Ajo Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

Irin Ajo: Journey

Bàbá,
what eyes do you have of a big bigger sort,
which portaled my entryway into the blindnesses of our Ilé,
wherefrom I made to look to see with your primordial eyes?

Bàbá,
why is your soul watery,
salty like the tears of baba nlá bàbá àgbà’s father:
he took his death by the hand,
and didn't let it die cheap!

Bàbá,
stream of my consciousness,
transfused like forced labour into the nerves of my armory,
ready with iron fire and thunder, ready with my fight for their fight, fist for fist.

My irin ajo is now steeped with the signposts of the visions I saw in your eyes.

Give me the feet of water when my irin ajo is on water;
give me the wings of af?´f?´ when my irin ajo is beyond this il?;
give me the stride of love when my irin ajo crosses the paths of good men;
my children are at hand;
they come like freedom, up my soul and down my eyes:
omijé, running from the stories of the barreled gun,
from the mirrors that cursed our reflection with greed...

my children are coming,
free, and towards freedom.

WAVES AND ILLUSION

Ko’si ewu loko Longe 
Longe fun ara re ni Ewu 

It’s at a start when I call on my soul,my flesh and my masculinity to take beyond the disappointment of my actions and bear the consequences of my reactions 
For I’ve redeemed my sweet,thick voice for the echoes of the other world and silence my pains 

Irin Ajo mi dabi Oko to ku so’ju Igbo 
I’ve searched for a wanderer like me but I meet with only the lost ones
In this little surface of my healthy heart has been stabbed but not bleeding 
I couldn’t comprehend if I’m the Sacrifice or the Savior

Bo pe titi 
Akalolo a pe Baba 
Sugbon Omije ti le di agbara ojo 
Ki salubata mi si ti ba lo 
Ki arami si ti tutu bi ewe oju omi 

Should have been Hello from the other side cause I saw my hell burning so low through the lens of my blind eyes 

Can I even cry?
Yes cause that’s the only myth to secure my Might.

Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.

Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace