Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: poetry

  • My Musing: February 11

    Aha, my mind seems to laugh at me… But I cared so little for what it thinks I say to it, “there are more to life than you see” And for the world I say, “follow the sun as it sinks” For a shepherd, I am a stranger and sojourner …Travelling to a land far,…

  • The last night dance

    The nights are quiet and calm The smell of the rose picked in the morning Comes mildly as the serene air filter in Curtains dance like the naked light of the candle Like you, my dear as the night you danced Raising your hands to your beautiful black hair Looking through the raised arms to…

  • When the wind stops

    The tent-peg shake angrily in the wind On the sandy soil it looses its strength while the clouds are dark with the storm The mighty wind takes her toil upon the hamlet Dried leaves and sticks fly in circles Dancing to the tune of the angry wind The roofs upon the towns houses Creak and…

  • Haiku: Farewell

    Memories and tales will be told Hopes and dreams, in shield And all will pass into legend If our paths ever pass again

  • The Tale of a Shepherd

    When it is time to leave the hamlet To leave the vales and the thornful paths To seek fresh and sweet grasses For the little bleating lamb and sheep The shepherd wakes from his slumber The roads are rocky and mountainous Filled with stubborn stones and quarry The mistletoe grow on the roadside But the…

  • The Golden Savannah

    Have you seen the African golden Savannah? Come drive through dried brown grassland Come bake in the heat of the sun Come taste the corn beer, cooked by the locals Come ride the horse through the wildlands Come draw your name on the tropics beaches Come and see… The stray serpent, the Python or the…

  • Musing: Baby Chicken

    The days hours go fast The sun makes all lazy Then came two strange looking birds Straying away from the hen brood To come sit beside me Ignoring their mother hens calls Funny birds! But they were all sitting beside me Listening to the airy wind And the sounds coming from trees Maybe they thought…

  • Little seed

    Small seed, a poor prize Which I carried along all this while In my forgotten pocket and in my heart I am going to plant it someday though And watch it grow from my window And everytime I wake in the morning I shall look to it as the sun rises From my old rusty…

  • Freedom

    When the creepy hands of darkness departs Then comes a flush of renewed energy *** Do you feel the sweet and virgin morning airs, fresh? Do you love the warmth that comes with the rising sun? The mornings signify a new life Never tie yesterday to this new life But stay awake to the worlds…

  • Beautiful Dreams from Heaven

    When Dreams come to one Grip them with all you have got The dews of Heaven bring them The smiles of infants in the morning A very cold winter blowing in might And twittering of birds by your window The falling red tree leaves in a park And the blossoming of the golden wheat The…

  • Silhouettes and Fear

    What lurks in the darkness and nights Waiting to jump on ones neck When no light come from the stars? What bears a fur and Sabre tooth And follow the silhoutte of preys Even as one walk in the lonely park? What stands in a dark tree plantation Running its ferocious claws on tree barks…

  • The days toil

    Now my eyes close before Thee Grant me sweet night airs and peace Let my slumber be quiet and undisturbed For the long days toil made had me tired Let Thy eyes move before me each day To guide and show me the right way When the moon and stars leave the night Always let…

  • Beautiful days stay unseen

    When the dark clouds come upon the clan All grow dim, sobre and quiet The stars are hidden from sight But the dark cloak holds all down The stars, the hopes and good dreams The fireflies cast a minute light On the stormy and windy night The clouds bear a weird apparition Confused at his…

  • The Desert city

    The church bell chimes quietly in the city But this little town is left to Pity’s mercy The only noise heard was the airs whine Upon the obscure paintings as the only signs Old dirty newspapers fly about Passing telegrams to misty ghosts Swerving from one side of the road to another Times decaying touch…

  • Wake me up

    Wake me up With your tears Of love and care Let my consciousness comfort you Wake me up To plough the fields To gather wheats And see your smiles Wake me up Even when I’m strengthless To feel the airs Come from the mountain Wake me up Draw back the curtains Let the Golden Sun…

  • A New Day

    The morning sun brings joy Now that the dark has gone And the clan is wide awake To begin the days routine The clouds are bright For the new day has come Birds fly away over the hills The forest trees drift about The mists are sucked off As the heat of the Sun shine…

  • Ferns

    See how you dance by the river banks Throwing your green hands up And swerving to and fro to the airs rhythm With the suns warmth you waltz Nodding to the chattering of your pals When a strong wind comes you wave Faltering and bowing to the winds grace Enjoying yet the rough caressing of…

  • Two Poems of Oke’ Iroegbu, The Apple and The Summer

    The Apple blossom and turn red Before now the Pines tell her ‘You are not what we think you are’ For then she was green and young And when the wind blew around The forest side, she swerved about Like a tree leave upon a branch ‘I will blossom some day, you know’ She would…

  • The Waterside

    …by the Waterside See the waters queer like a green tea Flowing quietly in the dry season The haste of waters upon the rocks As the tides airs treat the trees And all lively nature around it Even in the quietness of the stream A sort of hush and joyful sigh is heard A soft…

  • A beautiful morning

    It is a beautiful morning With the Golden sun rising And my slumberness, waking This Light comes new to me A perfect start for a day to be Your Love Jehovah comes to me For You are this pretty Light I see From behind the light curtains The sweet blessed airs flow in They come…

  • The Crow and The Rabbit

    A Crow was sitting on a tree Doing nothing all day. A small Rabbit saw the crow, And askd him, ‘Can I also sit like you And do nothing all day long?’ The Crow answered: ‘Sure, why not.’ So, the Rabbit sat on the ground Below the Crow, and rested. All of a sudden a…

  • Crystals of Water

    I hear your swift surge Like the snaky locomotive Cockcroaching thro tunnels And sighing along the way See the waters clear as the sweet spring; Leaping crystals surge forward in haste The waters run in joy to other lands Feeding the shorelines all this while Pulling along the stray crab and the torn ferns And…

  • The Lone Wolf

    Slowly tis moon surge-by Two shades join in harmony As the door sides creak Allowin’ the cold airs To filter in calmly Blind winds blow boldly Dogs bark and whine And the pines call Fear knows not himself Yet a dark cloak Sweeps fast across the lane Creepy and with leaps Takes cover behind the…

  • To Love…

    I am writing to you Cos of the pain in my heart The distance we created For nothing sake But I am pained Though you see it not Love hurts a lot But it has its worth But remember… I will be pleased Only when I see you smile Only when I see your grin…

  • Musing

    The dusts wane Clouds are free of them Birds ski up the sky And people return home A fresh start to begin And that is just lifes swing

  • Quiet nights

    Quiet nights can be romantic And when one- a poet is alone Words of reason come to him But stray night flies sing about And the crickets quiz themselves Proposing numerous theories Asking questions and reminding One another of the quiet day To them the nights should be noisy It should be one of merriment…

  • 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…

  • Masquerades

    Strings of flax fall from your stress Hides carved from animal skin And strange cloth embellish you You swerve around like a drunk Scaring children and younger folk Caring for nothing but for asunder The masks on you remind of the hyena Your whip dragging behind you as you walk As you seek peoples’ doors…

  • Start new, 2016

    Seeing this fresh new year Reminds of how dear We are to God, Almighty From the jungles of East Africa To the snowy lands of Canada Arise, be blessed, be lifted! From the sands of Arabia To the icy terrains of Russia Let joy be-filled in your dealings And from the cold nights to come…

  • A Muse: Arise, my Sunshine

    Goodmorning my sunshine Should I let the curtains open To let the suns warmth reach us? See the sun rise fast above the clouds From the silhouettes of caves she rises Showing herself in between two cliffs Painting the grey land gold; There is smell of burning grass Come from farms awaiting the suns heat…

  • The rivulet, Oko’pia

    You stay far away And you beckon to us From the quiet hamlets, we hear you call Messages passing through the forest rumbling stomach To the white clouds garnished by the sunshine And the tree pathways, leading to you We sit on your banks, telling stories of the wild You let the trees surrounding us…

  • The Butterfly

    There was this little yellow butterfly Fluffy, gracious and hovering all about me She seemed to be searching for my legs Though shy she seemed, she kept flight And at a point she came down to the floor Flapping her little wings calm but swift I watched her, trying to understand her gesture With my…

  • Take me there

    Take me to a place where the sun shines Where flowers blossom in the summertime And the yellow wheat fields stay in quietness Even as bees and beetles buzz about the trees And butterflies hover about in sweet abandon Take me to a place where the airs are mild In the mornings after a stormy…

  • Your Smiles

    Your smiles are awesome They make me speechless And when the day is spent Upon my face, the stress With your smiles and scent Thoughts of you are heart warming You are sweet and hug deserving

  • A Psalm : Hide me in Your Shadow

    Hide me in your Shadow Lord Let me be invincible to the worlds strife In the vales were dry bones lay And up hill were the skies touch the Earth Let me stand blameless before You I have fallen for I am just human Weak, frail and vain, but You perfects all this Now I…

  • Hold my hands

    Hold my hands Let’s take this stroll together Let’s grow older together Your smiles light my world I am lost to endless wonder Hold my hands Let’s take this walk together Let’s smile at each other Let’s walk beneath the tree shed In a dry and airy evening of December Hold my hands Let’s forget…

  • Christmas

    How happy the day ended And now the stars glitter in the night With laughters of joy resounding about While up the hills, the grass burn How joyful the hugs and smiles are From loved ones and friends And the entire acquiantance made As celebrations and festivities abound Now the birth of our Lord, Christ…

  • Festive Season

    In the mornings and evening And as the sun rises each day Comes the joy of the festive season On the roadsides the dry grasses lay Waiting to be gathered and burned So the flames can dance happily To meet the sky, his sweet bride And the fest ends as the soot falls solemnly But…

  • Yehobhah, God of Invincibility

    Oh Lord of all life The one with the power of invincibility He who made the Universe and all in it With mere words of mouth The pillars of the Earth stand erected! He rides the thunder storm in the dark And like the passing of grey clouds The Sun rises on His command The…

  • Aba, The Enyimba City

    See the roofs on houses, dust cladded And the palm trees stuck to the ground Like a majestic knight standing guard The streets wind up the road Ogbor sits on a hill up the vale The ancient city and fortress Once on the river flowing fast Washing strange mens nakedness The harmattan brings dusts upon…

  • Let us dance

    Let us dance while the moon shine As we swerve about together To see the stars as they glitter Let us dance under the baobab Besides the termites castle And the grazing field for the cattle When we dance under the baobab And the moon light up the cloud is bright All beautiful memories come…

  • Be there for you

    When love is taken to the moon And for many, numerous reasons The lines of your teary eyes Grow dim as your love deepen Your hug drives me crazy It transforms my view of the world A dance of the flickering flight On the black eyes that watch my lips As you peer into my…

  • By the Window side on the Harmattan

    Once by the window side One can see the greenfields The tulips and the sweet smelling Rose And the little spider crawling about in her net The golden sun shines forth Bringing her warmth through the window And the birds twitter on the tree Which live near the windowside Sometimes squirrels come bounding in Throwing…

  • God is Reading

    Now write of the falling leaves From tree tops and heights As they fall in solemn circles And as the wind rock them about Write about the mountains and hills About the hollow sound made When the birds hover over them Painting silhouettes upon the ground Write about the trees And their sweet awesomeness The…

  • 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…

  • When the Sky Fall

    Will you look upon this weary face When it all ends some coming day – When the volcanoes erupt And the sky fall Or will this face be saddened With sudden human twist of betrayal? Will there be your shoulder to lean on Will there be your care and pats, When tears cloud the blue…

  • The sunset

    The sun set slowly The grey dusts of time Sink as the dark come As the birds fly away The winds become softer It lets the moons sign Come upon the clouds as a print The smell of burning grass rent the air The golden color of the wheat Which stays when the sun shine…

  • Airy Night

    The evening is cold The airs are mild It blows very sweet Into the eyes of all Burnt ashes fly about Even as the evening is dull And people lay yawning The wind continue to blow

  • The Leopard Man

    Once, deep in the heart of the hamlet A terror strikes in the dead of the night Tears, blood trails, and fresh paw marks After the moonlight comes a deep roar From the forests that live with the hamlet A terror descends upon the quietness Two small balls of light ravage the village In the…

  • Umudinja

    Tonight, reminds me of thee motherland Thee land of great forests and men! Of streams and vast farmlands! The home of the Cashew and the Palm The scenery of Mother Natures beauty A painted work, done only by Nature herself Great hills and vales surround thee Oh how love flows when you are remembered All…