BETTER LATE THAN NEVER By Ozioma Ogbaji

Sometimes we love, sometimes we hate
We love the wrong ones
We hate the wrong ones
And when we realise, it is already too late

Sometimes we accept, sometimes we reject
We accept the wrong ones
We reject the wrong ones
And when we realise, we do a painful retrospect

Sometimes we hope, when we should not
Then we give up hope, when we should not
Sometimes we stop, when we should walk
Then we say nothing, when we should talk

In love, in life, in our daily dealings
We let go of things which give our lives meaning
and hold fast to fading illusions
If only we could see and have vision!

Then we would love and accept aright
We would not hate and reject amiss
We would give and take a chance
We would correct, do and start off better

But, what if it is our fate as humans to never be clever?
I hope you find the strength
I hope you go the length
For even if it seems too late, it is better late than never

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

A WOMAN'S REVOLT II By Esther Esuga

I am the one with the sonorous rendition
My words transport wise counsel to the minds of the young maidens
I am the feminine face of humanity
Man also but with womb
I am no weakling
I know my worth
My virtues are golden, pure and unique
I am bold, beautiful and desirable
I am the beautiful lily that cannot be crushed by antagonism and suppression
I KNOW how to put my home in order; at the same time be relevant and sit on the front liner of my sphere
I am intelligent, bright and not doomed
I am the eagle that can soar high with her eaglets guiding them to the path of success
I AM THE SWEET VOICE
Pleasant, loud and clear
I am the one with the sonorous rendition

A WOMAN'S REVOLT I By Esther Esuga

I am the voiceless rendition

With no choice of mine

I am the inaudible presentation

With no initiative

Like an eraser, such is blotted from the drawing 

I am the beast of burden

carrying the ugly faced weight through the Sahara

I can not rebel

I belong to the dreg in the society

Not having an opinion over a thing

For I do not count in affairs

I am the back bencher

For we are told 

A Woman'S PLACE is in the kitchen .

I am lord

My emotions are numb
As my breast milk become sour
Leaving the innocent infants with no food
I am swamped in the slope of my own hurt
And no one can notice for a split second
In my mind's eye I shout and scream
But I am the voiceless rendition
With no choice of mine

  

MY WOMAN By Ozioma Ogbaji

People stare at me with confused eyes
They ask to know where my secret lies
They wonder where I found my gait
They love the way I articulate
The softness of my arms
My captivating youthful charm:
This is my woman
The woman I have become
All these and more, are my woman

I walk with a quirky poise
People whisper, and it's a delightful noise
The smile of my lips
The curve of my hips
They say I've always been this cool
But honey, do not be fooled:
This is my woman
The woman I have become
All these and more, are my woman

They see fire in my eyes
They say I'm for keeps 'cause I'm a prize
There is a grace in my vibe
Something good to imbibe
The warmth I bring
The joy I sing:
This is my woman
The woman I have become
All these and more, are my woman

There is something about me
How did I come to be?
The reason behind my womanly pride
The reason for my sedate stride
My aura, as that of a loved emperor
My shoulders high like that of a conqueror:
This is my woman
The woman I have become
All these and more, are my woman

There's definitely more to me
They say I'm still a mystery
In the stillness of my mind
In the presence of my kind
I become more of the woman I am meant to be
The best of me you are yet to see:
This is my woman
The woman I have become
All these and more, are my woman


Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

COLOUR ME COLOURS By Ozioma Ogbaji

Like the heavens and the skies
Like the deep seas so wide
When I am confident and true
When I have faith in you
Colour me blue, colour me blue

Like the royals of Great Britain
Like the noble in truth and ambition
In my wisdom, dignity and pride
In my mystery and grandeur so wise
Colour me purple, colour me purple

Like fire and blood
Like the intensity of a flood
In my strength and passion
In my desire, love and emotion
Colour me red, colour me red

Like the warmth of the tropics
Like the sun, my daily tonic
When I am determined and creative
When I am happy and attractive
Colour me orange, colour me orange

Like a smile so warm
Like joy even in a storm
When I am cheerful and happy
In my intellect, when I am savvy
Colour me yellow, colour me yellow

When I am all these and more
When I am despised and adored
With the colours of the rainbow
With the colours that make me glow
Colour me colours, colour me colours


Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

WEEKEND SPECIAL: STILL I RISE By Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Written by Maya Angelou

WEEKEND SPECIAL: THE CLOUDS ARE GATHERING By Jerry Okooboh (O'Jerry)

The clouds are gathering...

Congregating in the sky

Our fate to decide

Blood and grime to rain

Just so they can sit and reign

The clouds are gathering...

Becoming darker by the day

Dancing to the music of death and decay

Ready to rain down chaos and cataclysm

Just for their self-serving reason

The clouds have gathered...

Pregnant with evil inside of them

Though they promise to bear gems

The smell in the air is hardly of rain

As it is of the putrid stench of rotten grain

The clouds have gathered...

Our hearts are numb with fear

Because the rainy days have drawn near

And we do not want umbrellas for dwellings

Nor do we want brooms to fight the flooding

The clouds have gathered...

And now our future is wobbling on a foot

But hand in hand and boot to boot

We will stay and fight the looming flood

And protect our future even with our blood

Written by Jerry Okooboh (O'Jerry)

WEEKEND SPECIAL: WHY I LIVE By Clement Aghedo

I was yesterday
I am today
I will be tomorrow
All for which I live

Do I live for you?
Do I live for me?
Do I live for humanity?
Do I live to be happy?
Do I live to be sad?
Do I live to be rich?
Do I live to be poor?
Do I live to love or hate?

I live to be alive
I live to survive
To survive hate
To live by faith

And there is more I live for
For HIS name to be praised

WEEKEND SPECIAL: BEFORE YOU JUDGE ME By Olu Jacobs (Olu D'Poet)

Friend,

Before you judge me in your own MONOLOGUE

Remember to check yourself first in your own DIALOGUE

My own actions are visions for a better INCUBUS

So do not judge me from a point vaguely RIDICULOUS

Every man has left his shell to hurt a FLY

Why then must you lambaste when my success go HIGH?

Let no man be quick to criticize ANOTHER

As no man is immaculate to his own BROTHER

If you perceive that I go ASTRAY

Do not back-stab my laxity to educe

Help me to my seat of attention

An bring me back as you PRAY

Friend,

Before you judge me, first remember your own MISDEED

For even so, we are never perfect INDEED

Written by Olu Jacobs (Olu D'Poet)

WEEKEND SPECIAL: THE BEAUTY OF ME By; Clement Aghedo

The beauty of the sunset far above the waters
The colour of the sun far above the hills
I define beauty

Like a being without shadows
Like a heart feeling hollow
I define loneliness
I am strong
I am happy
I define ME

Written by Clement Aghedo

WEEKEND SPECIAL: THE FAIR ONE By; Jerry Okooboh(O'Jerry)

For my mind is pervaded

With thoughts of this dame

And my heart is undefended

As she effortlessly sets it aflame

She entices me, she teases me

But love me, she would not

The fair one, I mean

The fair one is mean!

She affects me in ways inexplicable

And she knows it, I know she does

But she would not stop and I am incapable

Of defence; she has me under a curse

And yet,

She entices me, she teases me

But love me she would not

The fair one, I mean

The fair one is mean

She enjoys what she does to me

I am sure she does

And though she may not be the enemy

Of my misery she is the source

Because,

She entices me,she teases me

But love me she would not

The fair one, I mean

The fair one is mean

Or perhaps she does not know

'Cos to be fair to her

I am yet to clad my feelings in words

But she must know, I don't believe she does not

Is the voice of action

not louder than that of words?

Still,

She entices me, she teases me

But love me she would not

The fair one, I mean

The fair one is mean

Written by Jerry Okooboh (O'Jerry)

WEEKEND SPECIAL: A BOMBSHELL NIGERIA By; Olu Jacobs(Olu D'Poet)

My country Nigeria is being blackmailed by her very own CITIZENS

My restful snooze has become impractical for a hundred to one REASONS
I fear my own shadow in broad day light in the event of my own MOTION
Bombshells, war and the sound of guns make me walk in slow MOTION
My country was once a place of liberty and not HAPPENSTANCE
But the ones who fought for our freedom are not given a second CHANCE
When the time has come for you to cast a VOTE
Follow your heart and not the media's QUOTE
If we build Nigeria with bombshells, firearms and CONTENTION
How then shall we congregate together for a factual REVOLUTION?
Let us all rise and put an end to the nation's DISUNITY
For I remember the national anthem
One nation bound in freedom, peace and UNITY
I am the voice of the PEOPLE, as we ENDURE
My poems will forever rise against warfare and PERDURE


Written by Olu Jacobs (Olu D'Poet)

MR POLITICIAN By; Ozioma Ogbaji

When words are spoken
They should mend hearts that are broken
When words are spoken
They should not cause hearts to be broken

When triggers are pulled
They should spray bullets or gun powder
When triggers are pulled
Cries of defeat and victory should become louder

When you speak
Your words are best unspoken
Cause when you speak
My heart is not mended but broken

When you shoot
I am far from giving thanks
Cause when you shoot
You happily shoot blanks

When I speak
I particularly speak to you
When I speak
Mr politician, my words are for you

When I give you my fours years
My heart should one day give you thanks
When I give you my four years
and gun, please do not shoot blanks

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

MY COUNTRY PEOPLE By; Esther Esuga

My contri people
I tire for this mata
Person run go there na wahala
Person waka come here
I beg wen I see
Serious kasala

My contri people
Story full ground
Na so Aisha for detim side
Dem no fit go school
Dem no even fit sleep well
Unto say these people
Dem call BH
Fit just scatter ground

My contri people
We young soji people
We bin reason am say
If we hustle go school
Lock up for morning and afternoon
Softly arrange Ewa Agoyin for night
We believe say our Suru go lere


My contri people
Person turn ogbologbo for school
Sake of say na wetin
Sake of say na so so strike, haba
My contri people
Dis no be story for us o
Na story for the gods

E no get any work for any where
How person wan do Bad guys
Pepper no rest

Day before yesterday
Yomi just come lament
Unto say him chikala done follow one Chidi
Way come from America
International
Yomi say Shade say
'' I am not getting younger
   My biological time is ticking
   You are 37 still leaving with your parents
    I hope you understand''

My guy breakdown
Come to think of the mata
Shade get truth for her talk
She done tire, she done try , she done wait
If na your sista nko, omo na to port na
She got to move on mehnn
I no blame her

Now dem say na election
Rubbish mehnn
As you see me so, I no send
Dem say DEMOCRACY
Demo wat
I say demo fire

My contri people
I NO VOTE
I VOTE O, I NO VOTE O
Who go win go still win
We cry o, die o, shout o
Dem go just look us like lucozade

My country people
people dey bailout
Go yonder
I send dem now
Because that na the way forward
Ds mata no be today
Story full ground
My countri people



Written By; Esther Esuga

UTOPIA BY OZIOMA OGBAJI

As beautiful as the famed city of Atlantis
Gloriously flourishing in her perfection
There is a place where my soul and heart is
A perfect place without grief or deception

A place where my heart is always merry
Where peace blossoms like the cherry
The sun smiles at me gently caressing
My being as the birds sing beautiful melodies
Melodies which keep me guessing
The beauty of future melodic memories

Like the Cedars of Lebanon
Beautifying the palaces of Ethiopia
Purity, love and perfection adorn her every season.
This place is within me; this place is Utopia

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

SEE WHO I HAVE BY ESTHER ESUGA

I've found a friend
He tells me the unquoted truth
He makes me responsible for my actions
He sternly rebukes when I drift away from my path
Though he sets the bar so high and I wonder If I ever can get to my zenith
But the living spring of coolness walks on my nerves as He holds my hands and I climb the ladder
He pushes me to climb the scale and cleans the mess I left behind
He loves without remedy
He indulges with reckless abandon
He is not ashamed of me
He considers me in all his endeavors
People keep talking
They can say what they like
He wouldn't care
His love is enduring
I tell him to flee with my disgruntled attitude
He gets addicted
I've found a friend
A TRUE FRIEND IN YOU



Wrriten By; Esther Esuga

TOMORROW BY OZIOMA OGBAJI

She keeps coming to me
Yes, she gracefully comes to me
Beautifully adorned with pearls of hope
So bright I will not have to grope
Tomorrow never dies
Tomorrow is always alive
Full of hope and possibilities
Where I rise above today's impossibilities
Where the horizon never ends
Where my yesterday, today and forever blends
She waits for me beyond the horizon
And I fly into the horizon
A glorious unicorn, for I gained in the midst of pain
Tomorrow will come tomorrow and we will conquer again


Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

TODAY BY OZIOMA OGBAJI

I feel light and free
My hair caressed by the breeze
If ever there was a day so magical
Full of life so bright and beautiful
Today is that day
Let the chains of yesterday break away
Today I rise up in glory
Today continues my story
I rise like a Phoenix reborn from yesterday's ashes
Beautifully clothed in red satin sashes
As glorious as the Pegasus on Mount Olympus
I am exploring today like Columbus
I rise, I soar in my magical glory and splendour
And today keeps coming to me in all her grandeur

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

YESTERDAY BY OZIOMA OGBAJI

A beautiful memory, a pleasant history
A place where painful pleasure, savoury
Yet distasteful resides
Yesterday I was wrong but I still got along
I had my victories within her but now she is gone
She left me confused
Did I push her away?
Should I hold on? Should I make her stay?
Like a dying man holding onto his last breath
I hold fast to her length and breadth
But she slips away late at night, out of my failing grip
She waves goodbye as I slowly let her slip
Yesterday is gone, I suddenly feel light and free
I feel light and free, this must be how it was meant to be

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL By;Esther Esuga

The voyage of life and the pleasant furnace
Wondereth why tis trials and what significance


Thou heareth voices
Strange, disheartening voices

Not knowing the path to discern
seeing the failure in man's design

And we blame ourselves for the blunder
As we reminisce and ponder
Like our hearts stutter

Asking the salient questions no one heareth
When does help ever cometh

Alas

A Gabriel in the pureness of his apparel rises
Holding a scroll of elated tidings


Its colorful and its bright
You shall attain the great height


written By; Esther Esuga

A THOUSAND THINGS By;Esther Esuga

A thousand things I want to share
A thousand things I want to bear
A thousand things I want to do
A thousand things I want to feel
A thousand things I want to see
A THOUSAND THINGS


Written By; Esther Esuga

A TROUBADOUR I TRAVERSE By; Dennis Brutus

A troubadour, I traverse all my land

exploring all her wide flung parts with zest

probing in motion sweeter far than rest

her secret thickets with an amorous hand:

and I have laughed disdaining those who banned

enquiry and movement, delighting in the test

of wills when doomed by Saracened arrest,

choosing, like unarmed thumb, simply to stand.

Thus, quixoting till a cast-off of my land

I sing and fare, person to loved-one pressed

braced for this pressure and the captor's hand

that snaps off service like a weathered strand:

-no mistress-favour has adorned my breast

only the shadow of an arrow brand

Posted By Ozioma Ogbaji

This is another poem I love for its theme and literary expressions. Click here for a synopsis.

ON WEEKEND POSTS

Hey guys,

Thank you for the wonderful feedback.Your words are encouraging. We have found out that some of you have encountered problems while trying to post comments on the blog. We are sorry about that and are working to rectify the problem. Meanwhile, during weekends, we will be sharing with you our favourite poems by poets of old and poets of our time. We also would share poems submitted by friends or acquaintances so feel free to send your poems to poetreeinn@gmail.com. Thank you and tell a friend to tell a friend...xoxo

From Ozioma and Esther

TO HIS COY MISTRESS By; Andrew Marvell

Had we but world enough and time,

This coyness, lady, were no crime.

We would sit down, and think which way

To walk, and pass our long love’s day.

Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side

Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide

Of Humber would complain. I would

Love you ten years before the flood,

And you should, if you please, refuse

Till the conversion of the Jews.

My vegetable love should grow

Vaster than empires and more slow;

An hundred years should go to praise

Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;

Two hundred to adore each breast,

But thirty thousand to the rest;

An age at least to every part,

And the last age should show your heart.

For, lady, you deserve this state,

Nor would I love at lower rate.

       But at my back I always hear

Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;

And yonder all before us lie

Deserts of vast eternity.

Thy beauty shall no more be found;

Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound

My echoing song; then worms shall try

That long-preserved virginity,

And your quaint honour turn to dust,

And into ashes all my lust;

The grave’s a fine and private place,

But none, I think, do there embrace.

Now therefore, while the youthful hue

Sits on thy skin like morning dew,

And while thy willing soul transpires

At every pore with instant fires,

Now let us sport us while we may,

And now, like amorous birds of prey,

Rather at once our time devour

Than languish in his slow-chapped power.

Let us roll all our strength and all

Our sweetness up into one ball,

And tear our pleasures with rough strife

Through the iron gates of life:

Thus, though we cannot make our sun

Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Posted By Ozioma Ogbaji

To His Coy Mistress is one of my favourite poems. It was one of the poems in my syllabus back in school. I love it for the use of language, figures of speech and figures of expression. I also love the use of historical allusion and the entire theme of the poem. Just in case you do not understand literature or poetry this is a synopsis culled from wikipedia

SYNOPSIS: The speaker of the poem addresses a woman who has been slow to respond to his sexual advances. In the first stanza he describes how he would love her if he were to be unencumbered by the constraints of a normal lifespan. He could spend centuries admiring each part of her body and her resistance to his advances (i.e., coyness) would not discourage him. In the second stanza, he laments how short human life is. Once life is over, the speaker contends, the opportunity to enjoy one another is gone, as no one embraces in death. In the last stanza, the speaker urges the woman to requite his efforts, and argues that in loving one another with passion they will both make the most of the brief time they have to live.

WE THOUGHT IT WAS OIL BUT IT WAS BLOOD By;Ninnmo Bassey

   The other day

     We danced on the street

      Joy in our hearts

      We thought we were free

      Three young folks fell to our right

      Countless more fell to our left

      Looking up,

      Far from the crowd

      We beheld

       Red hot guns

   We thought it was oil

      But this was blood

   

    We thought it was oil

       But this was blood

    Tears don't flow

       When you are scarred

        First it was the Ogoni

        Today it is Ijaws

         Who will be slain this next day?

          We see open mouths

          But we hear no screams

          Standing in a pool

           Up to our knees

      We thought it was oil

          But it was blood

      Dried tear bags

          Polluted streams 

          Things are real

           Only when found in dreams

           We see their Shells

            Behind military shields

            Evil, horrible evil gallows called oilrigs

            Drilling our souls

     We thought it was oil

            But it was blood

   We thought it was oil

          But this was blood

   The heavens are open

         Above our head

         Toasted dreams in flared

         And scrambled sky

         A million black holes

         In a burnt sky

         But we know our dreams

         Wont burst like crude pipes

    We thought it was oil

         But this was blood

   We thought it was oil 

         But it was blood

  This we tell you

        They may kill all

        But the blood will speak

        They may gain all

         But the soil will RISE

         We may die but stay alive

         Placed on the slab

         Slaughtered by the day

         We are the living

          Long sacrificed

   We thought it was oil

         But it was blood

  We thought it was oil

      But this was blood

Written By; Ninmmo Bassey

This poem was first written /performed in Amsterdam, 16th September, 1998. It was revised in Benin City, January 3, 1999 and dedicated to Oronto Douglas and the Youths of the Niger Delta.

The poem '' We Thought It Was Oil But It was Blood'' by Ninmmo Bassey is a seasoned work of literature. It is an imagery of the plight of the Niger Delta people. The poem xray the extent of environmental degradation as a result of crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta region.

  

   

SHADES By;Esther Esuga

   
   A sweet , young , pretty , subtle-charm
   A girly, warm, bright sense of appeal
  A cute, Fun, attractive, soft touch of feminity
  A spark of warmth and tenderness with friends and family
  An unconditional love, friendship and care.
 An elegant pink


 A royal, noble, selfless form of leadership
 An enlightened, balanced state of maturity
 A mixture of the feminine and masculine energies
An alluring, luxury of mystic fantasy
A beautiful, calm , calculated sense of wisdom

A color of heat, love, power and hot-passion
A vibrant, provoking, brave sense of will power
A seductive, romantic list of appetite
An attention grabbing, sharp rhythm of excitement
A color of signs

A calm, loyal, productive and conservative effect on humanity
A strong connection with masculinity
A rich, hopeful, desiring-lucky-go charm
A color of intuition and the sixth sense
Mostly heavenly and soothing to the mind and body
A friendly, stable , sincere, expertise of understanding


A cheerful, creative,bright-sunshine
A warm, happy, joyful, energetic summer
A spirit of optimism and success
Shades of orange

Angelic
A meek, peaceful note of simplicity
Pure, heavenly and gentle
An innocent, good act of precision
Positive

A powerful, bold, confident elegance
Wealth
A formal, classy sense of sophistication
Sexuality
Proudly black and beautiful

A color that absorbs
A strong, honest form of endurance
A stable, warm, comfortable, sense of maturity
A friendly note of earthly attitude
A bond with earth and its nature

A mediator between black and white
A neutral, reserved and modest aura
A solid, elegant form of maturity
A reliable, formal dignified class

A shiny, wealthy glitz of glamour
A modern sense of creativity
A gentle , graceful, kind touch of femininity
Sensitive

An innovative, creative, calm serenity
A spirit of togetherness and humanism
A patient, peaceful, joyful emotion
Independence
Different shades of Turquoise

A new, fresh, hopeful place of rest
Healing
Natural
Growth and development
Success
Vitality

A joyful, happy warming effect
Energetic
Sunshine
Arousal of cheerful feelings and freshness
 Great mental stimulant

A classy, luxury glitz of glamour
A confident, generous, self-work
A victorious , royal, happy-to-go-look
An abundant, shiny, excess extrovert
Sophisticated

Written By; Esther Esuga

JUST JADED By; Esther Esuga

                       
The mixed feelings
The regrets
The uncertainties
The doubts
The fears that beclouds my courage
The confusion that berefts me of all form of understanding
Its just a dark world

VE' GOT SPACE By; Esther Esuga

                                           


The sky is wide enough
The earth is home to everyone
The sea is deep enough
The air is sufficient for everyone
Everyone has got just enough space.



Written By;Esther Esuga

IF I COULD By; Ozioma Ogbaji

If I could, I would make you see
Yourself through my eyes
How perfect you are
How special you are
People say you are one in a million
Well, I say you are one in seven billion
I know this for sure
I know this in truth
You are one in seven billion
You are, you beautiful star

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

DEFYING GRAVITY By ; Ozioma Ogbaji

Like a bird with wings to soar
Like a lion bold and sure I know
That I am defying gravity
I spread my wings and fly
My feet can touch the sky
Because I am defying gravity
That is how I feel when I think of you
That is how I feel when I am with you

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

MY DARLING By; Ozioma Ogbaji

My love for you is sugar and spice
My darling, oh my darling
My love for you will cross rivers and skies
My love will always find you day or night
Your love is sweet, your love is mild
Your love is mean, your love is kind
My love is sugar and spice
Your love is vodka and ice

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

MIRRORS II By; Ozioma Ogbaji

When I look upon you, you look upon me
When I reach out to you, you reach out to me
When I speak to you, you speak to me
When I carefully study you, you do not fail to study me
When I look at you with pride and admiration
You look back like I'm a sort of inspiration
For knowing you is knowing me
And loving you is loving me

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

MIRRORS I By; Ozioma Ogbaji

I look at you, and I see me
I reach out to you, you reach out to me
You are so real, yet unreal
For if you were real I should feel you, shouldn't I?
Who is this man in the mirror?
Or woman, as the case may be?
So real, yet unreal
Looks like me, I agree
But wait, I am not the woman in the mirror
I am the woman standing in front of the mirror
As real as I can be
The one who is here with you

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

ROUTINE By; Esther Esuga

                                         

The sun rise
From East to West
And the seasons
Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring
They all follow their sequence of time
The dawn of a new day is birth after night


A child grows into a teenager
A teenager grows to an adult
An adult grows into a child

I sleep and I wake
I get famished and I eat
It gets digested
I become peckish
And I eat again

I go out and return
I take care of and I am taken care of
We meet people
We part again
We are all in this continuous chain
Life, in a circle




Written By; Esther Esuga

WHATEVER! WHOEVER! HOWEVER! By; Esther Esuga

                                                   
Whatever makes you bitter
Whatever makes you worry
Whatever makes you caged
Whatever makes you glummy

Quit


Whoever makes you sad
Whoever bullies
Whoever  sucks
Whoever disrespects

Disconnect

However horrible
However tacky
However crude
However rough

Relax






Written By; Esther Esuga

WHAT IF By; Ozioma Obgaji

What if time never passed?
What if time was something we could grasp?
What if we lived each moment over?
What if we could always start over?
What if life was a meaningless cycle?
What if life is a meaningless cycle?
What if?
What if words never hurt us?
What if nothing had purpose?
What if we never existed?
What if there was no existence?
What if we keep living in "what if"?
What if we were stuck in the claws of "what if"?
What if "what if" made no sense at all?

Written by Ozioma Ogbaji

TALES By; Esther Esuga

                                                             

Her mother's land

A place of life, vigour and vitality

Her green breaths freshness and life 

Her white gives us a sense of purity and peace

Tales of her mother's land

A place of great merchandise

Masters in cotton,cocoa,cofea,hides and skin

Tales of her mother's land

It was a place of boom

Having oil as her spine

Tales of her mother's land

Her mother's land 

A place where naira could stand-up to pounds in any contest

A place where high standard, honesty and originality was the only acceptable thing

A place where her people soared on eagle's wings

Lion of Africa

Tales of her mother's land

she says it is no longer her pride

Her spine gave her an ironical  boom

she wails

A place now infected with the ting of drought

A place of poverty

And a borrower from nations

Her seat has been usurped

A place where death tolls have become unimaginable

Where are the banana and cocoa plantations?

Where are the textile industries?

where are the groundnut  and cotton farms?

Where are the palm tree farms?

What happened to the tranquil we felt in our communities?

Tales of her mother's land

Now a place of hardship, violence, corruption,bitterness and challenges

A place of reproach

Tales of her mother's land

Her mother's land 

A place where the shackles of devourers has held her people bound

A place where the mesh of darkness has captured her people

  

Tales of her mother's land

Her mother's land

Where are the reminants of old ?

Written By ;Esther Esuga

FOR YOU By; Esther Esuga

                                           
My bubbles keep increasing
My butterflies keep reproducing
My cocoa tea cup never runs dry
The feelings grow stronger

You spark in my galaxy of stars
You have brought sunshine
You came along with the glowing radiance I've always longed for
you occupy the long time vacuum
you are my square peg fitting perfectly into my square hole
you wow my world

Thank you.




Written By; Esther Esuga.

I AM By; Esther Esuga

                                               
I  am enough
Always enough
I do what i have to do
I am black

That does not change my confidence
My own pride
That is my identity
I  look fragile
I look weak
That is my strength
It is not physical

I am strong
I can attain my highest heights
I am positive
I am black
I am proud of my color
I choose black again




Written By; Esther Esuga.

WHY WORRY By; Esther Esuga

                                               

Do you really care over what
He says?
She says?
And they all say?

Why worry

She feels they will laugh at her
So she is discouraged
Accepting defeat without a try

Why Worry

I ask her
Have you taken into detail
Whose comment you concern yourself with?
No direction  faceless in the society

Why Worry

You 've got the PICTURE, that VISION
No one else does
Birth it

Why Worry

Let them laugh
Build a wall against their utterances
Its all in the sequel to greatness

Why Worry

Just like gold, we go through series of processes
We all need to go through the furnace

This might just be your own stroke of chance to be that  STAR
Do not allow the stream of your ideas to become a forgone alternative
Remember, BIRTH IT.

Why Worry


Written By;  Esther Esuga

IT TICKS By; Esther Esuga

                                                       

The particular period of seconds,
minutes, hours, days, weeks,months,
and years for which something has been happening
or which is needed for something to happen

We were born into it
Now we live in its existence
It waits for no creature
constantly
It TICKS

In-spite of your goings and comings
You can never stop its working
Its an enemy to man
Too fast, you can't catch-up with
Once gone, wasted, too bad,, no REMEDY

As you draw closer to the curtain call
What will it be for you?
Happy? or Sad?

When you begin to account why you ignored its constant ticking
The thought of you making it in a rush
Realization comes in
ZERO achievement

Oh! How you tick
Who can stop you?




Written By: Esther Esuga.