Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Despair not

    Cry not pretty child There is no greater slavery Than self rejection and pity If the world had repainted The landscape unfavorably Do not yield, life is more To this, the living soul Perseveres, in knowing Of the short time of life Nothing on this earth, Your golden tears worth When all falls off the…

  • ::Little Woobly Weebly Froggie Dance::

    Oh little wiggly woobly weebly Froggie Dancey on a longey quiet bluey lake ‘Wob wob’ it shrieked on a mild evenings air calling the Natures big and small To a short lively weebly woobly dance… Pic provided by Mary Grace M. Salomes I decided to write a short piece for children. My friend, Mary from…

  • A Tale of Fantasia

    There’s a land far far away Somewhere any good traveller can reach A strong march thru fields of green and yellow wheat Which on it hides, flesh eating Ostriches And undisturbed monitors fighting to get a bite of flesh A sky that changes apparitions when stirred Across the long deep oceans With sea monsters, cucumbers…

  • Look into my eyes

    Look into my eyes See how special you are Feel my heart jump with joy And that is cos you are here With me, and the setting sun See the sun set She laughs, and throws a kiss Waving a goodbye, saying Say your mind little fella But here I stand, speechless Shy, afraid and…

  • The Stream, Kpere

    Then I heard your drift, Flowing through the forest Washing men’s nakedness… When there was love When on the stream side I sit Trying to peer thru the tall shrubs I saw the white clouds Clear as the sweet spring water Leaping in joyful haste, In boundless ecstasy Washing the little rocks Pulling pebbles along…

  • Reincarnated

    This piece does not make me a believer of mysticism. It is just a thought I had seeing the strings of events that played thru my life for the past year.

  • A Windy Tale

    There are nights that the world stays calm Quiet, silent not even a time of wink or snare A time, poets stay alone in thought Wondering what others see as absurd Unnecessary, awful and undeserved The lines read in the mind Draws a quieter person Turns the mind to a great arena, A giant field…

  • A run in the rain

    The clouds are crying The lines of silver Wash off the dark clouds There was no moon today No stars either Just I and nature The pattering bash on my head On this night I was naked as I came The raindrops beat me In a soothing understanding The colds ate into my flesh Grasping…

  • A bright morning in December

    Wake up Walk up to the window side Watch the golden sun rise Majestically from the East Feel the morning airs Swooshing thru the yellow fields Feel the heat of mother Nature The warmth that gives life Look around, look out for the birds Migrating and home comers It is bright morning It’s a nice…

  • The Moons Tale

    Tonight we sit under the moons light She gave her torch for all to see From dark houses, or from the seats Beneath the huge trees in the hamlet The moons light always came with soft airs Mild, enticing, strangely something Divine Then the noises of children playing Rent the air, yelling, wailing infants The…

  • Who I love

    Oh I am in love Your grapes gave me wine Your love gave me life It is at your table I dine I stand at the foot of a hill Watching the setting sun Near the busy oil palm mill I see women, their quarry burn The road to the stream Are littered with fallen…

  • The Messenger

    Kokookoroko kokorokoro A greeting called from afar The children ran out excited As if the message was for them But then who knows? Heads up, listen attentively Komkom korookom Another beat rang out Pushing the mild hit Into the ears of even the heaviest village sleeper ‘Oh how cute, it is one of the Kings…

  • Musing: Strange Loneliness

    One creaky windy night, By the house near the riverside Stood a tree, solemn and queer Standing like a sword wielding knight Posing to take a decisive blow Bending on strange parts, different The branches full of green algae, Stood like the muscles of Hercules And its rough body smeared with sap Patches of a…

  • Back from traveling

    All the while I sat on a bus My mind was already with you Dreaming all I could see When I arrive to your embrace Oh beautiful tree Standing solemnly outside By my room window Waving her green leaves When the Night comes with her breeze Making melody for me Singing a cool lullaby But…

  • Help me get there!

    Dear poetry friend and family. I was shortlisted for a poetry contest in Nigeria. I seek your support and help by reading, voting(by sharing the poem on your Fbk or twitter) and asking your friends to share the poem. I need to make this poetic breakthrough, I need your support. Thanks and God bless you.…

  • A Lonely Dream

    There’s a star Out’here Lookin’ lonely and hapless It looked even more prettier alone I saw it from the bed When I pushed the curtain to a side Tis cold and moonless night It was shiverin’ Or maybe I thought it was Just under my bed I heard a cricket shriek Maybe he was mad…

  • A tale of the Wind

    The stars are glittering this evening Showing their white shining teeth Baring the light that twinkle once upon a minute The window curtains dance to the tune Played by the passing romantic air The wind plays a calm flute, a lyric Which the whole clan hears and listens The forest dwellers, the hamlet and town…

  • Tonights Wishes

    How light I feel tonight I have been fighting myself Asking rhetorics, muttering about Where things got wrong Muddled even to believe That our love is no more Praying silently, lips moving With teary eyes I stood Peering at a lonely partridge Plucking the seeds of a tree The love I had for you The…

  • Cold Harmattan

    If there comes a knock on the door Don’t be in a hurry to answer For there goes a strong wind Rushing about the dry cloud A very strange bust of air Roaming the streets, the fields Pulling leaves, and sand along Dancing on the pathway leading to the hamlet Painting faces with all white…

  • The Seeker

    I see a golden ray Giving light from afar Up the lonely road Near the cliffs edge Where the leaves fall in circles Caring about nothing As they fall, happily And the skies not to be seen But a sieve of the suns light Falling thru the waving trees Now and then, The rodents of…

  • The way

    Love stands watching, With eyes deep red Tears running down As a stream on a slope Wetting the land on its rush A clear spring water But then no one to drink For men thirst not again There’s a land full of sorrow Strife, hunger, riot and war The world knows no peace We hate…

  • Musing: my mood

    The love I have I can’t really tell The wind blows The trees dance The flicker of hope Dwelling in me hops In my heart, lives joy Seeing the clouds white And the sun shine Hearing from the Egrets And the mooing cattle Sitting amidst my street kids Playing soccer in the fields And waking…

  • Musing: Dear Diary

    Dear diary, This cold morning I sit on my bed Near the glass window Staring sleepily up, at the fan Though the fan stood still I do not understand why I stare The dry air had come It had sucked up, all moisture All the liquid here I stare up, aye Cos I am deep…

  • Musing: my Poetry

    Strange if we may ask Have you ever fallen in love, To see the beauty in what you do? The light in my heart Comes from painting poetry The Lord had given me this And I shall not let go Oh poetry my dearest My very heart throb The smiles you bring to me, I…

  • Ovim, my homeland

    To Thee My homeland My mothers birthplace The land of the brave Ovim- land of strength What baffles me most, Through this bewildered mind The uncertainty of what Must be thought and said Is the serenity about thee I speak of you with pride With love, with joy Thee Ovim, my Father land A beauty…

  • The Harmattan

    In the morning before tea With natures best company, Trees, shrubs and rodents The warm air sifts about Like the whistling Nightingale Singing to the red Rose Now, the doors of the tent Must be opened for the airs Which comes with dried lips Which the kids lick all day Faces crack, voices deepen more…

  • The River Niger

    Have you seen the snake river That flows about the Savannah? The sun rays falls on it, And the whiteness woos the eyes The hippos and crocs love it The river pythons dwell about it A beckoning waterfall up the rocks And Mother Nature sings loudly, Always as she washes her garments On the clean…

  • Sweet breezes

    Oh there are sweet breezes Come from the ocean And drawn by the wind about All over the little hamlet When the nights come The skies become gloomy And the trees shuffle Enjoying the romance of the air But the wind smilingly, silently Sieves thru, pushing the heat And making the lovers night chill The…

  • Shift from Professionalism to Creativity

    Why do musicians, actors and comedians earn more than medical doctors, bankers, accountants and the rest of them professionals? Sometimes, what an active musician earns in a month is much greater than what an average doctor earns in a year! Even, they count in hard currency, I mean the entertainers. Why is this so? Will…

  • Musing

    When you sing, it seemed you were crying The darks corner stays A quiet night, one of singing Let the warmth of the song light my ways The hot sun of these times The winds of the blessed clouds The Harmattan with her garments All driving about in her chariots When you wake the next…

  • Musing: Dear Diary

    The goodness of the Earth Lives only on the airs The primates up the swooshing trees Know it, they love it The goodness in man, woman Is all about efforts to be sincere Honesty, even at gunpoint An attitude void of selflessness The love of having an friend Of having a warmth in others heart…

  • The baby in you

    There’s much to a baby Not just the red crying face Nor the heart warming smiles And the little grasping fingers The innocence, the looks Different, distinguished to man Unknown to mother or father See the hairs Curly and black Dancing about All the time, The wind blows And leaves fall from the sky The…

  • Leaving home

    I stand afar, With tearful eyes I think I saw you waving Up, up the grassy path Leading to the hills, you stood Perhaps smiling and nodding The setting sun on your back The heavy luggage hanging And all was just black Maybe, I knew not the pains That comes with leaving home The unshed…

  • Oh Africa

    Oh Africa my love The land of many tongues Beautiful and blessed The land of the Ashanti, the Twi The sweet songs of the Zulu The many dialects of the Niger area The turbaned face saying ‘Sannu’ The pretty faces of maidens all around Dancing with the beats of the drum Giggling and letting their…

  • The Lion sleeps

    The nights are strange No growls, no grunting The nights are cold Not for the icy wind But for noisy beasts That prowl the night The scent of grass The dews on it And wet mattresses But the nights are strange And all seem to be glad Oh the Lion sleeps For Mandela

  • Tears of Children

    The tears we shed, Now I have no more tears The world watch all die And really nobody cares The world is torn apart The little place we lived destroyed We have just our skin to save O the cries we shed The pain we see The humiliation of people The destruction of farms Of…

  • Musing: I was scared

    Oh I was scared, All the time I got into trouble And a memory of dads slap And all ministering birds taking flight! I was scared on the mirror That I could never belong, Yes ‘he’ is weird; an Elfy ear A grey eye and a strange look I was scared even, To walk down…

  • Lullaby: Light rains

    Tonight it showers outside Dark clouds all over the skies And a very strong wind Forcing itself thru the windows Pushing the cotton curtains away While a light rain falls Not a sound is heard But a swooshing wind And some pat-pattering Of stray raindrops Falling on the pavements outside And some, boldly on the…

  • The Rising sun

    The sun rises! Giving her warmth To all, rich and poor Throwing her light On the trees That shade little fauns The gloom is gone The clouds are blue And the birds are out Playing and surfing the air The weather is warm And the heat is on The sun rises Our crops rejoice The…

  • Musing: To Thee Fairest

    I shall listen to you Though you distract me The mirror is your pal And she like seeing your face When the days sleep And all seems to be blank In my mind and on my face Your face glow in the dark A light shining upon the night And the curves of your mouth…

  • The Legend of Wawadomea: The Blue Horizon

    The sunset drew a picture Which had lived with me For all my younger life A strange uproar heartfelt It was aye, very strange That aye, I mean I Will be amongst this lot This people forsaken kind of clan Living the life of a sea pirate Out in the weirdest part of the ocean…

  • A Dust of Locust

    Okechukwu Iroegbu A dark patch I saw from afar On a day the doors where left ajar A falling mist upon earth Greysome; a sight I loath The sun had seen much For I, never seen such Steven M Ross Sunlight still prevail Every emotion that you feel Like poetry is a bust So does…

  • Love

    Tomorrow looks faint At times we wonder What will happen next? What if the stars fall? Nature looks on, letting the rain Wash the greases off the machine The blood of blasted bodies and souls And feeds all into the rivers One wonders why infants Are destroyed, not a chance given A total future wiped…

  • The Squirrels

    A walk thru the tree forest A green serene park With trees hanging about Welcoming all, with the soft wind Playing the violin, Which hung on their branches And moving from here to there Dancing on the pathway Allowing us see the sun Thrice in a minute, Hiding all sweet creatures All my tree dwelling…

  • The Wind

    There’s coldness everywhere Up the forested hills, the wind surge Throwing up fallen tree leaves In a self heart gladdening sweep Down the hill, the hamlet wakes Pulling cardigans and all manner of rags To keep Warmth from fleeing The noises outside, of the busy wind Sweeping the village square And all the corners of…

  • A tale of the lakeside 2

    Once upon a quiet lakeside Where blue skies stay And very thick fog dwells With tall Figs hiding in them Hanging like towers There’s a riot of colors Down the valley When the sun rays fall On the forest below All turns to gold The clouds are not left behind They shine gloriously The water…

  • Heart broken

    How times fly past How love fall apart And all life goes on Left alone on the sun Dancing the steps we use to Looking up for comfort Of the heart and soul Days are fast forgotten The suns warmth all lost The green life dark And nothing makes meaning But to recall the moments…

  • Africa

    Oh Africa! The land of warriors Of Shaka the Zulu Land of great trees and waterfalls The Victoria and the Chad the Baobab and the Iroko A land of green forests With many faun and flora A goldmine, a pouting sky The wonders of Nature A setting sun in the evening Have you heard the…

  • Some Tales of the Wildwoods 2

    There’s a land behind those hills Covered in the forest A green foliage; brushes and roots All the time the Clouds are blue And the king of the Forest Do fall in love with it When the cloud blushes It rains softly; mildly And the little creatures Which live in the land Look up to…

  • Poetale: Storm

    It was evening In a little hamlet The skies were dark With all frowning grey clouds Gathering together for a talk But always when they do gather It only leads to mayhem And total disaster Because they would never agree To any discussed matter It all began with the rain Accompanied by a very strong…