I read this excellent piece, and I fell in love with it. I should share it with you. This is from Nicole Coventry’s poetry book The Chaos of Letting Go.
I had mistaken you
For the sea
For sunshine
And soft sand
But you ended up
Being the hurricane
That destroyed me
Tree leaves dance when they fall, trembling quietly
Brown leaves, some dull in red and lighter green
All manoeuvre in the same direction of the wind
When bold leaves fall off the branches
They twist and sail through the wind
Some set up leisure, settling on the moist below
Sailing off, noiselessly to other stream banks
But those who fell on the ageless rocks
Clasped to the grasp of the fern
Idling patiently for the wind to free them
Tiny insects seeking nectar fly around the river greenery,
Slowly, the water finds its way through rocks
Rushing peacefully, polishing pebbles, shoving stray fish off
The air is icy cold, so is the beautiful waters of the stream
This dawning paints a modest, peaceful scenery,
One which waits quietly for the noisy bird cavalry
Your pretty face reminds me of the sun,
When she rose from the back of many hills
Dragging her gold blanket before farms
So if I am to paint this beautiful muse
I would imagine sunrise over wheat fields
And fast approaching evening when birds fly home
We have seen vegetation crumble;
Even the greens of Sahara go south
Towing with it our life-giving earth
Spreading tentacles of drought
Upon man who knows only profits
I walked ahead of time
Beyond those warm blankets
Of trees and sunny forest,
Listening to Nature speak
With hope, I gladly seek
The darkness gently enfolds us
Rugged up against the cold air
“Stay together”, says our leader
“We don’t want anyone to get lost”
Entering the dark mysterious woodland
Torches lighting up the way
“Look over to your right”, she instructs
Her beam focuses on a bird
Asleep perched high up.
A Boobook Owl flies silently across
Our path gazing quietly at us
Its large eyes shining brightly
And peacefully flies into the night
Our lights catch a pair of possums
Feeding on the Eucalyptus leaves
I like how the moonlight creates
Silvered open areas and shadows
Dark black and eerie to me
I imagine fairy folk dancing
In the open patches to a strange tune
My attention is directed to a Koala
Slowly climbing out on a limb
It calmly stops and reaches for
A bunch of leaves and starts to munch
Bats fly in the sky above us
A large moth flutters in the lights
This is a beautiful and serene place
The moonbeams are like searchlights
Between and through the foliage
More sleeping birds and possums
Looking upwards and seeing
The starlit sky beyond the foliage
The moons rays slanting bright
The moths and bats are engaged
In a deadly battle as they flutter by
The night air is icy cold to hands and face
We hear a crashing in the shrubs nearby
The lights catching Kangaroos bounding away
Disappearing into the surrounding darkness
All to soon the walk is over
All agreeing that it was worth it
Going into the cold night air
It’s time to return to our cabins
Thanking our guide we go
Saying goodnight to all
Long train of soldier ants
Aboard the swerving tree
Several spiky leaves float
When swarms of bees
And flies waltz in sunlight,
Beautiful birds tweet
This little carnival was about
The milk from a leaking coconut
Sitting on this grassy knoll,
Overlooking the vastness
Of the vast open sea and
A strip of aureate colored sand
Hearing the gulls calling mournfully
Seeing the breakers endlessly
Crashing against the shore
In the distance are islets
Dark blue against the sky
Beyond them, the boundless ocean
Feeling quite relaxed and mellow
Feeling at peace and calm
Here calmness and harmony is found
Relaxing my troubled mind
Gazing at the aquamarine and
Sapphire colored waters
And the rugged brown boulders
With the white frothing brine
It is delightful to be here
At this moment in time
All is well
Love is a tiny seed that grows silently and evolves into a tree. It’s green leaves, and strong branches give succor to all that run to its shelter. It’s kind and compassionate.
Love knows no religion or tribe. It does not shame or get jealous. It dreams and, like birds, soar above all. It is humility and unselfishness – an umbrella that accepts all races and creeds.
Love brings hope and positivity. It may be the little green butterfly flying about the treetop. Her soft wings gladden the soul and bring happiness to the beholder. With the wind, it floats as the fragile cottonseed to faraway places.
Love tolerates and corrects; true love is unconditional and lives forever. It creates and reproduces. It respects and adores, and sees the best in everything. Love builds bridges and colors the world in peace.
Love is a story of perseverance and resiliency. It is a sunset over the African countryside, the beginning and the end of the day.
All life is capable of love. When one looks within, that’s the first call of love.
Ever heard birds call out
To the fast-falling night
Across the glossy horizon
As the setting sun sink?
Ever waited for sunset
To bring in pots,
Take out warm mats
And wait for moonlight?
Slowly night falls here
So ends the noisy day
One night, two flasks,
A room full of mild wind,
A grey paw-licking cat,
And a naughty parrot
A story rising off the kettle
As it goes on with its whistle
Two tablespoons of sugar,
Lettuce, beans, and cucumber,
A very confused dinner
Bat parade,
Early night, coming cold
A gust of breezy wind
But man and pawns gather
To watch the sky full of stars
Memories fade, distanced more
Yet apart we wade, off
Tears are part of the roles
And distrust has become one too
Your words still cut through
I’m assured that love went wrong
I was rock but you made me gold
So I offer this little flower token
In appreciation to your absentia love
I always stand beautiful
Love made me wonderful
Failure defeats losers but inspires winners
Is it not odd
When life turns
Blurry, vague,
With memories of
Disappointments, breakups,
Death, and great failures?
If pain greets the weary,
Life like salt may lose its taste
Instincts then question life:
Its meaning and reason
Daring it to find another
In a world away from the living
Consider the world with its uncertainties
Where challenges belittle many
And men born of women
Live but a few great years
Yet life goes on
Sunrise and sunset,
Pretty lilies grow
And will wither
Morning and night
Live with joy and hope
Find these in everything;
The flowers, the hills,
The birds and trees,
Shrieking babies or crawling ants,
The system or cycle called life,
Keeping nothing so sacred
That life lose its meaning
When that finally flies away,
So live not just for one’s self
But for others’ happiness
All has its time and season
Time to leave, time to return
Time to wine, time to dine
Time to live and time to die
But it’s not for one to take life,
Dear life that man cannot create
If all can remember that
Nothing is worth dying for
That suicide is not an option
Then life can find its meaning
Good evening. Today I will share with you THREE COLOURS OF L♡VE poem.
In one’s lifetime one may experience only three kinds of love:
1. You love at a young age and let everything go down the drain because of stupid things
2. You fall in love and along the journey you get hurt, lied to and damaged
3. You fall in love without noticing, and you end up rising in it because of your joy and happiness
I hope you will enjoy reading the poem, if you experience any challenges as you are reading, I’m here to help out.
Enjoy the rest of your evening.
Thank You – Njabulo N.
You fall in love at a tender age,
Hoping to be loved much better tomorrow,
More than you were loved today and yesterday.
That blinds your eyes and mind,
Not noticing that you are growing apart,
Then you decide to call it quit over silly things.
Look at you now with so much regrets,
Written all over your skin and face,
Tears and heartbreak of a fragile human being.
You think that was not love.
It was love, a true one,
For what you know love to be.
It was not that deep like an ocean,
You were still young,
You were blinded by fairy tales and fantasies,
That happened in your head,
As you watched love performances.
Colour of love
You are not as hard as I had imagined you to be.
You fell in love,
You made yourself vulnerable and you got hurt,
I’m pretty sure you learnt your lesson,
You are now strong as a tortoise shell.
Fact that you passed all this,
Great pain, damage, lies and betrayal.
You have grown,
You know what you love about love,
You know what you don’t love about love.
Since you can’t read people’s mind,
You are now cautious, careful, closed and considerate,
Because you own a fragile loving heart.
This love taught you so many things,
Look at yourself,
You now know what you want and what you don’t.
The third colour of love,
Beware of the love that comes blindly,
Without any warming as it creeps on you silently.
This is the love that always get you,
You can paint the walls red,
But all that will be washed out.
Now you started to care about that person,
Without even trying to let it slide.
You don’t allow yourself to get lost in their eyes daily,
That is when you see beauty in their imperfections,
Not hiding even a single thing from them.
Look, you even want to get married to them,
Have a family together,
You thank the universe for them,
You just love them,
Without hiding your emotions
I’m memories away from you
Yet you live just in my heart
I look up the skies to see your face,
And each star glitter with your smile
I’m left with memories of us, so blessed
It’s been 15 years already and I continue to miss your love and care. For DSc Nduka Iroegbu, my father.
How winds have howled! How all small life lay low, Trembling in the face of awesome pow’r!…
Sonnet: The Storm is Over
1. NATURE SINGS TO ME
Nature sings to me
In the most melodious tune of joy
Tickling happiness into the shattered lonely me.
Nature sings to me
To make me feel like a king
Tune of everlasting peace
In my ears, it ring
And truly, I know I’m really blessed.
Nature sings to me
And I cross over the worries
Of the uncertain realities
Casting away the giggling joy
of the shadowy calamities.
2. ONCE THE LITTLE TIDDLERS
We were once the little tiddlers
Roaring high with our whimpering mouth
Pleading to the moon, mama must be awake!
We played with beautiful toys and patterns
We played with every man and woman
We played with everything that made us happy.
How so innocent we were
With our coat of many colours
Fun everywhere, here and there.
Those were good old days
When men be babies
The awesome gloom’s wonders, They’ve never gazed.
Now babies be men
Broaching so hard in the tangled race
Can we go back to the good old days?
Oh no! We must surely set the pace.
Many walk this path, many never return the same
Before sunset, the town gets filled-up with tired men
Those who found providence in wood
Returning hands weak and worn-out,
Overtaken by life’s numerous good
For faith waits to guide to paths
Where hope as lush forests flourish
Glittering morning sun,
Woke to nature’s beauty,
Warm scent of caked clay
Leftover from night storm,
To me life is series of moments;
Made up of sounds and sights
Cackling peacocks, blue skies,
Green fields, huge waterfalls,
A female goat calling to her kid,
Group of laughing basket weaving girls,
Three red headed lizards fighting,
Sounds in the clouds and trees
Of surfing hawks, pigeons on roof,
Of squirrel mischief, lazy reptiles,
And little birds building fine nests,
All contribute to this beauty
A sleepy and sunny African morning
A perfect day to live and explore
Night falls behind the village fence
Last traces of day, shadows fade
Tree lines turn grey and black
While the sky host a million stars
Quiet evening, sound of water
Heard down the waterfalls, by the streamside
And from thickets bullfrogs wade
Enjoying the fresh and sweet breeze
Tree branches play with the wind
Soft singing is heard from huts away
While hill dwellers talk with clouds
The valley people make hilarious jeer
Wood burn in the open fireplace
Sweet smelling dinner cook slowly
Sleepy kids watch, filled with hope
Tonight stars shine upon the hamlet
Laughter follow tales told to children
They gather their small mats for sleep
When night fall in African countryside
Dreams, many dreams aren’t far away
That magnificent city
Built beautifully
Its walls painted in great colours
Furnished with happy diamonds
Its streets with the unceasing glitters.
My hometown
The city of the two great hills
The city where I feel the cool breeze of nativity
Beholding the swaying tulips and smiling sun
The love of nature, giving me the mild spirit of liberty.
Yeah! I love you dearest hometown
For all I wished, is to be with you right now
I remember there is no place like home
Even though, I daily dwell in Rome
She writes well. Just discovered another African talent.
An empathetic mindset and love are what we need for a better world.
It’s utterly monstrous weather out there. Each time the breeze touches my skin, I shudder and sneeze. I’m cuddled on the bed, clutching a phone in one hand in a dark room, too lazy to read or even find a light. No candlelight anyway. My windows and doors are shut tight, yet the cold still came through. I grab the blanket to cast it over the tips of my exposed foot. And to determine where the burst of wind came from. It’s a cold world, no doubt and a dark one for that matter. It’s a lonely world for those who can’t afford blankets.
The homeless have nothing literally. I’m left with thoughts for those who feel this cold but can’t afford a blanket or a roof. Life can be so cruel. I’m sure that someone needs help. Somewhere around the street corner, you will see them. I trust that some good people will consider giving out old blankets or get new ones for those who can’t afford it.
From my bed, I wish for the stars on a freezing night. I don’t know; maybe they could somehow warm the night for the homeless. I feel sickly: bitter tongued, laziness, fever, and headache, all signs and symptoms of a tropical illness. So no poetry for me tonight, just my thoughts and bed.
I ask myself this: If I under a roof can feel this sinister cold, how will the homeless manage? I hope that homeless children and women are safe in this weather. It’s unusual for me to sleep without thinking and praying for the less privileged.
If you havea bed and a roof, you should be super grateful. Let your empathy make people grateful to live. Remember the homeless in your prayers and almsgiving.
I’m glad to see the rising sun
It tells by sight stories unspoken
And paints my curtain perfect green
Divine love woke me to a new start,
A new life, something to celebrate
When I gather the curtains
To glance through tree lines
And green field glittering in the sun,
The rays catch my breath,
Birds chirp and take flight
Morning is my grateful moment
Sing for me dear nightingale
Gather your host of voices
Rant through the early night
Tweet away joyfully from heart
Let my ears quiver from your song
Let frogs and crickets listen to it
To respond with their baritone
Sing for the sweet nectar
For red roses and hibiscus
And the traveling sunlight
Tell the stars your stories
And the wind the days you saw
Let me hear your voice sing for me,
To ring through quiet nights a lullaby
Some men are born to good luck
All they do or try to do comes right
All their geese are swans
All their cards are trumps
Toss them which way you will
They will always like poor puss alight upon their legs
And only move so much the faster
Faint voices speak,
Loud in my mind
I look in your eyes
It tells sweet stories
If I look away
It is to smile, in my heart
We live beautiful moments,
Laughter, peace, kindness,
Harmony, playful fights
And you, a perfect inspiration;
Pouting red lips
That reminds of cherries,
Hair dancing in the breeze
That spoke of dark nights,
Very light brown eyes
That talks of golden wheat,
Happy moments together;
Watching stars glitter
Singing away to hearts desire
Or the quiet gaze into sunset
Yes we dream together
Our beginning and end
Breathe again,
Like you have just gained yet another chance to live,
Life is not promised but experienced and lived.
I have grown to be a different person,
Different from normal people who do everything like everyone.
My life is not the same anymore,
I wonder why everyone is worried about it,
I no longer pay much attention,
To what the world brings or take,
I no longer pay much attention to the world ending,
I have seen it end for me countless times,
Going to my sleep with no hope left,
Then beginning again the next day.
I breathe again,
To see the darkness leave my life,
I feel like a small forest surviving off of a moon alone,
But I know that my light is extraordinary,
One that can light up the whole universe.
As I breathe again,
I have seen the world coming to an end,
My mind experiencing too many clashes,
Ideas, thoughts arguments, debates,
As my head goes in circles,
I can’t think straight no more.
As I breathe again,
I have lost trust, hope, love and respect,
I don’t believe in that anymore,
I broke the ocean in half to be somewhere,
Only to get there and I was alone,
Felt betrayed as my world crushed into so many pieces.
I lost a smile,
I find it hard to chin up,
As I bury my flower of innocence,
Because my world has shut down, crashed out yet again.
As I breathe again,
I even doubt that I still exist.
I even doubt that I have feelings.
I’m not the same being anymore,
I’m not the one you used to know before.
As I breathe again,
I learnt not to construct forever foundations,
On temporary people.
As I breathe again,
I doubt I will ever see tomorrow,
I don’t see any need of breathing again.
It is pleasant to sit in the green wood,
and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold,
and the Moon in her chariot of pearl.
Sweet is the scent of the hawthorn,
and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valleys
and the heather that blows on the hill.
Yet love may be better than life,
I ask can the heart of nature be compared to the heart of man?
Love can be crazy
Yet I am amused
I try to figure the words
You pelt me with,
When we spoke of love
It was zenith of all, everything
Days and nights
It fell in and out
Maybe this was right,
I look farther away
Towards sunrise
A pint of love on my breast
And strong hope waiting…
To behold another beginning
So I let this patient heart beat
While it wait for you
Time will surely fade
But I will wait for your return
Beginning and end
Light after dark
Dark before light
Darkened skies
With dancing fireflies
Breezy evening
Joyful moonlight
And glittering stars
A shepherd’s lore
Down the country
Sheep and goats,
Green and gold,
Patches of life,
Water and fire,
Dust and wind,
Heaven and earth
All in fine contrast
But happy unison
Shallow roots shoot
Masqueraded shadows
Of life or death,
Again beginning and end
I watch pretty stars glitter
From this fine little window,
When night a perfect picture
Hung across the wide horizon
Fireflies dance around light bulbs
Mighty shadows cast upon my paper
Distracting a work full of life and art
Yet I stare out to behold stars glitter
