Eleven Months Like Christmas

I’m reblogging this from the Naked Convos here. I think it’s an important Christmas reminder. Enjoy and act

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Eleven Months like Christmas
A grungy look, the dust sprinkles on my neatly packed hair
Runny nose and crack lips follow suit
What a season!
Yeah, it’s Christmas

Moisturizer, check
Lip gloss, check
Lip balm
*sigh check

The season is dear to the hearts of many
Not just because it’s the end of the year
But because it’s the time thanks are showered on those who made the year great
We appreciate the gift of generosity bestowed on us by everyone

A kid has many wishes
I know it may seem too much to ask for
But all I want for Christmas
Is not just gorgeous pleated Louis Vuitton

NO! It’s not just an overflowing food store to guarantee that I don’t starve
It’s not just an academic sponsorship to a University of my dreams
It’s not just to have my home’s bank account grinning with enough
It’s not just a new school bag or school books, even though I need those…

All I want is that I’m remembered not only during festive seasons
Is that the love, charity and care of December spill from the first month to the Eleventh
That the warm embrace extends beyond open arms to available arms
In thoughts, I seek to be remembered

I need YOU as a guide in February
One to celebrate me when I’m crowned with success in August
One to hold me in June and whisper: “It’s alright… Ruth”
All I want for Christmas is YOU, you, and you.

My name is… Idada Ruth, I’m an orphan in September too.

(Compiled by @McBethThePoet, @segunAyoade, @toluOloruntoba and Old-Rugged)

Adapted and Read at the Christmas Charity Concert, Ibadan by Idada Ruth, an orphan at the Jesus Children Mission, Bodija (08033843762)

I Miss You (Part 7)

What does it mean when a girl says she misses someone? Enjoy

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Hey little baby, It would seem I was you again
Smiling up at the world anew
This wonderful place in so far as you knew
Eyes wide and bright
Taking it all in, cooing in delight

Hey little child, I’m told you used to giggle so
While building houses made of Lego
Piece by colourful piece, just like your brilliant soul
Then smashing them and starting over
Remaking and reshaping them like the world was doing to you, to me

Hey young lady, I want to say I’m sorry
That I wasn’t all there, that I didn’t just care
That I did the most stupid things out of fear
The fear of being left out, being alone
Forgetting only I could be the one
Only I could sing your song, my song

I shaped myself in an alien mould
I shaved, whittled, filtered myself away
I thought I still had forever and a day
To make up for it all
But the sands of time did fall
Now here I stand, those years forever gone
With the sinking realization of just what it is I have done

Here I stand way past the Rubicon
And yes, I now see I have lost not won
I have lost the chance to be you, to be me
I forgot who you were, you wonderful creature
I forgot myself measure by measure
And now I look at the pieces I have left
Like the spare stuff after a grand theft
I have robbed myself of you, of me
And now all I can say is I miss you, I miss me.

Dolapo

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I thoroughly enjoyed this for some reason. Do you think you lost your soul somewhere along the way to gaining the whole world?

I Wanted To Learn

Please enjoy this poem by Eghe (@Euphoria411). Thought too hard for an intro but couldn’t find any.

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I wanted to learn and so went to school
Graduated and wanted to serve my Fathers’Land
But my accent got in the way
Guess this six feet under won’t judge me.

I wanted to learn and so went to school
Graduated and made my folks proud Alas!
So many potholes stood between us
“Yeee Oga driver look out!!!!” GBOOM

I wanted to learn and so went to school
Didn’t know I would lose my home
Please tell me its not true
That a great flood has washed away my history

I wanted to learn and so went to school
But ‘men-in-uniform’ chased me away
Do they mean my Dad is a fool
Since my tuition he couldn’t pay On time?

I wanted to learn and so went to school
Got involved in politics for positive change
But got my blood flowing in a pool
Guess I was in the marksman’s range.

I wanted to learn and so went to school
But I got bruised and smashed up
Stripped naked,bludgeoned and pummelled
I lost strength as my life flashed by
The crowd was jeering while I was roasting alive
They felt ‘cool’ while I was burning.

But I wanted to learn in Nigeria

I just wanted to learn

Dedicated to student victims of Nigerian society

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The remembrance procession for the four UNIPORT students killed in the Aluu communities was held tonight. Say a prayer for our Nigerian students.

The I Miss You series continues tomorrow.

Dodo

My smallie friend Deola (@deolaaa) wrote this last night. I totally agree with the sentiments expressed therein. I am saddened and angry that, in party packs nationwide, the slices of dodo are steadily reducing. This phenomenon is responsible for rising depression in the land. 😐
But I digress… Enjoy

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Like the eyebrows of Eucharia Annuobi, curved.
Like a new born baby, loved.
Like an Igbo girl, yellow.
Yoruba’s call it dodo.

Cool points of meals go higher
When they are ingested with you, the food messiah.
Friend of many, enemy of few.
Enviously, other foods watch you from the pew.

“Fleshy” “Clean” “Thick” “Erect” “Long”
How my plantain looks, not your schlong.
“Raw” “Boiled” “Roasted” “Fried”
How it’s eaten; also diced or sliced.

With vegetable, you go perfectly when boiled.
With groundnut, you look beautiful in your black patches and old newspaper “foil”.
When fried, my beans becomes a memorable experience.
The attention you seek replaced by a delightful ambiance.

I wish your life span was longer.
More than that of leather.
I wish you didn’t get burnt so fast
And have your sweetness replaced by a bitter soot.

Thanks for being there for me.
For all the times I used you as a mic for karaoke.
For those times I ate you raw and you didn’t upset my stomach.
For still being awesome despite being forced to ripen in a dark sack.

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Lol

Talk To Me

Dolu (@MsDuro) and Ife (verbalreasoning) depict a depressed soul and her comforter. I found this relevant at this time.
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Duro:
My heart is heavy
My spirit is down cast
Death brings so much pain, but it is an option
If the quest for happiness and joy is a mirage
Just a thought filled with so much hurt and heartache
Then why live?
The world that exists in my head
Is the only world worth living in…
No one wants to search your soul
They just want to judge you
Sentence you to a life of misery
To make themselves happy
But in the long run
We all end up broken
From our quest to be supreme solely…
We are all one-man armies
fighting to champion our own cause
building anarchy in our quest
destroying the balance that comes with peace
So many questions we ask
Trying to find the truth
Trying to reason
Trying to remain sane
But nothing is the answer
nothing at all

I sometimes wish I could die..
Now is one of those times
But I’ll sleep and push all this heart ache and pain away
Lock them up in that room of my mind I never visit
And awake to a new day filled wit hope and smiles
But that room is getting filled to capacity
And is beginning to weigh me down
I can barely move
To remain still is my only option
To remain lifeless is my best bet
to soar into the heavenlies is fulfillment….

Verb:
Go on
Write on me
I’ll be your blank page
I’ll bear the tattoos of your pain..
inscribe on me your permanent marks
I’ll carry the stigma of the scars which should have been inflicted on yourself
Scribble on me with sharp desire

Duro:
What are desires?
With every sharp desire scribbled comes pain
One minute pleasure, one minute pain

Verb:
Go on
Fill me to the brim
Strangle me with these words

Duro:
Strangle me you say… Strangle me with these words…
What then shall I do with your lifeless body
It shall only make my love wax cold
I should fill you to the brim…
What if when filled it becomes a volcano and we both burn to death? Leaving destruction in our wake
What then…

Verb:
At least you’d be free of all the pain that haunts you
You’d be rid of its hard and cold hands
stare it in the face with arms akimbo saying “Yeah… Whatchu go’ do now huh?”

Duro:
Hahahahahahahahahaha….
“Oh death where is thy sting?
Where, O Grave thy power?”
Love has conquered you
And with love comes freedom…

Verb:
Yes. With love comes freedom..
smiles that are actually represented by happiness you find within the love
Deep down..your world is lit up when you find this love
There’s an end to the dark feeling

Duro:
Hearts become lit
They shine brighter than the sun
Singing melodies more subtle than a symphony
Soothing like cool breeze
Swaying happy feet from side to side
While bodies merged together
Find the desire they search for

Verb:
Dancing to the music the happiness has played out
Crashing into each others arms
not holding back anything
Because it has been experienced on two sides
the pain..getting closed up by company
filling up that crater
Hearts melting..breaths passing, longing and tiring sighs

Duro:
Surrounded by nature….

Verb:
Surrounded by nature
everything not created by man
the strong smell of the rose bush overshadowing the thorns which it also possesses

Duro:
Being watched by the moon
Performing for crickets, as they cheer us on with their sound
Bodies dripping
Hands tracing the intricate outline of each other’s framework
Lips searching the depths of our buccal cavity
While linked to the soul
Hearts beating as they were running the marathon
As the luscious grass beckons our bodies to lay for the night

Verb:
And then I lay you down gently and tuck you in on the lawn
explore the twists and turns on your body frame
get lost in its awesomeness
lower lip to upper lip
touching like deep sermons
hot as brimstone but not burning
hands unsteady for excitement has them darting all over your body
hands that feel like tentacles wrapping all around
for you are a gift
therefore you are present here

Duro:
My body quavers at your touch
Each touch mesmerizes me and leaves me wanting more
I try to resist as I replay past pleasures which led to hurt
But being in your arms, melts the thought away
So I give myself to you
All of me, holding back nothing
Come into me and take me to heights only the gods have attained
For you have become my warrior, my knight, my hero
Cause you alone has conquered my love
Take me as your trophy

Verb:
I don’t deserve a jewel such as you
the greatest miners couldn’t possibly create you
to lay my hands on you is an abomination I’m willing to get mixed up with
You’re more than a trophy
You’re a fulfillment
I’m nothing but a mere man which has been blessed from above by your beautiful heart
touching you is only the representation of the abstract love we share
I’m trying to feel literally..and make it equivalent to the figurative feelings I have for you
I am only your hero when your love is in my heart as the ultimate weapon

Duro:
Not only have you satisfied me
But you have won me over with your words
I shall wear your love
Like gold
Walking round the city beaming its reflection at day
Lighting the path at night
And as I lay in your arms and close my eyes for the night
I pray to awaken in your embrace
I pray that you become a permanent figure in my lifes painting
And when the stormy seas billow
Together we shall overcome
Arm in arm
Side by side
One for all
All for one
You are my diamond
Sparkling in all its beauty

Verb:
I’ll be there to make it calm like still waters
peace would overshadow you
love would be the only flood never to be made still..it shall forever be raging
I’ll have you within my grasp and never let you go like you’re the only thing linking me to my chances of living
bring you sunshine at midnight
my smiles would take away your darkness
my voice ringing in your head, dialing up your love
making you pick up and hear my heart speak to you
giving you the world which you can only imagine
enchanting, mind-capturing, soothing
I’ll provide you with that eternal bliss
I have built my heart for you
live inside of it and never lack emotional shelter

Duro:
Now sleep my love
Lay in my bosom and rest
There’s no need to dream
For we have started living out our dreams
Building our fairy tale world
This night being the beginning
I pray days would not run by
Years slip by so fast like a second
So I can shower you with all my heart can muster
While I take permanent residence in yours
We shall awaken to a brighter tomorrow
Because our hearts have become our sunshine
But for now, sleep my love
Sleep in my bosom

Verb:
No I’d rather wrap you up in my love
rap you a love song
I’d go against the greatest law enforcers for you
I’d stand at the front lines of a world war for you
your love keeping me from death..healing me as it heals you
Taking me to a place so bright I squint within the vicinity
we shall go to bed peacefully now darling
and wake up to intense love

Duro:
Seal my lips for the night with a kiss
For in you my dream lies
Now sleep my love
For the task ahead is not for the faint hearted
It’s spartacus at its best

The Not So Big Day

Another weekend of poetry. You are used to Ranti (@NateOblivion) by now. He comes here when he’s in a light-hearted mood. His other work can be found here Enjoy. 🙂

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Behind a filmy lilac curtain
Decked in the finest aso-ebi
The couple is aglow with euphoria
The groom is lost in luxuriating
The bride radiates untainted allure.

Behind their pavilion,
A storm is brewing,
Anger is building to alarming heights,
Heated words rend the air.

The stewards are smart and dapper
Unsmiling statues behind gleaming dishes
Food appears to be in excess
Ravenous appetites must be satiated.

Behind the food station
Avarice is in full swing
Pilfering women amass fine cuisine
To be stowed away for a rainy day.

Joyful music uplifts every soul
The crowd is exceedingly jubilant
The light chill in the air is unnoticeable
But a wave is flowing amidst the sea of Gele
Stomachs rumble and smiles fade

The long-awaited time has arrived
Refreshments are to be served
But alas! Food is insufficient
Many a guest has been left unfed.

The flames of anger have emerged in the open
An irritable spectacle to behold
The families have turned against each other
Chairs fly through the air, chaos is supreme

Behind the filmy lilac curtain
The couple is all but pleased
The groom is lost in exasperation
Bridezilla shrieks and goes on a rampage
Guests curse and begin to disperse
The skies darken and lightning flashes

The live band hurry their instruments to the shade
The heavens empty on what was once a joyful wedding.

The Stars Shine Down

Today Uche (@TheBlackHermit) makes his debut on the Poet’s Corner… Enjoy
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The stars shine down

Illuminating the earth all around

They kiss in a shadow

Their passion, like riverbanks overflow

A piercing sound rings through the dale

Alas, it is the lark this time, not the nightingale

Herald of the coming morn

Thus our lovers bid farewell, forlorn

For the day is their foe

Their love, it’s face never to show

So they wait for another night

When the stars shall once more their world light

So have you ever had to endure love in secret for any reason? (“Ekaette” stories dont count please) Any experiences to share?

Molue

Dare (@theDharkone) paints a picture of Nigeria’s most famous means of transport. It’s the cultural setting I like the most. Enjoy!!

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Waiting longingly by the roadside
Eyes sharp as an eagle’s
I spot her approaching
A black and yellow ugly beauty
She whispers and growls
Vomiting black smoke and steam
With a whiplash sigh, she shudders to a stop
The crowd around me becomes feverish as they vie for a place in her heart
Some settle to hang on her dirty skin
Others dive through open windows

I stumble in and sit by a window
Staring out of the memory crusted glass
The muted smoky brown throwing a haze over the city
Turning streets and culture into snapshots
A sweaty fishmonger plomps into the seat beside me
Crushing my slender frame with her sizable hips
Dashing my spirits with the smell of her wares
I stare ahead as our bodies sway in the rocking bus

A preacher rises from the back
Piercing the grime covered ceiling with his black book
Blending threats of fire, brimstone and gnashing teeth
With visions of gold streets and eternal praise
The silence in the bus is deafening as he sits and hands out tracts

Another preacher rises holding up magic dust
Screaming promises of cleaner blood and healthier waistlines
Smoother skin and clearer eyes
He gets an order and grins
The aging bus stops

The fishmonger leaves, hefting her basket full of tilapia as she goes
A brightly colored tout replaces her
His hair is a tomahawk of gold
His ears and eyebrows studded with silver
He smiles at me baring tobacco stained teeth

I smile back uneasily

Letting down my guard imperceptibly

She grinds to a final halt
The rush into civilization begins
I remain seated as the rainbow of humans flashes past
Prostitutes and church brethren
Schoolchildren and fishmongers
Wrinkled old and vibrant young
Smiles and tears of sweat
The haze of tired suffering hangs in the air
I rise to leave, handing my fare to the ratty conductor at the door
I step into clean air and bright light and watch
As we all vanish into the throbbing heat of humanity
No one acknowledging the other
I make to pull out my wallet but it’s gone
Stolen no doubt by a boy with golden hair
Gone with the yellow and black living casket.

Across The River

Ranti (@theGothPrince) is back with another poem. (Yes I know, my blog is becoming more of a poet’s corner but that will soon be challenged!) Can love be this strong? What do you think? Enjoy!

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Meet me across the river
The river that flows beneath trees with poisoned fruit
Come with joy, my pensive lover
Let us relive moments long forgotten
Dance to the music we cannot hear anymore
Ride into infinity with lips locked in an eternal kiss.

Meet me across the border,
The one dividing your body and mine.
I wait for you with outstretched arms
I wait and watch you suffer with longing.
Cross and we shall be one,
Never to be perturbed by the vagaries of life.

Meet me beyond the horizon,
Where the sun has long gone
Uphold with an act our unlawful pact,
Escape the ghosts that plague you with guilt.
I can promise it won’t hurt for long
In a moment, the pain will be gone
And you’ll find me again by your side.

Meet me across the river,
The one made of endless tears.
Our love will wax forever strong
If you keep your promise as I kept mine
Meet me across the river,
Across the Styx that flows through Hades

The Orange Blossom

This awesome poem has found its way to the Poet’s Corner from Dare’s pen (@TheDharkOne). Deep and beautiful. Enjoy it

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The first time I saw her, I was but a year old
On a tall piece of white bone she stood
Shivering and shaking in the wind
Her tresses flickering from blue to red
Mother warned me to stay away
But I went ahead and caressed
She bit me coyly and I screamed my surprise
As Mother took her away
I burst into tears.

I saw her again when I was eight

Hidden behind a crisp brown turban
Mother tore it off with a “crack!”
Then put her to paraffin soaked wool
When Mother left, I took her to my room
Wondering why one so beautiful would hide her light
I struck her head against the wall
She burst forth in my hand
Her orange blossom lighting my face
Warming my soul
She bit me again and I dropped her
Fascination dampening my pain
I watched as she nearly died; soul blue as ice
Then smiled when she rose; red and hot as the Sun
She surprised me that night as she filled my room
Taking wood, wool and glass
Filling my bones with blissful heat
Showing a dark side that threatened to take me over
It filled my lungs and burnt my throat
As everything went black
I smiled.

I am twenty when we meet for the last time
We have been lovers for so long
My skin marked as hers, melted and made perfect
My blackened fingers clutch her signal to dance
We are going to a final gathering of souls
We walk through the crowd as she rests
Cold and heavy against my back
As I stand in the middle of mortals, she whispers
“Release Me…”
I push red and she escapes, loud as thunder
The Phoenix embraces me, touching my core as I scream
It’s a white-hot orgasm of primal lust
I rise, floating above the rubble, amidst charred souls
The Orange Blossom has taken me
everything goes black

One last time