THE SLEEPER

The closing of the eyelids,

The fluttering of their sight,

They see all things in reverse,

They wait for time to start.

The nodding of their heads,

You wonder, are they falling dead?

The state of their mind,

You wonder, are thy packing out?

They slouch their backs,

Releasing one or two farts,

They sag their heads,

Releasing one or two drips,

Opportunity came knocking,

They didn’t hear because they were sucking.

Greatness passed through,

They only remembered to prepare their beds.

The birds chirped,

The sun shone,

The stars twinkled,

The sun set,

And then it rose again.

The mice ate,

The kids played,

They only awoke,

To see the darkness of the sky.

They awake to emptiness,

Not just the bareness of the table,

Not just the bareness of the pot,

But of their lives.

Indeed a little sleep,

A little slumber,

A little folding of the hands,

And poverty cometh like a thief,

Simply to steal the sleeper.

By Somto Stella Okeke

   

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Faces of Leaders - Somto Okeke

A man wearing a pair of shades told me I should follow him,

Like a dream, I stood beside him,

But alas,

I was not the only one.

When I get there you would know ‘He Said’

We walked and the sun stalked,

We thirsted and our throats twisted,

We limped and our feet tripped,

The tree branches had no mercy,

And our feet kicking the mud, leaving no tracing,

We hungered and wondered,

Will this ever come to an end?

And on the brink of surrender,

Some screamed form behind,

‘Where are you taking me to?’

‘Where are you taking us to?’

And he turned and said,

‘I do not know’ and he removed his glasses,

And behold he was blind!

   

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LOVE by Somto Okeke

Can I have something I cannot define?
So dynamic, it cannot be confined.
So short in letters yet can choke,
So tiny that gives men stroke,
So complicated yet makes me fly,
So high, further than the sky.
Very light to say out,
Very easy to scream out,
People drink it and are drowned,
Some swim in it and get drunk.

I stroll down the lane,
Perceiving the air so full of scent,
From flowers that suffer no pain.
I see the birds on high,
And I give out a silent sigh,
As they flap their wings,
And dance around in rings.

The cold breeze makes me chill,
The gravel makes me trip,
The sand, there to catch,
Ready to stretch to my length,
The grasses so tender,
Waiting to render,
Their leaves despite my gender.

Before I hit,
I see the hands ready to grab,
On my feet, I see the face of the one I love,
I look upwards,
And I see a finger,
Holding the one, I love to me,
I look upwards and I see the face of the one who loves you.

    

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The Facebook Addict by Laju Arenyeka

My fingers shake,

My legs are pressed together from an enduring bladder,

My shoulders ignore the numb pain

My heart beats faster every second

My vision is blurred by red, blue and white

My eyes read my lips

“Just one more message,

Just one more photo,

Just one more friend request”

Yet amidst a singing stomach

My eyes know that lips lie

Burning the mid night oil I would have slept

On my knees, a trip to wonderland

Yet to like and unlike,

My clear eyes dare comment

On and on, hide and seek

Till NEPA rears its ugly black head

And on hands and legs I grope to bed

Dreaming of all my friends

Who have taken my neighbour’s stead

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Feeed me!

I'm human like you

You're human like me

We're all humans

But our nature far apart

On the streets we strive

we only hope to survive

my self-esteem is lost

now just a walking corpse

You look at me as hopeless

I perceive you as heartless

I never pray to be like you

You never wish you were me

you've got great dreams

I once had those I think

you've got all you need

I cry daily even to feed

I'm that child you ignored

as you walked past this morn

I buried my brother yesterday

while I cried in pain of loss and of food

all I need from you is a token

just to feed

just to stay alive

just to see tomorrow

don't shout at me

don't shut your windows at me

don't you turn deaf ears

as my look says, "Feeed me"

She has dreams like you...

Every 3.6 seconds, someone dies of hunger, 75% of them are children

Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion - a majority of humanity - live on less than $1 per day, while the world's 358 billionaires have assets exceeding the combined annual incomes of countries with 45 percent of the world's people. UNICEF

Only a well-fed child will think of having dreams, or aspirations, or listening to your seminar on Change. 

Don't neglect that child on the street. N50 spent on that snack could make a difference...Give and you will never lack. Never. It's a fact!

          

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It's all about You - Somto Okeke

Remove the rags of ignorance,                                                 

Put on the apparel of knowledge.

Turn off the light of stupidity,

And let the sun of wisdom shine down on you.

Do not wear the shoe size of stagnation,

Let your foot wear have the spirit of motion.

Do not look at the clock of the past,

Let your watch be tuned to the present,

And repair it if it doesn’t extend to tomorrow.

Let your eyes become the eye,

Not staring at the world,

But focusing at your world.

Do not talk if you are not sure,

For all talk but not all speak,

For all hear but not all listen.

As you wake up every morning,

And you realize you are still breathing,

And you do not know what to do,

Ask yourself, would I rather be dead or alive?

If it is the latter good for you.

If it is the former, see a pastor!

You might also like:  Just 4 Words!

    

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Just 4 words!

A message of hope
Straight from above
Piercing through the soul
Revealing mysteries untold

An idea is born
A solution is proposed
An offspring of wisdom
To be nurtured by knowledge

Your ideas shall sprout
Yes! They shall doubt
With resilience you shall shout
“I’m born to stand out!”

They’ll give you reasons to give up
You’ll give them reasons to shut up!
They’ll say you a’int perfect
Well, you really never told them you were

Many times you’ll quit trying,
Sometimes you’ll prefer crying,
Would this become a reality?
No mortal can tell, only divinity.

But then again you shall rise,
Keeping focused, eyes on the prize,
Because few years from now,
After you passed the test of time,
This is what shall be:

You shall rise on your feet,
And they will rise for you – applauding,
As you gracefully walk down the aisle,
With just 4 words you have to say.

As tears fill your eyes,
Emotions welling up…
You look round and see faces,
Some that once doubted your idea,
Some that said you may never get there,
And forcefully slow shall the words flow
Just those 4 words as you humbly say:
GLORY BE TO GOD!

You might also like: Feeed Me!

     

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Tatashe (I'm Hot & ur Not!)

Tatashe

She’s the pride of the African woman,

Dreaded by many, dared by few but loved by all,

Rumor has it; she’s brought grey haired men to tears,

Alongside her many children,

She carries out her duty without compromise.

Red as Danger,

And Hot as fire!

Children scream at her arrival,

She’s the nightmare of the white man,

She brings tears to your eyes,

And you can’t even feel any emotion,

Few have learnt the art of her gimmicks,

Trying hard to blend with her split personality,

Red as Danger,

And still Hot as ever!

Oh! You can never resist the slim red beauty,

Adorned with grace in her green wig,

Who knows, she could have been the cause of the 2 World Wars…

You should never underestimate what this beauty can do.

SAY IT LOUD!

I’M RED AND  I’M HOT!

Cuz I’m the RED HOT CHILLI PEPPER.

                                    From Tatashe with Love…XOXO

                                                    

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ODE TO A PARAMOUR

I could tell you I love you a million times,

And time would pass after a zillion chimes,

I could hold ur hands…look at you and smile,

And you would cherish the moment – really loving my style,

You’d feel good…and I’d be in a cool mood,

Like Robin…Oh Yeah! His surname’s Hood,

so my fair lady, all these will be sweeter,

If we play round love’s circumference – having God @ the center!

Composed by me                            

                                                                                   

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Trance-Script (Part 1)

D lemoney freshness of green tea sipped thru his lips,

warm cosy blanket caressing his skin,

cool harmattan whispering thru the blinds,

opera lady's voice compensating the rhythm.

He gently blinked and sipped again,

without the teeniest care in the world,

it felt like nirvana...

Alas! a great silence befell the room,

the lady gone mute, tea running cold,

all the darkness could mutter was PHCN.

but would this mark the end of this peaceful bliss...?

Arose he did,

heart tempo increased,

iced tea wasn't an option,

neither was hushing the lady any better.

He reached for his torch,

hit the switch,

but before he could twitch,

something strange had ensued.

What was this madness...?,

was his sight playing games

or his mind he could no longer tame.

A sudden luster permeated the room,

the opera lady's vocals slowly fading in...

(to be continued in Trance Script - Part 2........Coming Soon...)

        

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The Battle (Remodelled)

So before you start reading the poem I want to create a visual.
Imagine a battalion of soldiers receiving the last orders before being launched out into the battle field.

 Got this pic to emphasize what I mean, 
they have no idea of what the enemy's arsenal is like buh....IT'S WAR! The enemy doesn't care who you are...he's gonna attack.




Well so, the poems bout life...the battle is life itself and the soldier is YOU!
Enjoy!







The drum rolls,
hearts beat,
the battle is near,
only few are aware,
its not the first of its kind,
neither will it be the last,
the rules are the same,
retreating only sounds insane,
for some its a battle of fame,
to lose is a matter of shame,
for some its a battle to compete in,
gladly shunning the role of a victim,
for some the battle is won,
just before it had even begun,
The battle, The battle!
It is a battle of wills,
its a battle of the mind,
faint sounds of the battle cry echo in the distance,
smiles beam on the faces of 'the prepared',
uncertainty skims the psyche of the fainthearted,

The battle is not a battle to be won,
Rather it is a battle to be endured
Because IT IS THE BATTLE OF LIFE!

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