Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • The Dance

    The tree shields many things It shields the squirrels It shields the birds And all that loves to see us dance It shields you It shields me It shields the little dance we do On moonlight nights With shadows cast on the sands It shields you It shields we When all is seated on the…

  • Falling Leaves

    There are leaves falling From the skies top Swinging about in a dance Rowing silently up and down When the orange sun sets And the sad squirrels sat On tree branches looking at The strange hues painted Across the skies horizon Also the little ants watch Though a sign had come It was time to…

  • Musing: The Wind

    How cold it is tonight With very little warmth The frogs are happy outside They all had started their choir procession Singing with all croaky voices Dancing to the rhythm of it The wind blows heavily It has gripped the night And her cousin, cold Enjoys the evening ride With her ice cold fingers They…

  • Dreams from the Front

    The joy I left here with has gone It has grown wings and I knew not The direction of its flight Am terrified, I have no stories to tell anymore Each time a memory of holding your hands Comes to me, drops of tears roll down I can’t look into your face now You would…

  • A prayer for you, mums

    This is my prayer For you sweet mother I’ll sing for you And I’ll dance with you See my joy when I write for you And it’s because of you I remember those hands that held me Those hands that washed and fed me My desire in a dream Your smiles as in a golden…

  • Musing: Loneliness

    A writers love is like a tree On a lonely roadside With no one to feel Or to sooth away some pain When the tree waves The leaves about on calm winds It says a lot But it is lonely And when the stubborn storms Shove it about, to and fro It stands but broken…

  • Deceptive pursuits

    As we walk the void called life Wandering for things unknown Walking on deep darkness, Seeking much that others sought Blending into all strange hues Of hate, intolerance and wrath Understanding no religion, believing in bloodshed Fighting for some deity Maiming, killing, bombing And asking all questions why Staying hard from stepping on toes Getting…

  • The Warmth of Life

    To my love My hearts desire My heart dances when it rains But the heat, the warmth I miss The trees wave all about the land And the white sea water rush- All foaming towards the earths frontier How pretty they are, How perfectly made The network of blue clouds Passing in a solitary march…

  • Isuikwuato

    Oh land of the brave The temperate, the strong The oneness of Nature The beauty all desire Oh dear humble African land The green forests of Amaeke With those daring masquerades Prowling about town On hot sleepy days Cloudy days; rain and sun Hills, ancient and fresh Streams running thru them Giving them some life…

  • Musing: The Rains Dilemma

    Tonight it drizzles outside Quiet, solemn and calm And sitting on a bench Made of thick lumber Carved of the finest workman Under the shed of a Mahogany People rush about, here and there Papers fly up the sky And the cloud blackens, the more A scarecrow for all to see A bugle for home-retreating…

  • The Train

    I see you pant Gasping for air As you climb the heights Chuuu, you say, Chuuuuuu! I wonder how it be How you muster such courage Such strength and majesty The children are happy to see you When your long snaky body Pulls through the length of the village ‘ChuuChuuuChuuu!’ they cry Though scared, they…

  • Musing: All Things Beautiful

    Queues of tiny cute rabbits Unperturbed and playing in the corn fields Eagles watching patiently over them Neon-lit streetlights in the dark Scents of the Rose and the Marigold Calls of the Patridges across the forested waterfalls Emeralds dressed in flower-smiles Yesterday was fast snoring, again Cakes of snow; Hopes beautiful painted in artful sceneries…

  • A Run In The Rain

    Now the clouds are crying The lines of silver show off And the dark skies drain Not a sight of the moon Non of the stars either Just me and Nature The patterings bash on my head On this night, I was naked as I came The rain drops beat me In a soothing romance…

  • Church Boy

    1. The church clock-bell dings On light morning sundays Waking the hamlet, the neighborhood Solemn, pink and sunny day A reverenced time, absolute All roads lead to the Lords House Pulling strange flowers on the way As the morning sun wakes from his slumber The clouds let the airs pull us about Leading us to…

  • Our African Heritage

    The sun has risen with hopes It throws its light on our faces On our farms, and our homes And we see our shadows cast back Our African heritage comes alive To do her best for all human kind For all beautiful infants For all that gives life This is our own, our pride From…

  • The Journey

    Dreams grow Winds blow There’s a dust on me Cos I’ve been away On a journey To a land far away A journey To a land of honey An epitome of beauty A home to my raging fury I’ve been away to A land of hills Of great vast lands A land of brave warriors…

  • Musing: Aye a Pirate

    Down by the waterside I ached for a ride Then came a tiny canoe sail Rollin its small tail Mind you sailor I-the wielder of the Ockrentor The ‘craziest’ poet And can you him beat? I dream I believe He sparingly revved Life has made me a panther I a lynx do be rather He…

  • Maker of Poetry

    Now poetry had it all A way of life, dreams and fancy When we wake, it sings At bedtime it comes around In the fields, in the airs On the back of the Camels On automobiles on the streets It is on the food we eat Can you hear it pray ‘eat me?’ The fishes…

  • Under the Baobab

    Tonight we will sit under the Baobab To scratch each others back And we shall let all the children Gather about us, happily Tonight the moon shall visit us With his smiles and dimples And a tale shall be told With all sleepy eyes listening Tonight the squirrels will listen As we tell of great…

  • The Legend of Wawadomea

    Verse 1: Cannibals of the East Far out the lonely seas of the Indies Our maiden vessel sailed Hitting the strongest winds Surfing the wild oceans And at all times; bumping into the skies In this quiet piece of the ocean A strange sea of some sort Where there stays a blue sky An evenings…

  • Cold Nights

    A drop of the rain outside Another, and then a shower It is very cold here; lonely And my thoughts wander about And I wonder what goes on your beautiful mind I missed it all The cold touches my bones Shivering from all of the touch Clutching my feathery pillows It’s a perfect monster weather…

  • So Long A Dreamers Joy

    The sun gave its last smile Then went to sleep for the day Cool wooing sea breezes wash thru Sending an emissary notice To the gleefully shining stars On a night many wondered about The moon happy as he seemed Searched the beautiful glades in haste Looking for ones love –his love Once, more crickets…

  • A Tale of the Lakes: The Duck

    Once upon a quiet lake Beside a green forest Lived a Duck and her chicks All day they waddle through the waters Enjoying the serenity A day came and the Duck Brought her chicks all about her ‘Quack quack Daak’ she began ‘You have been friends With the Turtle You know the Lake More than…

  • Farewell

    Farewell to thee city It is time I move I long to stay But something else calls I wish to play But if I do, what shall I gain? The clouds are grey All is solemn But despair not I shall continue to write To paint colors To draw smiles on faces To tell tales…

  • Night rain 2

    It’s raining The clouds are dark And we are huddled together Listening to the sounds out there All is calm, all is good The cold wind Which had made the rain A companion; drives wildly Not a cricket could be heard How awful, me thinks The Whistling Pines wine outside They never been too cold…

  • Another Musing

    The air blows out there And it shoves my friend around Here, a cricket calls out mildly Thru its dark hidden caves And light moths congregate on my lamp dancing excitedly Forgetting too soon the dangers of the lamps prisoner There’s no moon tonight The clouds were usually quiet Now and again, the Wind bullies…

  • To thee Fairest

    To thee fairest of all I lay confused on this bed And why this is, I know not I stare up the ceilings To find answers to my voidness And alas; I find none Maybe, I find many selfish; Alone in this game of love But then my senses are undisturbed Though I think of…

  • Rain drums

    When there’s a dark cloud Hopes are for rain The Garden plants dance in excitement And the little ants enjoy a day off Cloudy sky to many Presents a sign of hope And when it pours, There’s joy all over the land The ground would be little good for nothing If she disallows the rain…

  • A Tale of the Trees

    Tonight, it is airy And I can hear voices I heard the Pine trees whisper To all trees, Baobabs, Oaks; and the bald Owl A tale of the nights With the Moon on guard The Wild Plums struggling to stay awake To hear the tale of the trees ‘Listen brethren, I get a tale’ The…

  • Soar with you

    If I was an Eagle I would soar up the blue skies But I won’t without thee my fairest When a lion roars It’s kin gather about it And when I behold thee my fairest My heart leaps in joy My lips dance the dance of the Pigeon And it all dawns on me That…

  • Lullaby

    I will write a poem for you tonight Close your eyes and let your head rest Lay close to me and listen to my tale Do you feel the breezes shove our hair? The Fireplace refuses to loose out on the tale There’s only one explanation of this A light rain will help strike a…

  • Poetry in the morning

    While we wait for the warmth from the sun And let our minds roam and run Now the Winds still blows Looking for his bride to woo The clouds are still sleepy And a Bumblebee buzzed pass, happy Scents from trees tops Descend upon the little mushrooms And all is happy on the sight There…

  • A Haiku: Nature’s Drum

    The way it rains now You might think the world is ending What a sound on the roof, And this is Natures drum.

  • A Muse

    Paint me in your words It’s time I lay my bones But a night is incomplete Without a pen and poem Paint me in your minds eyes Let the wishes of all sweet dreams Come lay on our bosom For the Day has gone to sleep Taking his lights with him And if I become…

  • A Tale 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…

  • Sunshine on my face

    Have you wondered why the Sun shines Letting its heat come warm us? Have it not been for this That we see the lighted day? Have you been to the Sunflower? Ask her a question or two See her dance excitedly Once you whisper her brides name Do you think there’s life in the deserts?…

  • Anne Frank

    Originally posted on Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places: See how the blue skies smile Watch the Sun fall beneath the cliff Greet Le Chambon when you pass by Thank all for their humanity, corn and beef I wonder why the Vegetations are green And all beautiful beans are green And should our hearts…

  • A Call At The Future

    Listen… The wind is surging by Over the treetops on a hill A call… The whisper in ones dream After a daring days work Hören… Dreams grow like pumpkins Sprouting and clutching …as it goes A firm step for another …and another Then a brave walk Tension minimal It’s now… the future The call at…

  • By the Lakeside

    Laying by the lakeside On a mild and quiet evening With the Tulips and Pansies waving In sweet union with the Airs And the kisses she gives the wetlands A sudden drop on the waters From the flowers that stood above the lake And the enchanting forested woodland, And the sweet smelling Rose bushes A…

  • Blood and Flags

    Remember… These words that fall from me My knees are bent in prayers Tearful, shaking lips and nostrils Caution has let hope breed in me Though these days turn sour In lands where we once played But; is hope gone for real? Media, machines and man Inseparable pairs of destruction Seems they kill more When…

  • My Sun

    Let’s pull the curtains to a side And see the rays of the Golden Sun Sieve in to greet from the wild A strong flight in a run Let me braid your hair As we watch the surging clouds I will hold your hands my dear And we shall stay were blue skies abound Let’s…

  • A Night with a Cricket

    I laid my bones to rest A quiet night, dark and solemn A wild thought swept thru me But I was to be awake Cos I heard it I heard the screech A cold one, not far from me I listened Nothing else A neighbors cough at the next flat bothered it It stayed for…

  • Beautiful Dreams

    Night has finally come Time to count the stars To smile on our spare shoulders This airy night A bed dressed of roses A spark off the black skies A feeling breezed down from above Tonight is really rossy A cold one A blessed one A good nights dream Study Questions. 1. Explain the last…

  • A Tale of the Wild Seas 1: Greece

    Twenty and some months I laid on this white Sands of timeless times; a work of the tireless Tide A replica of the burnt downtrodden Arena of the Gladiators stand The home of a thousand sea creatures A scenario of reverend sweet breezes And calmly folded waters rolling in unison A stubborn mud stuck to…

  • Snowy Xmas

    The snow falls silently Another leaf falls All is white And all is white! The icy wind blows lazily Squirrels huddle together Outside it’s all cold And it’s very cold! And then… The jingle We lived with It’s gift-ful Santa So take a wish And watch him give a nod.

  • Dawn

    Wed, 2 May, 2012 Destiny is a flower A hope unseen Weldin’ up in strength Nev’r to return to its bud. It’s a snail train Pilotin’ thru a rocky terrain On a journ’y of faith A journ’y of the unknown. It’s our tomorrow An expected smile Of persevered tears And a prayerful hug

  • Was I Part of This?

    A dark night had come Cold dry winds; brave, calm Hard thought of the day As I lay my sense to stray My soul has sought far and wild Soft words broken and soothing Bold with strong- steeled grasp When deep down, ladened joy abide And to me a Dream lay in secret Two heavy…

  • A night rain

    Oh it rains again The clouds stomach rumbles This quiet evening of soft breezes Strong bashing up the pan At least the pan has found a companion tonight And up these village hills I can hear the swooshing trees Pray for some mercy When will the pan drummers ever stop? And the happy frog choir?…

  • Let Them Hear

    Let them hear… From the hills of Isuikwuato My sleepy hilly land From my new’est bride Uyo To the ancient muds of Enugu From Makurdi’s Benue river beach To those peaked crags of Jos Let them hear… As I dream of the undying Lights of the Lagoon city The snake lanes of Abuja Cockcroachin’ thru…

  • 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…