Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: poetry

  • Muse: Thanksgiving

    I’m grateful for you—you make my heart sing

  • Muse: Sun Streaks

    Sun Streaks What happens when the day comes to an end? That’s a question worth a million dollars, and people often have varied responses. I find myself quickly captivated by the setting sun, leading me to scribble down words or phrases that come to mind. This magnificent view never fails to distract me from the…

  • Love Poem: When You Look At Me

    Love is the sum of little things that people do every day When you look at me, your grey eyes make me fall deeperWhen you smile at me – ina murna – my heart dance for joy! Commentary Ina murna in the Nigerian Hausa language means I’m happy. In Igbo, it means obinatom. Why do…

  • Sun, Rain, or Snow?

    It’s human nature to wish for something, such as rain, snow, or sunlight, but to wish it away when it becomes too much. Sun, rain, or snow, which do you prefer?The sun & rain I like, I’m tempted by the later Mild sunlight is a pleasure for outdoorsChill rainfall can be a great cradlesongThe earth…

  • Muse: Sunlight

    Sunrise is like music to my eyesIt is like the mountain climber’s sighThe reflection from the sunlight is goldHer warmth she spreads across the world

  • Patterns 1

    Look at those fascinating cloudsHow they fold, foam, and float awayA glimpse at their majestic patternsReveals the forms these clouds takeMountains poke up to meet the skiesTake a deep breath; the sky, the views are all yours

  • Train to Santa Fe

    Verse 1: Mountains and Vast GrasslandDry streambeds in a whileLonely cattle here and thereVast plains overlooking peaksHills grow into mountainsAnd mountains touch the clouds Verse 2: Rainfall and Gloomy CloudsThere’s raindrops on windowsA lullaby of metal and rainTunnels, bridges, creaking,The clouds play hide and seekAnd sunlight is half amused Verse 3: Villages and Happy FolksClay…

  • Maybe 3

    Maybe shadows tell stories too

  • Amuse: Stand-off

    Sunset and a stand-off with a handsome strangerHair fuzzy, I wonder why it stood its groundOver the golden horizon, retreating birds watch the calm wagerUpon this lonely highway, time will tell who gets the upper hand

  • Maybe 2

    Maybe sunsets are the beginning

  • Don’t Forget To Dance

    Dance because you can. Dance because you are alive and happy—put your hands up, shout for joy, and move your body, because you can.

  • May

    Let a million tongues singYou, I, our stars, may we all win!

  • Freestyle: San Francisco 2

    City by the BayAdorable sunriseEven prettier sunsetWatch the skies danceNotice the seagulls callFearless, surfing the windTowers stand confidently,They come in many shapes,Punching high into the skies,Concrete, verdantAsh and greenBold and naiveThe nights are chillBay breeze makes it soThe noons are warmBright clouds pleat above If it’s afternoonGlasses glitterIf the wind sings,Passersby listen That’s SF, a…

  • Muse: Star

    There’s a lone star up the sky,Glittering feverishlyBothered by the dark nightAnd the bright moon shine There’s a lone star up the sky,From the window you can seeHer struggle, weak and faintBut giving light to heaven

  • Muse: Smiling Stories

    Your smiles tell a lot of beautiful stories. Please never lose it, keep smiling for the world—for me.

  • San Francisco, First part

    City by the BayBig heart, big ups,Where imploring sun raysAnd dreams stay View the multitude of automobilesCockcroaching through lengthy tunnels,The shine from their radiant metals ricochet,Bouncing off on glass and seawater Soothing sea breezesWelcoming, flirty winds, With drifting ululating seagullsReach out to the setting sun Big City by the BayMajor hub, big startups,Where desires aboundThe…

  • Books

    If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell? If I opened a shop,What would I be selling?Hmmm, let’s see…Books, oh well, New books, old books,I could sell cough drops,Tumblers, pretty rings,Or things that are shiny, But books I can read and sellTo add to my wit and bank

  • Maybe

    Maybe shadows tell stories tooMaybe the beautiful patternsOf crawling earthwormsAre Mother Earth’s signatureMaybe the trail left by snails & snakesAre stories on the dirtMaybe the silhouette of treelinesIs a natural art unknown, yetMaybe we dream of being the rainOr the sun, or the moon, or the windTo travel the world and see its breadthMaybe heartbeats…

  • Quote: Breaking Barriers

    We never know the places we go to. We become the first pioneers when we go, opening doors for people like us and breaking down historical and cultural barriers—Oke Iroegbu

  • Reflection: Love and You Are My Star

    Love One thing that the humankind needs to learn more often is how to love. Love can come in different forms. Respect is a form of love. Kindness, openness, happiness for others, and more. It’s a shame that a lot still divides the world. Tonight I chose to write a very short love poem—and for…

  • Reflection: The Moon and Sun

    I watched the beauty of this morning’s moonshine, clutching my sweater. It’s strange because we associate the morning with the sun and the night with the moon. I stood before my tent to fill my lungs with the purest air and see the sunrise. This quiet time was disturbed by passing aircraft gliding up the…

  • Sunrise

    Sunrise here happens in installments, first, it gets to the hills, then the valleys, and everything else Behold the happy sunriseFrom chasms unknownTo the bluish clouds, pureTo heave the gold blanketOver the hills and vales,Over the highs and lows,A moment—solemn, unspoiled

  • Moonlight

    Purely handsomeImmaculate phantomCircle, one of gentlenessOffering the galaxy,To all, and sundryLight and calmness,And breezy evening tideFor all, and sundry

  • Mountains in Stories

    There are stories about mountains, and there are mountains in stories. It makes perfect sense that places play a crucial role in narratives.

  • Podcast: Oke’s Folklore Corner

    Yo friends! I hope everyone is doing great. I just started my folklore podcast channel. The intention is to discuss cultural forms such as proverbs, folktales, songs, and folklore. I would love your thoughts on the intro. Click here to listen. Thank you, and stay tuned for more. Warmly.

  • Poem: Don’t Cry

    Don’t cry when the last coal burn outAnd the little flickering fire tries to stayDon’t cry around the noise of silenceEven when it’s so loud and deafeningDon’t cry when there’s a moonless nightWhen the cold hands of twilight threatenDon’t cry, my friend, when it seems it’s overLet it be; the sun will rise, so will…

  • Sunset at Moss Landing

    Sunset reminds me of the importance of resting, and ocean waves, with their harmony and sudden moments of silence, symbolize taking breaks. The powerful tides crash against the rock boulders, and the wind is busy throwing tantrums at the setting sun. My friends, always remember to take breaks and make time for rest.

  • Muse: Moonlight 2

    You beautiful sphere of light I behold your face once again Fast falls the evening tide And you remind me of home That to everything that has a beginning There must someday come an ending That home calls from a long-distance That I can only wait and listen to its call I see you, mythical…

  • Poetry: Moon

    Dear Moon—You beautiful ball of white light. I saw your smiling face this evening, and it reminded me of home. You stood—a shiny ball imposed on the fleeting night clouds. I see you as a myth, a floating phantom without legs. You swept—the streets and roads clean with your pretty light. Incredible, natural, unspoiled, immaculate,…

  • Muse: Love Again

    I want to hold your hands againTo look into your eyes, to say how I feel This is a muse that came to me. Love is beautiful. I dedicate this to all lovers out there.

  • Lake Champlain, Vermont

    You take me higher—you are the reason I sing. Jeremiah Gyang I have seen the tides in the Bay Area, but I haven’t seen a lake with winds as strong as the sea. Beautiful Vermont has it all—mild sunshine, strong breezes, mountains, forests, and the lake! I have crafted a simple Muse below: Lake Champlain…

  • Love Poem: Lightning in Your Eyes

    There’s the lightning in your eyesEach time you turn to smile at meThe fire—gracefulness, everythingIn-between, within and withoutNature witness to this love createdCrafted by two precious heartsOurs—the beginning and end For all lovers out there.

  • Love Poem: Music to my Soul

    Your words are music to my soulIt’s silent as the falling tree leaves,Yet loud like the currents of rapids Your songs are music to my heartThe bird songs and their trifle tweets,Squeaky sits, and dancing beats Your laughter is music to my soulI listen while it fades and lights outTo love again—laugh, songs, and all…

  • Sunset

    Evening—fair sunsetCalm wind, twilightBirds in mid-air flightChirp to this day’s exitSo breath in and outFor memories are all we got

  • Play and Work

    In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? Let’s start this prompt with a short poem I wrote some time ago. I call it Play or Labor. Play green locust, hopTake a swerve, make a loopWatch days turn into dismal years Labor brown ant, toilMorn and noon, dig the soil,Gather seeds before bitter…

  • Moonlight

    It’s time that candlelights are blown outOne after the other; in this little town,All wait for the moon to shine againWhen black figures stroll aboutBeyond the fences, the forest stoodThe green grass against the moonlightNow faint but immaculately whiteVarious odors greeted all, people, mudThere were dark patches on the stream The moon had spread over…

  • Poetry

    Why do you blog? This short blog post answers the prompt on why I blog… Poetry Poetry is a composition in verse or language, exhibiting conscious attention to patterns. The bolded are crucial to understanding the true nature of poems. Poetry has been in existence for centuries. As an art that survived centuries, I was…

  • Night Poem: Stars Glitter

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-2rk

  • Home

    What’s the shortest verse you read this week and what is home to you? Below is a piece drafted from a discussion I had with a friend. You might agree that home is truly the best place to be. East or WestRain or ShineHome is the best

  • Nature’s Symphonies

    I love to hear the symphonies of natureBy the side of streams or up the pretty sunny skies,When it showers or through the whirling wind trail,The smooth rush of the flowing stream,The screeching of insects beneath grasses,The virtually silent clouds whose sounds are exaltedThe call of birds, the hop of deer, minutes of termites,And effervescent…

  • Love Changes

    Your love changed meIt gave me a new lifeStanding beside you gives me confidenceWalking with you gives joy in abundanceMy imagination comes aliveMy mind becomes creativeI see all the beautiful thingsBecause you are in my life For all lovers out there

  • Evening Voices & Hues

    I hear the wind howl through the gapsWhispering solemnly to the approaching duskI hear your name being sung by fading rhymeOne hundred bird voices, flying toward sunset Green, and the taste of seasoned vegetablesPurple hues of flowers and her fragrancesBlack and pink, of waddling pigeons dressedHuhuhu-ing from the lonely rooftops Orange is sunset, a shade…

  • Twilight

    What’s your favorite sunset moment? I have created an imaginative piece for lovers. Well, love is the greatest magic ever. Good night. *** Warm evening blankets lurk behindWhen the golden sunset float ahead,Heralding end of daylightSo let’s watch it go in installments,Let’s feel the soft airs traverseDrift with pure graceThrough our hair and coatsIt gets…

  • Beautiful Sunset

    And here is capturing my favorite part of the day in pictures and few words! Taking it all in: the fresh air and breeze guided by tree canopies, the tree leaves falling, twisting and waving goodbye to sunset, the tiny worm crawling home under the brushes, the solemn rocks sitting harmless, the peaceful hills overlooking…

  • Let

    Let the soft wind of morning speakLet squirrels pick nutsLet happy deer forage rootsLet pretty flowers blossomLet the sun shine bright tooJust let all good things be Listen, to the rhythm of your heart – of Nature’s

  • Quote: Real Treasures

    Look at each day and value the real treasures; good friends, warm sun, fresh air, hearty laughter, and true love.

  • 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…

  • Love Challenge 3: Assistance

    Be each others shoulder to lean on when it gets dark or tough.

  • Love Challenge 2: Listen

    Sometimes you just have to go out of your head and listen to your heart.

  • 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