Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Category: Africa

  • She Plays

    She plays the guitar as the winds tease the treeline Twilight brings our harmonious memories Together to admire the night sky, the setting sun, But impulses of shared affection let it again rise Fresh breeze – a moment of heartfelt enthusiasms These songs took my heart along with the rhythm Dancing, I realize I fell…

  • Peace

    A tranquil evening is nature’s wayOf welcoming a weary shepherd,Sundown – his thoughtful views heralds,Memories in which trees fiercely danceAnd soft grasses wait where birds fly home

  • Come Thunder (1967) by Christopher Okigbo

    Christopher Okigbo Christopher died fighting in the Nigerian – Biafran civil war that raged through the late 1960s. Then Nigerian politics was in grave turmoil, the military was in charge and various parts of the nation harbored umbrage for the Igbo people of southern Nigeria. The Eastern region attempted to break away from the federation…

  • Chose Africa

    Africa!Land of quasa drumNature’s valid essence,The land of palm beer,Of enormous cascades Africa!Land of hills & valleysCourteous clans,A land of milk & honeyFlowing all about Africa!Land of pots & drinksA calabash of hot soupCheerful smiles & winksA merry couples night Africa!Cradle of civilization,Terrific folk & historyMother of all nationsHome to the first man My Africa!Land…

  • Night Poem: Vocal Nature

    Night Nature has a way of entertaining itself, you know. There are the nocturnal insects and birds who sing through the night, there are the whistling pines and the stubborn wind. The night can be annoying at times when buzzing insects bother sleepers, it can also let her musicals perform lullabies to weary people when…

  • Woman

    The braids on your hairTypical of an African womanBlack and natural. Well fitStraight cheekbonesMixed into hair,Like a young gazelles face.Your nose is like the fine basketWhen you breathe, it’s a wonderSame with your walk on flowers When you dance, you smile,Showing teeth, unspoiledThe teeth: white and strongPerfect fitWhen you love, it is realYou’re black and…

  • Reflection: Faces

    Faces I am worried that my village would be a changed place when I return. It’s been a while since I left and I wonder what changed. I daydreamed on the bus as it sped down the hill. Palm trees crawled past, I lost count. The clouds seem to change with each turn but the…

  • Nightfall in The Savannah

    Night falls behind the village fenceLast traces of day, shadows fadeTree lines turn grey and blackWhile the sky host a million stars Quiet evening, sound of waterHeard down the waterfalls, by the streamsideAnd from thickets bullfrogs wadeEnjoying the fresh and sweet breeze Tree branches play with the windSoft singing is heard from huts awayWhile hill…

  • Art

    Art means many things to different people. For me, art is an identity. This is an image from a friend from Algeria. I asked her to let me use it as this post’s picture. Hadjer is an artistic engineer. She loves painting and dreams of establishing a studio. Art is the beautyWe see up the…

  • Morning Wind

    this early morning wind is super happy for she is wedded to the chilly climate, this green land, her people, my delighted self, one beautiful place, I will always call home

  • Kindness: The Lion and The Mouse

    Here is one of the oldest and best loved stories of kindness paid and repaid. From it we learn that compassion lies within the power of both the mighty and the meek. Kindness is not a feeble virtue. One day a great lion lay asleep in the sunshine. A little mouse ran across his paw…

  • What Genuine Poetry Looks Like

    Don’t worry, just write… Poetry is like we humans. Each poem is one different man. So we do not expect a poem to look ‘exactly’ like another. Each has its uniqueness. It need not be lengthy or short, it must not be like Shakespeare’s work, or like Okigbo’s piece. However, a poem can come in…

  • Night Poem: Twilight Event

    there are so many stars out here, this night they quiver in this painfully cold twilight some hide behind the trees, their peace felt the clouds must occur in chains and courts but abundant stars kept eternally silent so I lay, to attend to this personal incident, to admire elegance, lovely vision – one terrific…

  • Quote on Love

    Love is not a game, it’s a beautiful gift. Even a god finds it hard to love and be wise at the same time. Aristotle.

  • An African Lullaby

    Come closer, come hear the song I must sing this nightCome let us sit under the mango, let us enjoy the moonlight,The sweet breeze brings memories, like the quiet riversideWhich flows freely, running in peaceful haste thru the wild The cold day took her toil on our strengthBut the night fire hands us some warmthLean…

  • Sunrise Before My Eyes

    The sun rises before my eyes,Light throws her veil on earthThe breezes travel southOn their pathLetting lyrics,Within, withoutI see how lucky I amTo have this unfailing love

  • Poem: He

    Free as the wind was heWith eyes glowing wild as tanCarved on steady rocks, his path,Submitting to nature, his passion To him walls are barriers,But fearless, he frolics aboutWading through life’s tideLike a lonely cloud, wandering,Heed to nature, his precious being

  • Morning Wind

    Morning wind, crisp smell, Moist dew, sunrise, lovely land Take it all in and live in it, Inhale deeply before it’s gone

  • Morning Wakes 🌅

    Dew melt and drip off tree leaves, Pretty hues huddle, some rise, some fall The smell of cooking in the distant village, Morning their shy friend is finally awake Greenfields stretched into the horizon Monkeys yawn, birds tweet, rodents race, Treelines summon their leafy branches Worms are first with the feeding riot Tree leaves fall,…

  • A Kind Story

    This story you are about to read is imagined. I created it to talk about compassion, love and kindness. Abraham because of his kindness, entertained angels without knowing it. So this is another kind story. I trust the story’s lesson would be obvious to everyone. Have a nice read and a good night wishes from…

  • Account Of The Life of Prof. Chinua Achebe by Ezenwa Ohaeto, Ph.D.

    INTRODUCTION               Ladies and gentlemen, greetings.               If it is said that an elephant is not a wild animal, a person will say that it seemed as if something went by in the twinkling of an eye. The one who saw the elephant told what he saw. Very few people in our Igboland have not…

  • Peace

    Bird songs, butterflies, and sun rays,Fruits of peace from the sanctuary, Nature’s gratification to all mankind

  • A Place In My Mind

    Sometimes it’s hard to stop a rolling stoneBut whenever it may roll, it always seems to find its way back home. Alex Roe Family Influence I’m bringing a piece of me back. This gift, or ability to write started somewhere. I came from a family of disciplinarians, teachers, and soldiers. The women in my life,…

  • Mandela’s Quotes on Love

    Give a child love, laughter and peace No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than…

  • Significance of Kolanut in Igboland

    Onye wetara oji wetara ndu (Igbo) He who brings Kola brings life… Kola nut is a symbol of hospitality and friendship in Nigeria. While other food can be cooked, the Kola nut needs no special preparation before presentation. It’s a bitter fruit of the Kola tree¶, grown all over tropical Africa. In Igbo land, Kola nut is a…

  • Short Story: Umuosiala by John Okereke

    We all swarmed in pairs to the village square, strolling, briskly and for myriad bent octogenarians crawlingly. From all nook and cranny, villagers poured into the main footpath leading straight to the copious square like water from river tributaries. To an onlooker on the farms on either side of the almost narrow path, this flux…

  • Three Brothers

    three lush brothers, firm upon torn boulders, wistful blue skies flying clouds sigh, tentacles as palms day made to warm these green brothers, yokes of sweet nectar, golden sunshine blotched lines, spiky front as arms familiar to harm

  • Night Song

    when night decides to play a song it will be a throbbing lullaby on the roof, flying insects buzzing by the window tally to this exhilarating night sound, and howling from the wind, so deep resound, whereas the night is young

  • Art: Ruhige Nacht

    Ruhige Nacht Variety is the spice of life, they say. So I’ve decided to give this blog post a title in German. If I was proficient in the language I would love to write the entire blog post in German. Ruhige Nacht is Quiet Night in English. If I was a European, I would be…

  • Home

    Home may be far awayBut the wind brings her memoriesI hear from the flight birdsI see it in the rain and sunshineI see it in the falling tree leavesAnd the little bug crawling up my sleeves From far away, I look backHope on my breast, I walkAgain, playing mirthful songs,A long, long way from home

  • Igbo Proverb: On the Kite and Eagle

    Igbo: Egbe bere, Ugo bere, nke si ibe ya ebele, nku gbajie ya English: Let the Kite perch, let the Eagle perch, any that forbids the other from perching, let its wings break. Origin: This proverb originated from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria. It’s commonly used when trying to settle disputes or for prayers. Meaning:…

  • Agulu Crocodile Lake

    Thalassophobia Thalassophobia is the fear of water depths and water-dwelling creatures. If you watch National Geographic or any wildlife program on TV, you will agree that a hungry crocodile is brutal. I have had a personal experience myself, watching them display savagery during feeding time, in different zoological gardens. Since then I have made up…

  • Beyond The Mirror Called Self

    Look beyond the hurt and pain Let trust and love again Suffer the distress of another’s grief To break this mirror called self Put a foot on another’s shoe Learn what they know The globe hurries around in her loop For no man or belief will it pause or stop Like the globe; be quick…

  • Beauty by Mike Noxaura

    A baby cooing A star is going nova The smile of a bride The blush of a teenage boy The laughter, unafraid of a grandma The solid advice of a grandpa The wind in the trees A tiger on the hunt The smell of sage and sweetgrass burning in a sweat lodge The peyote and…

  • Green Shade

    Greenlight Perfect shade When trees Serve as citadels On rough days

  • The Spotted Hyena: Africa’s Strongest Teeth!

    Passion If I didn’t have a degree in finance or work in different humanitarian aid endeavours such as schools and human rights institutions, I would be a zoologist or a vet. This love for nature was captured in my nursery school report as a kid who loves playing with living objects. Then, I had a…

  • Africa’s First Story

    High up above the hills of Africa, the dark-winged clouds of the night were still folded above the village and surrounding valley. Man and the domestic animals that were his slept. But the antelope of the forest and the small fleet-footed gazelle were wide awake. In a short time, early morning dew descends from ancient…

  • Sweet Lemons by Njabulo N.

    Twists You may agree that lemons are not as sweet as they look. Some of the species are not just sour but bitter. When life gave us lemons, we learned to make lemonade and every poet knows how to paint this well. Enjoy this piece straight from eSwatini. Sweet Lemons I wish I could use…

  • Cheer For Love

    I cheer you to this drama; not Romeo’s, nor Juliet’s, One for everyone, under the full glare of the setting sun tide So stand aside, and let this new dance learned to unfold, Come beloved, allow this moment to bless our lands, Let me tell love stories and prove how love can set all free

  • Imageries Of The Fireside

    I love how the fire gives rise to dancing things; Flickering fire tongues lick the wood that sits astride, The odd form of musketeers and brave swordsmen Of likenesses behind the light walls, we watch plays Fierce kingdoms, which I may liken to Camelot With her chariots riding off to skirmish, Dire wolves in the…

  • Silhouettes

    Shadows clone for good or evil Like a hefty hoe tilling the soft soil Her shadow strikes too at things dead Under the moon’s watchful eyes this land, Shadows of branches on the ground Were green trees during the noon Taunt timid skies overall, shining on fair nuns But they become the dark spells in…

  • Lullaby: Night Rain

    Light rain, mild breeze, magnificent shower, Like the faint drums that usher in the noble, Faded lightning, a plethora of tiny drops Those that drench the backyard every night

  • Dialogue With The Storyteller 4

    Otii/Oyoo & Assumed Folk Characters Storyteller: Otii! Audience: Oyoo!! Storyteller: Some Igbo communities start their folklore session in that manner. This could be the equivalent of Ifochakpi and would usually be repeated until the audience shouts the loudest. What I do know is that the ifo in ifochakpi means tale in the Igbo language. The…

  • Beautiful Blossoms

    Beautiful August my favorite aura Large fruit trees blossoming around the countryside form a flower shelter, which also provides a spectacular view. The rains had gone for a break, stream and river levels recede. It’s August break. I noticed this morning, the petals were on the verge of blossoming. Now I must wait for handsome…

  • The Spider’s Tale and Song

    The Spider’s Tale Childhood classes taught a lesson on perseverance and diligence. This was a lesson that featured the little spider who never gave up and the overthrown king who learned to be resilient. I’ll retell the tale in simple words. Once there was a king who was ousted by his brother. He sat in…

  • Home

    No matter where you go don’t forget home We may fly, live far away, Far away Papa sits, watching TeeVee Far away, I look back, I crave home’s love Far away, Mama makes tasty dinner Far away, My little ones – all home in my heart I send all my heart and love home

  • A Lover’s Muse

    Love conquers all, everything Falling in love was least on my list. The world no longer was a dark place, having met someone who brought light to everything and everyone. Someone who lights the world with all beautiful hues. Until now, I keep wondering what I did to deserve you. Let’s keep this light and…

  • Dialogue With The Storyteller 3

    Another Igbo Folktale Introit Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa!! Storyteller: Enwere akuko m ga akoro unu (There’s a tale I wish to tell you all) Audience: Koro anyi ka obi di anyi mma! (Tell us, so that we can be happy!) Storyteller: I welcome you all again. The Igbo folklore tradition allows each storytelling session to…

  • Quotes on Hope ©

    Life is a beautiful gift and each sunrise is a bonus. If we see the sunrise, there’s hope. Giving up is easy. Let’s try something tougher like resilience and perseverance. Never give up on your dream. Time is a patient umpire and it will reward those who failed to give up. Only the living can…

  • A Lover’s Poem

    Your voice is like the Nightingales I laugh out loud at your high pitch But that’s an obvious clue; I love you and I can’t deny