Serving In Fear

And that I'm a newbie
Is not reason for me to die
Witless in this snarl-up;
When the war is another setup.

In this dark shadow of war
Lies my story of learning
And memories beyond the smear;
A starter pack in my journey of unlearning.

If I feel that you must hear
It's so you stop this repugnant war
Because we serve you in fear;
And no hope that the end is near.

I gather that hate is distasteful
Yet, we serve it in wars
Howling like wolves and avatars;
But discarding talks that are peaceful.

Rainbow Tribe

Walk in as you wish
That's my tribe,
And just as you cherish
You'll stay in the sea and flourish.
My tribe has kept the tradition
Of them that left before us;
From a notion to motion
Love is served in this nexus.

And they that tasted its hug
Said it was without sour;
A display of splendour.
And here's the cup;
A story of belonging
The bloodshed notwithstanding.
And there's the pickup;
Passed down hup hup!
From a man to woman
I say,
From woman to man
All day,
From father to daughter
And yay,
It's a story of laughter!

Laughter that's walking away
As war grasps the subway
But nay,
To the tribe where our secret lies
Our tenacity never dies!
A tribe without a hue, we're a rainbow.

A Woman Is You

A wise woman, who's also you
I'll stay in your womb;
like the lilies of the valley.

A wise woman, who's also you
I'll walk you down the alley;
away from nature's tomb.

A wise woman, who's also you
I'll radiate you in the galley;
like the fleur-de-lys, mom.

A wise woman, who's also you
I'll stay in the pink of your love;
athwart the miles betwixt us.

A wise woman, who's also you
I'll laugh and be the dove;
of the punctilious tides of your opus.

No Way To Elude

I see them on the street,
Walking my way to school in discreet.
And in trucks and on rooftops,
They stare judgmentally at stops.
Cops with some underlying friction,
Like they are mad at me being alive.

I was taking a walk from school,
My LAST!
A final walk into my blood pool.

No way to elude a bullet
Today my life is taken like a wallet
A slug that comes in to derail my dream
Halting a desire to fulfill my divine realm.

A thriving self is cut to a lifeless body,
More is how Mom would dare to stare;
At me owning a dead body,
And Dad staying strong in this nightmare.

A journey I make early at seven
For a free dwelling in heaven
Without time to wallow in self-pity
Behind me the darkness lingers.

Free and open the space swings,
Yet, Saul's disciple stalled my life engine.
All fears and tears,
For peers still on the steering wheel
Without having to conquer.

Only When You Win

This emerging pattern of who you are
May in no time take away your star
It's like we only win when you win
Is it also possible that 'I' win only when we win?

If this too plays that we fail when you win
There is then the truth that your win is failure
What's the point of your win if it cannot lure?

If we do not win when you do not win
Then you are in quest of the wrong win
You just are.
You are not a star!

Survivor

I met a girl with beauty's touch,
Of a way, she leaned into a crouch,
Unbeknownst to her, my heart skipped,
And went out of sync like no one anticipated.

A tulip whose glow faded my breath,
In what was a delightful springtime.
Afar, she was an adorable eastertime,
But beyond the glow, there's pain beneath.

When she spoke of her agony,
My heart refused to sleep in testimony.
It was like an unexpected wintertime,
Variation of grief and venom for a lifetime.

Afanwi and family were in hunt of refuge,
A lifeline from the terrifying hooting of gunshots,
When some gun-wielding monsters fired shots,
And alone, she survived by subterfuge.

I Will Deal

A green snake in the lush greenery,
Wearing a luxuriant smile of ingratitude,
Garbed in semantic exactitude.

Of virtuous nature speaks of love,
Except that he professes in pretense,
A delightful tenor of your gloomy days
Using the lord's name without offense.

You could well die of torture,
In this grim face of society,
Of plots and conspiracy,
By his likes, paying you back with perdition.

But nay,

Even in burden, you refuse to sleep.
‘Oh no! all that don't matter, '
You said, from five feet deep!

I am struck by your reassuring words,
All the more, by your move to fight on.

You held out your little candle,
And let it shine!

I fail to understand my own existence,
Sometimes, I think of vacating in silence,
But your life shows me benevolence.
I cannot leave, I will deal.

A Morning Of June

A quiet morning of June,
The sun rose with a miracle.
The arrival of baby Jude,
Oh, and his smile was a spectacle.

This tiny new person was a blessing,
The beauty his parents had been missing.
His coming changed everything,
So, of course, he was a precious thing.

‘Tis another quiet morning of June,
A momentous one for Jude.
The boy has grown to be a flower,
Watered by his Maker's shower.

From his third floor of life,
With a smile, he looks back at life.
Without all glory in the race,
He has little worry - it is grace.

A race not without pain,
In his pursuit of the grains of gain.
‘Tis like a calling, difficult to chalk,
But he refuses to talk the walk.

An erratic race for this go-getter,
Is the price he pays to be better.
And so, to young Africans is this letter,
Since dreaming is free, be a pacesetter.