Roadside

A beautiful house
The landscape serene
As in people’s dreams,
A message pad hangs on your door
But no pen



Of the love that we nurtured
Not even the afterbirth remains
All is lost as in a war.

Whatever happened, I wish I knew.
Even in love, I lose
Jilted like a throne without her crown.

Where you touched my heart
Now sprouts a sour delight
So I travel light
Like the afterglow of love.

In the books that we shared,
We were beautiful
Just as in fairy tales.

Have I

Very often, we live with mates and significant others and not really get to know them. Part of this may be as a result of the stresses and demands of modern living and the other may be because of our own failings and inadequacies. Here is a piece that tends to speak to this tragedy by asking questions. Here is "Have I".

Have I

Have I been with you so long
yet not kindle the fire of your youth
Have I been with you so long
and not know the passion of your dreams
Have I been with you so long
yet kept shut the sanctuary of my heart
Have I been your friend of long
and not know the joy of your love
Have I been in so long
Just to remain without?

What Race

Here is a PUN that plays on two words. See if you can figure what two words.

What Race

Was at the race
Couldn’t tell though what race
Might have been the horse race
Or even the dog race
Could have been the arms race
Or the human race.

But white or black
What race is the horse race?
And light or dark
What race is the dog race?
The rat race!
What color is the rat race?

Between the races,
Which race is the best race?
The long race
Or the short race
Could be the rat race
Or the dog race
May be the horse race
Or even the human race.

Talk about the human race!
Who drew their color bar?
Between the races,
The white race
The black race and
The colored race.

But what color is the white race?
The colored race!
What color is the colored race?

The color bar!
Who built the color bar?
Were there any grills?
Were drinks served at the bar?
Which color or race served in the bar?
The white race
Or the colored race
Could be the horse race or even the rat race.

Were there prisoners behind the bars?
Who did the bar, bar.
The races or the colors
Or the races and the colors.

What races were allowed membership of the bar
Were they too, in the arms race.
Who were in the arms race:
The arms
Or the dogs
Or the rats
Or the horses
Or the humans.

Whose arms were in the arms race?
The white arms
Or the black arms
Could have been the dog arms
Or the rat arms
Or even the horse arms.

What about their legs?

And who won the arms race?
And the horse race?
And the human race?
And the dog race?
Or even the rat race?

Could the rat race be won?
Which rat ever won?
And what race was he?
The white race or the colored race

The nuclear race!
Where was it ran?
At the race track
Or at the race course
Who were in the race?
The race horse
Or the race rat
May be the race dog
Or the race man.

The race question!
What was the race question?
Who ever answered it?
What was his answer?
In whose favor did he answer?

It's all a mad race
Of the human race.

Simple pelican

Hikus have their origin in Japanese literature. They have since spread to other parts of the world and have slowly become a dominant genre. Haikus follow an exact format 5,7,5. The first line is 5 sylables, followed by a second line of 7 sylables and a final line of another 5 sylables. Check out Simple pelican

Simple pelican

In all his glory
What man could, with such splendor
Alight like this simple pelican

Nature dance

Nature dance is a 39 stanza piece that is written to be lyrical. It opens by asking question about some mundane things such as a rooster's ability to tell dawn. It continues by examining different parts of a typical day, beginning from dawn, through noon, to dusk and back to dawn. Here is Nature dance:

Nature dance

1.
By what ancient wisdom
Does the rooster tell dawn,
When moon mares snore away
In the twinkling bosom of spying skies?
Good morning America
Good morning Europe
Good morning Asia
Welcome Africa.
2.
What lore tutored the cock,
In the science of time telling?
3.
Tell me Nwalemu
Was it not an ant yawn ago
A mere twinkle
When you taught the sleepy wisdom of past dawns?

Mourning

The loss of my best friend several years ago was a humbling experience. I had always known how fragile life is but it was not until his death that I gained a deeper appreciation of the life that we have. His memory still lives in my heart like it was yesterday. Here is:

Mourning

Not that you went, to return another day
But that you went, never again to return,
And on your tombstone let it read;
“ Here lies a great youth whose sun set at dawn”

The news of your death ripped through the town
Like a hurricane
Leaving behind a trail of anguish
And everywhere the people gathered
Their faces graffitied with grief
They are talking about Emma Wayas.

About Abuja, I do not know
I have never been there;
I only remember as far back as home.

I heard you fell out
I heard you jumped out
I heard you fought Death
But in the end Death triumphed.

Suleja was where you met Death
When I think of her, I remember you with love
On that busy expressway and
The tragedy that is your death.

Suleja has since become the origin
Of my grief
I have nothing against her
But raw sadness;
And one day, just one day
I hope to see her face to face
And to ask;
WHY?

Bits and pieces of yesterday and me

September 11, 2001 we watched as the forces of hate and evil wrecked havoc on families from around the world. It was beyond words. Here is a short piece that tries to capture the mood of that infamous day. Here is:

Bits and Pieces of yesterday and me

Shattered lives! Broken dreams!
Mangled metals! Lost loves!
Bits and pieces of yesterday and me
What is left but pain?

Where is your beauty, September?
Where is your love?
You shall forever live in infamy.
Shame unto you.

This more of an excerpt from a much longer copy. The whole piece will be released in an eBook very soon.