Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Category: Uncategorized

  • Smile for me

    Smile for me beautiful one, Draw your joy, let it infect everyone Be happy when it goes well And when all seem uncertain But pay no heed to illusions, To thoughts that groom pain For when heavy storms gather, It takes a smile to break the fear Now consider the colorful rainbow, 🌈 How noiseless…

  • Visit Africa: Gaborone

    If you love nature, then you should visit Bostwana. There’s a lot of Game and Nature reserves in this country, trust me, you won’t get enough of wildlife sighting here. We’ll be checking out the capital city; Gaborone, a beautiful town in my ‘to visit list’. Gaborone is known for the Gaborone Game Reserve, sheltering…

  • Thoughts on Contentment

    Most vices become when there’s a lack of contentment. Burglary, pilfering, all manner of stealing, falsehood, and even hatred of oneself are all discontentment factors. I asked some elders about their thoughts on contentment, and they gladly led me through their wisdom. As we all know, happiness is a great virtue worth teaching our younger…

  • The World’s Greatest

    Join me to reflect on this †video clip. You become what you tell yourself. Wake each morning with a desire to become a better version of you. The world needs your skills and talents, don’t hide them. It’s a good morning from West Africa. I’m up and thankful. Have a blessed day. * †Video excerpt…

  • Happy Autumn song

    Autumn plays a game of colors Warm is her painted trees and land Sweet are the songs from her birds With the two, she gave benevolently *** Image by Yaran Qadr

  • Positive Attitude to Life: Gratitude

    Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happened- John Miller. Be thankful for all the gifts of life. We can hear birds sing and…

  • Celebrating Arts: Glennys Arias

    As I mentioned sometime ago, I celebrate creativity, knowledge, arts and people. Today I will be taking a peek at Glennys Arias new book. I’m privileged to be reading from the author herself! These are excerpts from The Creator’s Angel which is published in Amazon.com. Chapter 6 We stare at each other in complete silence,…

  • Random Thought: Countryside Vs Cities

    It’s Saturday evening in West Africa. I’m sitting outside peeling oranges. Apart from the dreamy breeze, this mouthful of oranges is the only comfort I’ve for being bored. COUNTRYSIDE My hometown is beautiful. There are breath taking hills masked in green matter. There are streams, ponds, rivulets and waterfalls, rocks and ancient caves. There are…

  • Drums of Nature

    These are drums, of joy and fulfilment, Listen, Heaven sings her melodious hit Her clap of thunder startles me, Yet the raindrops act as my lullaby ** With Elabh

  • Look beyond your past

    In the morning I wrote a hasty poem titled “Looking Beyond”. I also tried to finish a large chapter of a book I was reading. This book (God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon) told stories of how great men and women once wallowed in shame, failure and defeat. It also narrated how their resilience, patience, hardwork…

  • Look beyond…

  • Self-Control

    The secret of surviving tough times is your response to them – Dr Chris Kpakpovwe The problems of life is not the problem itself. The problem is our reaction to the problem. We can allow problems to grind us to self pity or depression or it can become our stepping stone to progress/creative new thinking.…

  • Visit Africa: Cotonou

    Have you heard of Cotonou? Cotonou is a large port city on the south coast of Benin, in West Africa. At the eastern end of central Boulevard St. Michel is the huge Dantokpa Market, which features religious items and spices alongside everyday objects. To the southwest, the 19th-century Cotonou Cathedral has a striking red-and-white striped…

  • African Folktale: the Crows and the Cuckoo

    It is evening here and I feel like telling you a story. Bring your mat, come sit with me outside, by the fireside and let us enjoy the night breeze. Once upon a time there lived a set of Crows which plundered farms. Each day the farmers try to catch the Crows to no avail,…

  • As he thinketh…

    Know that whatever you will become is a function of your thoughts. We are what we think. With our thoughts we make our world. What you picture in your mind, your mind will accomplish for you. Consider the image above. While the world saw a cat, the cat saw himself a Lion! We could be…

  • Positive Attitude to Life

    Life is in minutes and seconds. There is no such thing as a bitter end, because an end is the beginning of something new. Learn from mistakes and keep moving. BTW only the living can make mistakes. So be thankful for life. Life is like a building that can be renovated and rebuilt from scratch.…

  • Making most of Love 1

    Singles and doubles, you can recall how it felt, loving someone especially when it was reciprocated. I always wanted to share a thought on creating happiness for loved ones. Here it goes. Your spouse should be the first point of joy and happiness. Celebrate each day you spend with him/her. Always tell them how happy…

  • Persevere

    The fisher who draws in his net too soon Won’t have any fish to sell The child who shuts up his book too soon Won’t learn any lessons well If you would have your learning stay Be patient – don’t learn too fast The man who travels a mile each day May get round the…

  • Why you should visit Africa 2

    Do you find happiness and healing in natural things? Do you get inspiration from your natural environment? Do you like hanging out with the wild and getting blessed with views of a beautiful land? Maybe you love to watch the young deer gallivant through the Veldt. Then a visit to Africa will do. I, for…

  • God as Poetry Editor By David Thane Cornell

    He dips His pen in the black hole of night To recover an image and give it more light Sometimes He uses a digital pad Revising the first idea He had Editing in and out of time Honing the meter and smoothing the rhyme He deftly spells and abbreviates Cities, town, mountains and lakes The…

  • Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2020

    Are you a writer or do you know someone who is? This is an amazing opportunity to submit your work to the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The Commonwealth Short Story prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–5,000 words) in English. Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £5,000.…

  • African myths

    Do you know that in Africa there are many ridiculous myths and beliefs? This is not Voodoo or any kind of mystery. Myths do exist. Most times, they are used to scare children, to refrain children and young adults from being rude, behaving wildly or disobeying their parents or elders. So let’s define a myth…

  • Fly High September

    I really thought for awhile before coming up with this. I did this sketch in September 2016. I’m not the best, when it comes to drawing. I just stumbled on it and decided to share it. Welcome to another rainy month, if you ever had encounters with mosquitoes then you can relate. It rained yesterday,…

  • Everybody has got a past

    Everybody has got a past It may be a dark one, Or one so bright That it shines even in sun down Everybody has got a past But we needn’t remember, Unless the bad went to worst Or if the goodness got better

  • Thoughts on Loneliness 4

     It is hard for introverts to explain situations, especially those naturally taciturn. They have the loudest minds, act little, and prefer to be left alone. I know a friend back in school who talks very little. It seemed he counted his words, and one day, a classmate lied against him. He was punished for…

  • Thoughts: Friends or Foes?

    In the world of folklore, it is believed that rodents inside the house inform rodents outside where the fish basket is hidden. This idea also applies in real life. Only those who know you well or are close to you can potentially harm you with the information they possess. Sometimes we feel betrayed and get…

  • Reintroducing the Legend of Wawadomea

    1 Now I write you a piece of my heart, tonight In the growing Harmattan and her temperament I am cut in two- halved in your Providence One for your happiness, another for Your happiness 2 This piece of heart tells a tale of the sea folk a story of survival, a war of loneliness…

  • Chevening Awards 2020

    Chevening scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the UK. Whilst there is no ‘typical’ Chevening Scholar, they are looking for the kind of people who have the passion, ideas, and influence to provide the solutions and leadership needed to create a better future. Since 1983,…

  • Thoughts: Look Within

    The pangs of unemployment scar Africa. Things shift from bad to worse. Essentials like good education, healthcare, clean water, and equal opportunity seem to slip out of our grasp. These things may have fallen apart. What is the remedy to reverse this trend? While African universities produce more graduates, the economy cannot absorb them all…

  • Amuse: Little flower

    Dear Little Flower sitting, On the wooden plate I can’t help but wonder Why you glow, so red, Will it be, the squirrel Asked you out And now, you’re red with blush?

  • You and I…

    You and I… Is my idea of a team Together, against odds, In ups and downs, Greatness and littleness, Plenty and scarcity You and I… Is my idea of love Our wish, against all odds, My help and friend My muse and madness One whose joy makes me happy

  • WordPress.com August promo

    The last time I spoke with a friend, I told him the Internet is the greatest marketer of all times. This is the glaring truth. Most businesses seeking global clients can get this online. No flights, no traveling, no stress! The major way to start off, is to create a website and then social media…

  • The Wrong Way

    I sit by the cliff edge To watch the lights go out And one by one they went Nothing made sense As we live in disguise, Resting, Relaxing, Recessing, Recouping? From all our disastrous efforts But are we prisoners of earth? Do we have to let everything be? If I write alone, no one will…

  • Tradition: Iri Ji Festival

    Let us pray (ka anyi kpe ekpere)Nna anyi, we gather againTo celebrate the New Yam!The King of all cropsWhich you blessed us withThe crop whose soft tendrils crawl,Through our fine, fertile soilAnd carries with it abundance,Greatness, joy, peace and love!We celebrate the forests You tillOn our behalf,The greenery with shrubs and treesWith every fruit that…

  • Thoughts on Happiness 2

    Happiness is contagious. Happiness is like a light bulb in a dark room. It does not shine in a corner but lights the whole room. Note that happiness is not a function of material fulfilment. Peace, joy, cheerfulness, contentment, happiness and gratitude are classed as a family. This family work as a team. If you…

  • A poem of Happiness

    Grin Gift your hair your hands This is a great feeling… Life!

  • New Media Writing: Open for 2019 entries!

    The NMWP has attracted entries from the very best and most innovative writers in the field, from all around the world. For the 2019 competition there will be four prizes: The if:book UK New Media Writing Award, the Unicorn Student Award, the Dot Award, and the Digital Journalism Award. To read more and submit your…

  • Thoughts on Happiness

    Happiness is a state of the mind. Joy, cheerfulness and a state of prosperity. When you are happy it affects activities (the environment) around you. It shakes away negativity and gloom. Happiness is when you don’t worry much on materiality. Contentment is related to happiness. When you are content with what you have then you…

  • Tell the Stars

    Tell the stars To dress the skies For there’s a banquet coming, And everything must be in order, Every dark cloud must be lighted So let there be light

  • Thoughts on Depression

    The English dictionary defined depression as a state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future. Many people experience this on a daily basis. Depression sucks out the joy and life from an individual even when the person is still living. Honestly, I think being sad…

  • The song of a Shepherd

    Tut, tsi, tsii, tuut, tsii Will you think I was talking to myself? Haha, not in any way! I call to my sheep that way So we bond, we use a special code And when they spread over the grassland I sit to play my guitar- singing Hallelujah Quivering fingers, dry in the noon sun,…

  • Thoughts: Africa

    Don’t be overwhelmed by what you see. Stay calm in the raging storm Life has not been fair to many people. Sometimes, it is easy to imagine from a safe part of the world how people survive in war-torn, disaster- or disease-stricken areas of Africa. We wake up to different news each morning. Economic reports…

  • August Night Poems

    THE NIGHT The night is full of fresh air One which come with the wind Talking of the Wind, she is irresistable Sweetly, comely to the flesh of men And a quick aid to the lullaby’s effort RAIN It seem it will pour heavily, sometime later For the Lightning had come to snap pictures Of…

  • Tiv Princess

    1 Princess The sun rise of the Tiv! From the Crowns crest You wore a lace, weaved Of many, herbs, jute, wool 2 In the midst of all You stand dazzling in the sun rise Hovering over others like the Iroko, tall, Beautiful, with such grace and height Leaving men wanting of desires *** Commentary:…

  • Three songs of the Night: The Shepherd’s Tale, a Star and Stinginess

    1 The Shepherd’s Tale: Fast, from afar The sun set Golden streaks touch the skies, So the sheep bleat with joy Full bellies rumbling with forage, In anticipation – For the night came slowly With her was the sweet breeze And all left to worry about Was a good night rest 2 A Star: There’s…

  • Thoughts on Loneliness 3

    Today I was in school (where I work) and really enjoyed the time I spent with my favorite students and friends. I had a lot of hugs especially from Helen, a primary school kid who took fancy of me. I teach the secondary section but my friends mostly are those little kids at the kindergaten…

  • Thoughts on Loneliness 2

    Introverts do see themselves as threatened species. What I mean is that they feel overwhelmed in the crowd and most times misbehave in such environment. I, for instance can relate to this. I feel so consumed and inadequate when I’m in a place full of people. I won’t say this has to do with less…

  • Titan

    I’m a Titan! For I dance under the greying skies, Strip the trees bare of green leaves And watch it slowly die with my pitchforks I’m a Titan I tease the streams and oceans So when they wash up dying lives on the dust I pity and sigh with discontentment I’m a Titan I dig…

  • When love is wicked

    Your love became wicked When I watched you walk, When you wished me away

  • Your smile

    Your smile is an elixir To my soul, When you smile at me I take in more joy and life