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!

   

Read More

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.

    

Read More

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

Read More

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!

          

Read More