Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Category: Poetry

  • 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…

  • 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

  • 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…

  • idyll

    pretty birds glide up the tree branchesflowers are hidden in the thick shrubshumble rodents burrow through the earthand busy ants make castles out of fine dust

  • Cold Night

    Stars came looking for the moonNightfall their fine playing groundWith cold hands of night blowingLovers turn to a sack of warmth

  • Ocean Rhythm

    See the evening tide crash into rocksHear the flying birds call to retreating dayListen to your heartbeat with the rhythm of natureLet yourself soar with the ocean current

  • Sunrise

    Sunrise reminds us all of new beginnings Sunrise reminds me of a new startThe gloom and cold are goneI hear the birds sing once againAnd the squirrel’s cheerful sport

  • December

    Dear Friends, It’s almost time for the holidays! It’s nearly time for rest from school work, and December started with mild rain. The soothing and soft sound of rainfall outside and the quiet morning hours remind me how dependent man is on his environment. There’s joy in simple things like the sound of rainfall or…

  • Gratitude & Blindness (Poem)

    Gratitude You know it’s human nature sometimes to forget where it all began. There’s a beginning to everything. Remembering the little beginnings helps trump unnecessary egos. Everybody was once a kid; some were poor, sick, this or that, but never consumed by the vicissitudes of life. Even when some things turn good or bad, they…

  • September

    When you feel this morning’s aura gather around your limbs, spread your wings, and fly! Dear friends, it’s September 1, I wish you all a beautiful new month.

  • Quote: Home

    Home is a warm hug

  • Daybreak

    Getting up to faint bird tweetsWhen golden shine sifts through curtainsAnd morning airs – so delightful and swiftWander through this little town I heard the older folk greetThey talk of night’s heavy rainBut as the storm is now pastA mild drizzle cheers the lawn Sunlight warms my room and townEach cosy day is a blessing…

  • The Broken Heart by Saeed Rukayya

    The Broken Heart This greatest dream of mine has been shattered,I fall and stumble into the dark hole,Grasping for light in a place of no shadows, Oh, my heart aches. I watch salty water trickle down my cheek,Thinking of how I’ll stitch this broken heart,Suddenly, his voice echoed in my head,Bringing back the unwanted memories,…

  • Footprints

    Footprints pattern quiet imagesOn soft sands, immaculate as whiteWith time images are blurredAnd other times widespreadTracks stamped on grains of sandDistort the marks of regular sand But tracks may live for the moment or forever

  • July 2022: New Month Muse

    Free and fresh as air are weThose who live where Nature sportWaterfalls dabble same rhythm this mornMother Nature wash her garments in the steam To cloudy dawn is a pleasant songVocalized by a multitude of birds,Playful monkeys or lazy reptilesBeneath this serpentine woodlandTo peaks overlooking the valesThe path may be lost in thick fogBut in…

  • Rumbling Clouds

    The rumbling clouds talk to meCracking through the dark skiesSprinkling raindrops on my stepsTwilight emerges above the skiesThe quiet evening brings about A batch of cold wind & shower

  • A Shepherd’s Night

    The shepherd lays quiet in his gardenHis face interacting with the black skyFamiliar with the singing night insectsAnd bleating sheep behind the barn doorHe listens to folk music from vales below,Staring up at the faint darkness aboveHe smiles when the early barn owls hootReminding of nature’s friendship & love

  • Home Tales

    Nightfall dreamsA ride through moonshineHome wait for tales

  • Muse: The Millipede’s Award

    Now, do you know why the animals returned late from the insect award night? The muse below gives us a hint. Once it happened far awayIn the old insect kingdomMany dignitaries appearedHues of diverse fur & feathersAnd what a colourful galore it was! So it was a ceremony to last a dayBut took a couple…

  • Silver by Walter De La Mare

  • Reflection: New Beginning and Golden Sunrise

    New Beginning Dear Friends, Today, 365 days ago, I decided to start writing at least one blog post each day of the year! Through tough tides and smooth sails, I came out successful! I’ll like to thank everyone who stayed with me during this journey. The likes, comments and shares gave me the strength to…

  • Rise & Shine

    I watch the gold dawnPrompting the sky stain,Impressive and grandSudden breezes andOptimistic birds sing This morning broughtThe smell of life aboutDamp clay and mistsMany views of horizonsEmbedded in gold clouds Birds fly off in echelonCalling to the flying rankSpreading strong wingsI stretch my arms againIt’s time to rise & shine

  • The Rainmaker’s Poem

    Do you want to hear the rain howl in the wind?Then you must come to AfricaHere the rainfall is a sport to childrenAnd a time to count numerous blessingsBut if you doubt this, I will make it pour! Come rainfall! Come, dear friend!Send this town scuttling for safety,Let the first rain, fill pots with murky…

  • Shepherd lore: Sunset

    I wonder why she hides behind the hills and cloudsShying away from the approaching breezy eveningOn clouds where birds fly in echelon, calling a farewell as they wentOn casted tree shadows hanging on the springs like rags on the railBored frogs may resume their croaky ballads;Hundreds of bass voices singing, in harmonyThe coloured clouds melt…

  • Stars

    When I wait under the old mango treeI count the glittering stars far awayAnd laying on soft sandy soilI get a better glimpse of the dark skiesThe wind is my guest,She rents her cold self to me,She whispers tunes of natureAnd drag tree leaves to fan me,It’s an evening of quietness and cold,Moments of thought…

  • Love Poem: Tryst

    I invite you to a two-people drama; not Romeo’s, not Juliet’sJust you and I, under the full grey moonshineStand aside, watch me do this new dance I learnedCome closer, look into my eyes, and let me smell the rosesCome let me tell you of my love and how loving set me free Nothing excites me…

  • Peace

    I love the peace each morning brings:Wake to a reassuring and mild breezeReminds of the perfect gold sun risingBehind those exotic and ancient trees It’s not intentional to meEach time I’m awestruck!With this beauty all around,The smell of life is abundant! So scenery & landscapeOf cheerful flying birds,Of ducks & deer walkingWelcome the lovely day

  • May

    Oh, May, lovely May! The month I fell (for you) Like old tree leaves Swerving in the wind Carefree and happy To meet the dirt below I dreamed a lot Our memories worth Under the grim shadows Of this quiet mango tree And the glad glare Of the moonlight You remind me of May

  • The Messenger

    The wind grows soft and dryIt carries messages quickly forgottenWith its speed, it may be lostPines whistle, and men, stay to listen

  • My Brook – Oko’pia (VO by Aneta Felix)

    I’m excited to introduce an excellent journalist, poet, creative writer and voice over artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. This poem was voiced by her. Please enjoy this soothing weekend presentation from Aneta Felix! From home in quiet hamlets, I hear your surgeTelling stories when you pass through the roaring current,Through white clouds painted by sound…

  • Love Poem: Vocal Night

    A host of shrieking cricketsA plethora of frogs abundantAnd birds of vocal strengthPerform a chorus tonight,Wistful, thaw rhythms softSaved for a dull nightFor two gentle heartsIn natural silence rest I listen to your heartbeatOn my embrace, this night

  • Love

    Love is a song written On care & truth panes

  • Memories

    Breezes bring memories; mild rosy fragrance, They played and sang of the Nightingale, We wait to tryst, yearning for a lovely sunset

  • Love Poem: Best Sunset

    We wonder what it meant To follow orange twilights As it glides down the horizon Leaving all for the evening But the silhouette of love The best we keep for ourselves Staring into your pretty eyes Is my favourite sunset moment

  • Night Poem: Love Messages

    I send love messages this windy twilightLet the breezes carry them fairly aloft

  • Happy Stars

    Happy stars are outBeige dusk, moonlightOn pathways brightKept in the looming mistWindy evening gustBlow out on the hamletOverlooking hills & sunsetBrewer of legends & myths,A sleepy moment of twilightAnd fascinating one for that

  • Africa my Continent | Njabulo N.

    Africa my continent,The land of our ancestors,The home to beautiful nature and diverse species,That sings humming songs,Even on cold weathers and rainy seasons.Africa my continent,Africa my pride,The land of the black blood,Flowing down my veins,That irrigates all the beautiful fields.Africa my continent,Africa my land of learned youths,Knowledgeable generation,With a beautiful and bright future. Africa my…

  • She 2

    The storm made all darkShe stood under the rainDaring all, wind, lightningHer stars will still glitterMorning is not far away

  • Night Poem: Stars

    The cold night callsStars glow up the skiesPicturing many talesStories only told by sight,So the Shepherd feels allFrom his fluffy bed of wool

  • Evening

    A tranquil evening is nature’s way Of welcoming a weary shepherd, Sunset – thoughtful views herald, Memories where trees dance And soft grasses wait when birds fly home

  • Changing Skies

    We sang of a proud cloudOnce of love and benevolence,Rains when there is heartbreak in loversShines in the cold hands of the windAnd allows the green to shed the fields Now we live under a sky that changes apparitions when stirred

  • Muse: Night

    Daylight shrink offEvening breeze howlClouds are orangeWhen birds fly awayThe cold night is nigh

  • Muse: Rejoice (2)

    My heart rejoices, but why I can not say!The sun has risen, the land is goldenThe firmament is bright, blue and greyDews melt, trees dance, flowers openI rejoice for the lights which have come,For the love which I see all about me,For the little fine hamlet, I call homeI rejoice in her immense beauty So…

  • After the War — May Wedderburn Cannan

    After the war perhaps I’ll sit againOut on the terrace where I sat with you,And see the changeless sky and hills beat blueAnd live an afternoon of summer through.

  • Rainmaker’s Tale

    When the green neighbourhood dance to the call of the wild one. Dark are the skies; darker even are the clouds that stalk the rain. The wind came swift and slow; rushing at times as petals of flowers dance. To the music of the coming rain; to lullabies that made heads bounce. And to the…

  • Nne – Mother

    Nnem oma, my sweet motherMy best friend!Onyem, m ji eme onuDaada! Thinking of youGives me great joy!My first love, my creator!Ina enyem obi anuri,Ina akasim obi,I can not quantify this joyYou are my blessingNkechinyerem! *** Commentary: This was first published in 2019. I think everyone should appreciate their mothers. I grew up amid lovely women.…