Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Ferns

    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…

  • Come this thunder, 1967

    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…

  • Two Poems of Oke’ Iroegbu, The Apple and The Summer

    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…

  • The Waterside

    …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…

  • A beautiful morning

    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…

  • The Crow and The Rabbit

    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…

  • Crystals of Water

    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…

  • The Lone Wolf

    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…

  • To Love…

    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…

  • Musing

    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

  • A Lovers Tale

    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…

  • Quiet nights

    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…

  • The Rising Sun

    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…

  • The Rat and the Bat

    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…

  • Masquerades

    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…

  • Musing: Chinyere Duroha

    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…

  • Start new, 2016

    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…

  • A Muse: Arise, my Sunshine

    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…

  • The rivulet, Oko’pia

    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…

  • The Butterfly

    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…

  • Choosing a school

    Choosing a school can be hectic and stressful. Often, prospective students make poor decisions when selecting a school. Some base their choices on family influence or peer pressure, but the fact is, you are the one who will attend the school, not your parents or friends. It’s important to research a school you’re interested in…

  • Take me there

    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…

  • Your Smiles

    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

  • A Psalm : Hide me in Your Shadow

    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…

  • Hold my hands

    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…

  • Christmas

    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…

  • Festive Season

    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…

  • Yehobhah, God of Invincibility

    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…

  • Aba, The Enyimba City

    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…

  • Let us dance

    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…

  • Be there for you

    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…

  • By the Window side on the Harmattan

    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…

  • God is Reading

    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…

  • Musing: Longing for thee

    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…

  • When the Sky Fall

    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…

  • The sunset

    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…

  • Airy Night

    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

  • The Leopard Man

    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…

  • Umudinja

    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…

  • Worthy Is The Lamb

    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

  • Musing: Besides the Waterfall

    I stand before the rocks On the edge were waters fall Through the block were ferns grow And the white crystals drop solemnly And I call out to thee Hear me, dear mother Nature Though I am confused and shy I come to ask of thee something All about me, I fear greatly I fear…

  • Natures Fury

    Even as your shadow fall upon me But in the midst of the grim darkness I see a ray of light, I see hope You summon the wind with your mind Scattering the tree leaves all about You drive the wild cattle away from the field As the clouds separate the blue from the white…

  • My Lover

    The wind let my ship rock But you commandeered my heart My sails are up in the sky The flag of love flies desperately Now you lay beside my weak bones Cuddling me, through my shyness We whisper and talk slowly While the woods sigh in the chimney In the waking morning You are my…

  • Fantasy: “I Am”

    I am a mist Covering the green woods In the early hours of the morning Descending upon the streets a mirage I am a shadow Hiding in the quiet streets Following lights wherever it goes Swerving about in the lights flicker I am a rainmaker One who invokes the rain One who calls upon the…

  • Musing: Sun Rising in Africa

    When the sun rises upon the quiet hamlet There is joy, there are smiles and laughter The curtains are thrown open for light The golden rays of the sun swing in Hopes are high, answers to prayers come The children roll out their bicycles As their dogs follow them, fast The little ones stay behind,…

  • A short Psalm

    When I found Your light amidst the darkness, it made my life so beautiful Up the mountains, down the valleys, in the hamlets and in towns The nights bring her blanket upon me, making my heart faint The cold feast upon my flesh, making me shiver and cry out But Your Providence surpasses all my…

  • A tale: The Boar and The Tortoise

    Once in a land far, far away… The Tortoise and the Boar made friends. There friendship was known all over the land. The two families were very close. One day the Tortoise asked the Boar to lend him some money. Out of the old friendship which existed between the two families, the Boar lent out…

  • Kpe’re in the Harmattan

    Now real love feels like Standing on a rocky land Surrounded by bamboo trees On a very hot sunny day By the side of a flowing stream Filled with children playing In the coldness of the waters And watching the hovering hawks Circle the area like a scout As each burst of Heavenly air Shakes…

  • Flowers from the front

    Dear, I found a flower on a dirt patch This morning, as the sun rose It looked a little sickly It’s redness almost lost And it shivered on the morning breeze It told me about the dying world And I had pity on it The world is dying dear Man and machines are helping her…

  • Umukwu: In Cold Mornings