Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • 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

  • The Harmattan

  • 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 The trees shuffle Enjoying the romance of the air Still, the wind smilingly, silently Sieves thru, pushing the heat And making the lovers night chill The coldness…

  • 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 come 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

  • 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…

  • Nigeria

    In the morning, the sun rises Above the horizons and cliffs And on the smiling faces on the farms The hope rises with the sun As the children roll out their bicycles To the tanned fields of the hamlet Followed by their pets, puppies and kittens A proud cloud draws a huge smile And on…

  • Musing: Loves Poetry

    Many days loneliness Kept me from the world Sometimes I feel out casted From the grip of the world From this cruel, crooked world Nothing excites my fancy But you… Dear Lord You brought poetry to me You made it my dream Now as it came to me It made my life so beautiful Putting…

  • 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…

  • A Tale of the Lakeside

    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…

  • Poetale: Story of Faith

    Once upon a time In a land separated By a peaked hill With clouds gathering On its highest tops The other side of the hill Nests the only stream Which serves all, cattle, man The villagers must then Climb the hill which was hectic A whooping half days trek To get to the stream To…

  • Viva Africa!

  • Dew

    Early in the morning, The sun stays home, Taking care of her kids, Letting the heavenly dew rest. There’s moisture on vegetation; There’s moisture on trees, There’s moisture on shrubs, On grasses and the pans. There’s moisture on my hands As I give each flower a shake. The skies are dark, Painted with different shades,…

  • Poetale: The Tortoise and The Dove

    Before I tell this poetale let me describe the nature of the Tortoises character in African cultures. The tortoise is a reptile that lives on land. In African tales the tortoise is perceived as a cunny creature that finds a way to trick others. Now in Africa we sit beneath a trees shade listening and…

  • 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

  • Musing: Loneliness

    A writer’s love is like a tree on a lonely roadside, with no one to feel or soothe away pain. When the tree waves its leaves in calm winds, it says a lot, but it is lonely. And when the stubborn storms shove it back and forth, it stands but broken inside, with one more…

  • Deceptive pursuits

  • 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

  • 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 hope, It casts its light on our faces, On our farms and our homes. We see our shadows reflected. Our African heritage comes alive, To do her best for all humankind, For all beautiful infants, For everything that gives life. This is our own, our pride. From the Eastern Horn,…