing the animal to act on behalf of the man. If the animal is wounded or shot, it affects the man whose spirit it carries. To read more about this, you might like to read The Bottled Leopard by Ike Chukwuemeka, a heart touching and fascinating story of a young boy whose spirit was tied to a leopard without the knowledge of their family and his pains, adventures, and ordeal in the new school he happened to be admitted to.

The poet tries to paint a picture of such an atmosphere. This poem is by no means occultic. It is purely my imagination.
Oke- Iroegbu

Tonight, reminds me of thee motherland
Thee land of great forests and men!
Of streams and vast farmlands!
The home of the Cashew and the Palm
The scenery of Mother Natures beauty
A painted work, done only by Nature herself
Great hills and vales surround thee
Oh how love flows when you are remembered
All day, the people are full of smiles
The cold nights are made warm with your memories
A land of the Pheasant and the Hyena
In the hot sun, you shine forth
And the little sun insects scamper about
Let me behold thy beautiful presence
More and more, for thee land
Is my tale and inspiration

Holy is the Lord
The mighty One of valor
He rules over all the Earth
He commands all nature
And holds the Heavens
With pillars we see not
He is seated upon the throne
In the heaven of Heavens
Praise be to You, Jehovah!
Worthy is the lamb of God