Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • California

    Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home. California is just what I imagined. The clean streets, diverse people, and rolling hills embody nature, all set in an inspiring school environment lined with cheerful trees. Where there are trees, you can often see birds that add their melodic sounds to the view.…

  • Acts of Kindness

    What brings a tear of joy to your eye? Kindness in a world of tribulation and pain gives me hope. Recently, I’ve seen people exhibit random acts of service to others: holding doors for others, volunteering, giving your seat to the elderly, saying hi first, smiling warmly, and giving good wishes. And it warms my…

  • Poetry

    Why do you blog? This short blog post answers the prompt on why I blog… Poetry Poetry is a composition in verse or language, exhibiting conscious attention to patterns. The bolded are crucial to understanding the true nature of poems. Poetry has been in existence for centuries. As an art that survived centuries, I was…

  • I Feel Good

    How are you feeling right now? Do you remember the commercial: “Wow, I Feel Good,” followed by a jingle? That’s exactly how I feel. This feeling comes from being grateful for everything I have—good friends, loving siblings, peace of mind, joy, a bright future, and hope. The journey has been tough, but my dreams keep…

  • Reading

    What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life? One of my daily habits is reading. As a research scholar, I found it essential to exercise my mind each day by reading at least a page of any book or magazine, which proves helpful with time. The human mind, as we all…

  • Penguins of Madagascar, the Series

    What TV shows did you watch as a kid? I liked many TV shows, but I enjoyed The Penguins of Madagascar series the most. It was a family show; everyone gathered at night to watch the series. King Julien was hilarious, and so were his minions. The penguins were intelligent, funny, and cute. I thought…

  • Sunset

    What’s your favorite time of day? What does the sunset mean to you? For me, it’s time for rest. It’s also a time for reflection, a time to put the pieces together. However, overthinking kills the fun. Letting the day’s stress slide is crucial. So count your blessings. Even the sun rests, a quick reminder…

  • Green City

    How would you design the city of the future? If I were to be an administrator, my city would be the greenest in the world. I would put pockets of forests in hubs, and every house would be encouraged to have a garden and at least two fruit trees. There would be a more expansive…

  • Okechukwu

    Where did your name come from? In Nigeria, names are an important way to identify people. They carry histories and meanings, which are rooted in the culture of the people. Some names reflect a family’s situation or past experiences. The name Oke is a shortened form of Okechukwu, meaning ‘Share,’ ‘Part,’ ‘Portion,’ or ‘Gift,’ and…

  • Learning

    What motivates you? Staying positive all day brings me a lot of good thoughts, joy, hope, and the opportunity to learn and grow There’s so much to learn and I love discovering new things and knowledge. Thus, I’m motivated by the opportunity to learn new things every day. Each time I meet someone for the…

  • Poem: Writing

    What do you enjoy most about writing? Writing is a useful ancient craftThat aroused my passion and museBy teaching me more about myselfIt had reminded me of my cleverness

  • Berkeley

    What do you love about where you live? Berkeley in California is a wonderful place to live. It’s a hilly town with abundance of greens and orderly streets. In this city is the pioneer and famous University of California campus. There are wild turkeys, deer, squirrels and bobcats. The weather is cool because of the…

  • Hope

    What positive emotion do you feel most often? Hope is a wonderful emotion and one of the greatest to ever be. I would talk about it in a poetic form: Hope is like a dreamer’s lyre and songsIt’s an elixir that softens the weary soulDarkness and light, uncertainty and hopeWhile some search through the thick…

  • What Brings You Peace?

  • A Birthday Wish and Turbulent Times

  • Quote on the Human Mind

    The human mind is a great asset, whatever is fed to it, it returns back. Feed it with positivity, and it will gladly return that to you.

  • August Reflection

    Let’s love and respect each other, that’s what the world needs at this point. It costs absolutely nothing to treat others the way we want to be treated.

  • Quote: If Nature Told Stories

    If nature; places, objects, and animals told stories, they would have so many incredible stories to tell.

  • Night Poem: Stars Glitter

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-2rk

  • Home

    What’s the shortest verse you read this week and what is home to you? Below is a piece drafted from a discussion I had with a friend. You might agree that home is truly the best place to be. East or WestRain or ShineHome is the best

  • Nature’s Symphonies

    I love to hear the symphonies of natureBy the side of streams or up the pretty sunny skies,When it showers or through the whirling wind trail,The smooth rush of the flowing stream,The screeching of insects beneath grasses,The virtually silent clouds whose sounds are exaltedThe call of birds, the hop of deer, minutes of termites,And effervescent…

  • Be Kind, Be Love

    Be Kind, Be Love Love is a beautiful feeling. In a world of injustice, inequality, and pain, it’s the only healing balm to embrace all. I define love as a sort of overwhelming magic. Magic because it can’t be genuinely expressed or explained. Magic because it looks beyond tribe, color, status, race, pasts, hurts, anger,…

  • Quote: Never Give Up

    Every great oak was once a nut that held its ground – Unknown

  • Love knows no race

    Each time I look into people’s eyes, I realize we have a lot of things in common. I see myself, and the more we try to understand each other, the more exceptional we can be. We must try to make the world a better place by loving others as we love ourselves. It starts with…

  • Love Changes

    Your love changed meIt gave me a new lifeStanding beside you gives me confidenceWalking with you gives joy in abundanceMy imagination comes aliveMy mind becomes creativeI see all the beautiful thingsBecause you are in my life For all lovers out there

  • Love Quote

    Love is the greatest magic ever

  • Evening Voices & Hues

    I hear the wind howl through gapsWhispering solemnly to the approaching duskI hear your name being sung by fading rhymeOne hundred bird voices, flying toward sunset. Green, and the taste of seasoned vegetablesPurple hues of flowers and her fragrancesBlack and pink, of waddling pigeons dressedHuhuhu-ing from the lonely rooftops. Orange is sunset, a shade of…

  • Diary of A Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 6

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-3IV

  • Twilight

    What’s your favorite sunset moment? I have created an imaginative piece for lovers. Well, love is the greatest magic ever. Good night. *** Warm evening blankets lurk behindWhen the golden sunset float ahead,Heralding end of daylightSo let’s watch it go in installments,Let’s feel the soft airs traverseDrift with pure graceThrough our hair and coatsIt gets…

  • Beautiful Sunset

    And here is capturing my favorite part of the day in pictures and few words! Taking it all in: the fresh air and breeze guided by tree canopies, the tree leaves falling, twisting and waving goodbye to sunset, the tiny worm crawling home under the brushes, the solemn rocks sitting harmless, the peaceful hills overlooking…

  • Let

    Let the soft wind of morning speakLet squirrels pick nutsLet happy deer forage rootsLet pretty flowers blossomLet the sun shine bright tooJust let all good things be Listen, to the rhythm of your heart – of Nature’s

  • Quote: Real Treasures

    Look at each day and value the real treasures; good friends, warm sun, fresh air, hearty laughter, and true love.

  • Sound of Water

    Poetry may come in the form of flowing water,That tells of no serious thing in particular;But about the few that wash others’ feetAnd the wild that calls the forest home,It chats of fauns that hide in crevicesWhere waterfalls are happy to fall in currents,Rushing, flowing in streams and slow rivers, Out of sight, far away from hamlets,Planting…

  • Tale of Wild Woods: Summer Arrives

    Originally posted on Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places: When summer finally came, a lot had changed The last snow melted and the sad land woke Grasses started growing, covering the outer earth So those who burrow scrambled out from the dust Soft airs and tidings surround the mountainside Sending sweet emissaries around the valley…

  • Love Challenge 4: Reason

    Be the reason someone sings in joy and happiness.

  • Love Challenge 3: Assistance

    Be each others shoulder to lean on when it gets dark or tough.

  • The Diary of an I-House Livermore Cowboy

    Each year during Spring Break, I-House residents have the opportunity to be placed with an American host family. The Spring Break is a week-long break at the University of California, Berkeley that gives students and faculty time to rest from school work. This year, I-House organized two trips to the cities of Livermore and Redding,…

  • Love Challenge 2: Listen

    Sometimes you just have to go out of your head and listen to your heart.

  • Love Challenge 1: Listen

    Listen to my heart and not my words

  • Livermore, California

    Watch the hills rise and fallBeautiful, ancient,Twist and turn,Happy singing birdsHappier sunlight! Blue cloudsAgainst the white,Foraging horsesAnd cowsLook up to see who has arrivedLovely grass paradiseTrees are the guards! Hawks circle the skiesNoon greets everyoneTake notice of the cow mooingOr the powerful horse neighing. Let’s go dreamingIn a country not far awayA valley unspoiledWhere man…

  • Golden Sunset

    By degrees, the sun will sink down the horizon,And shadows of grapes and trees lengthenedThe heat will decrease, but be calm, cowboys,The perfect evening we dreamt of had comeOne of chilly but soothing pure countryside airI heard the happy neighing of a horse outsideIt is time to ride off toward the golden sunset

  • World Poetry Day 2023

    I nearly forgot what today was. It’s a unique day to celebrate the most common form of literature. I wish you all a happy World Poetry Day! I would be sharing some poems soon! Stay tuned.

  • Quotes from the Wild

    Let us believe, then, until some dismal authority forbids us, that elephants meet by the bright Indian moonlight in the ballrooms they clear in the depths of the forest, and dance mammoth quadrilles and reels to the sighing of the wind through the trees and their own trumpeting, shrill and sudden as the Highlander’s hoch!…

  • Moonlight Dance

    Let’s dance under the moonlightListen to the crickets screech outShare those smiles we have learnedBe grateful for a lovely evening tryst

  • Quote on Consciousness

    If you pay attention to nature, you can learn a lot. So be awake, be aware of your environment.

  • Flowers

    Spring and summer sunsets I hikeLooking to smell the flowers I likeTo see their colors, red, green, & white,To wander where pretty flowers restI like to see flowers folded, tucked in,The ones holding off until morning

  • 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…

  • Quote on Compassion

    Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future – Nelson Mandela

  • Let It Sail

    Set sail with hope and love.Hope, to see the golden sunrise, and Love, as kindness offered by the Universe. Set sail for sunset,Where lands end,Where joy is melody.Live in the moment. Set sail with the jolly wind,Let it flow and fill your lungs. Love is a voyageA cruise, without fail. Don’t let the sun set…

  • Quote: Being Good

    I chose to smile and be happy because I have known sorrow and sadness. I chose to be nice because I may never meet that stranger again and would be left with memories. Overall, I chose to be good because tomorrow is not promised, and today might be the only chance to be kind to…