Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Category: Nature

  • The Butterfly

    See Mother Nature’s art See her paintings, black and white Behold the gift of the rising sun, The wind is a prize to be won So fly, pet of the blue clouds … skies and the wind Break forth from the cocoon Hit the silky walls wide open Fly away, you pretty butterfly Travel farther…

  • Let us take a Walk

     Now let us take a walk through the pine forest Through the shed which the forest provides Through the pathway where the leaves form a cushion Through the place where the squirrels make an abode And the darkness of the shrubs a shed from the noon Come let us take a walk through the lands…

  • The Tree leaves fall

    Permit me a sec before reading this piece. I am pained to see the world destroy green life, I feel the grieve of these wonderful creatures, I feel even worse knowing I might not be able to save all the trees from the cruelty of my own kind. You all know that the trees are…

  • Just by the Countryside

    Just by the countryside… Where only fields of green stay And where the mud mix with the clay Live the blue Clouds that smiled always And everything  here had something to say The trees tower over the fine little huts, Where the green forest sit upon the hills, With her inhabitants living with a firm…

  • The Traveler

    The traveler is like the sun Which traverse the length of the Earth And seen her peoples and foods and cultures The traveler is like a blast of the wind Which blow cold at times and hot The flying dust is a glad companion The traveler is like the compass Looking for the North pole…

  • Note: Nature as an African

      Mother Nature is an African. I say this because I have seen why. Africa is unrivaled in wildlife species and variety. I have had an Ostrich tower over me back then in Ondo state of Nigeria and I have met the Hyena which could have passed for a demon with her red eyes and…

  • A far country

      On crossing the imaginary line in my minds eye I see a country far away, farther than the length of the earth Where the strong breezes of the ocean glide with the passing cloud And the waters are troubled each time the breezes came The dawn break high up the brown morning cloud And…

  • Loves Silhouette

    The evening came shyly The sun set before us And the end of the world We see fall below the hilltop The sweet airs wind traverse about They travel with grace Flirting with our hairs and cloth Now it is darker but can you see me? It is the sun set And she smile up…

  • Waiting for the Rain

    We are baked in the sun While waiting for the rain, But now she remembered us The clouds has been moody and we knew she must surely cry now she wept, throwing rain water All over the little hamlet Now I claim the first drop And you claim the next drop Oh look up and…

  • Darkness falls

    Darkness falls… The cries of night wolves and wild dogs Rent the airs far away deep in the forest The wind grew milder, the moon light brighter And the sweet lullabies ring out from homes A tradition, one which the little ones adore The evening simmer into a deep darkness As the African tales went…

  • The Wind

    There was heavy wind, swooshing about Just behind the hut where the pots lay Now it surged. Paused, Sudden… Play The wooden doors creak restlessly Like horses surround’d by wild dogs Near the bush, the wind whipp’d tree logs The sweet fragrance of other houses came The stench of the sewages woke up And roofs…

  • Lions and Lionesses

    Lions could be cute and cuddly, But only without their teeth and claws! They prowl the thick vegetations of Africa And plains of South Asia… With their manes as crowns They rule the African jungle They roar from afar… And all tenants of the wild; Deer, Elephant, Boar, Zebra Wake to listen! In the night,…

  • Awake

    I am awoken to the sound Of the lovely morning birds Twittering behind the green tree And the buzzing of the Bumblebee The sun rises quietly Her rays shine brightly The clouds are blue Painted by a fine hue All about the bright skyline The scouting hawks and doves whine And under a trees shelter…

  • The Rising Sun

    The sun rise up the clouds Quietly she wakes from her slumber She sucks up the mists on rooftops And on the branches of trees And she paints our land gold Bringing warmth as she ascend Revealing the wild places of the forest And throwing her light upon the rivulet So the waters shimmer brightly…

  • Musing: Longing for thee

    My soul longs for thee, dear motherland To run the dusty red muds And to swim in the rivers all over you To climb the trees of your forests And wallow on the shallow streams My soul longs to nibble the tender pumpkin seeds Freshly cut from the farms To dance with warriors, home with…

  • Musing: Besides the Waterfall

    I stand before the rocks On the edge were waters fall Through the block were ferns grow And the white crystals drop solemnly And I call out to thee Hear me, dear mother Nature Though I am confused and shy I come to ask of thee something All about me, I fear greatly I fear…

  • Natures Fury

    Even as your shadow fall upon me But in the midst of the grim darkness I see a ray of light, I see hope You summon the wind with your mind Scattering the tree leaves all about You drive the wild cattle away from the field As the clouds separate the blue from the white…

  • My Lover

    The wind let my ship rock But you commandeered my heart My sails are up in the sky The flag of love flies desperately Now you lay beside my weak bones Cuddling me, through my shyness We whisper and talk slowly While the woods sigh in the chimney In the waking morning You are my…

  • A Strange Night

    1 The cool night turned a storm The grey linings of the clouds Wore out with the passing firmaments The trees swirled in a wild dance The fallen leaves lept up in joy The imminent wind has come to play To the tune of Natures fury The wind, the rain and the lightning 2 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…

  • Musing: Cold Mornings

    Cold morning Monster weather Heaven filters in Her dew and airy lather We stare, we shake The cold kept us awake

  • Musing: The Sugar Ant

    I wonder how you sniff out my sugar The trails to my little cupboard stands The taste beckons to you, And when I return from my issues, weary I see you and your brethren Mocking my ever precious sugar!

  • Haiku: To A Heart That Beats My Rhythm

    Now I dont know why Why I am so fond of you How my nights go by And all I do, I think of you

  • Midnight Thought

    Once upon a midnight dreary As I pondered weak and weary The night was grim and all was damp Swarms of flyfull insect surround my lamp And out there the trees stood like Halloween ghosts Waiting to take a stab, standing lightly on the dusts The clouds shine, Zeus was trying out his new lamp…

  • Goodnight Tale

    When I say goodnight I meant I love you And sad I am, to let my eyes Close before you Though my consciousness gone My heart beats warmly In ecstatic joy of you And all you stand To be for me   For Ma H. Iroegbu Mr and Mrs  John Iroegbu Mr and Mrs Chuky…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…