Best Africa Poems
walking gracefully
with a pendulum movement ~
a herd of giraffes
the mass migration
crocodiles at the river~
food for the taking
gazelles are running
a hungry cheetah gives chase~
speed is the winner
a lone male lion
approaches a sleeping pride~
the battle begins
an elephant herd
arrive at the water hole~
use trunks to cool down
a swarm of locusts
devouring vegetation~
skeletal branches
army on the move
soldier ant battalion~
have left a scorched earth
vultures in the trees
animals weakened by thirst~
death is imminent
a downed buffalo
lions watch as herd returns~
bulls scatter the pride
basking in cool mud
the african river horse~
hippopotamus
laughing hyenas
find an unguarded carcass~
scavengers feasting
at the water hole
animals quenching their thirst~
alert for danger
a crash of rhino
hunted for their ivory~
extinction looming
a small antelope
found on the African plains~
cute looking dik dik
the baobab tree
silhouetted at sunset~
african icon
Written 13th May 2018
For best haiku poetry contest
Sponsored By Chantelle Ann Cooke.
I want to word my very Love for you
though as a shy child, I start to stammer
a beloved Mother, my sole bijou
as I am of your prime Land enamoured.
A rose breathing the scent of your terra
born and bred knowing no other home soil
how can I bear the burn of your Summer
anger and worry within my chest boil.
I want to paint my very pride in you
with drops of my blood and ivory star
then draw your nature and beauty anew
how would my poetry meet who you are?
To my dear mother, shall I, You compare?
TUNISIA, Your Love, I'll ever bear.
To my terra of roots
my allegiance I vow
I wallow in your fruits
and to your flag I bow.
Dream not till wake of dawn
beaming sun light I wait
burst of glee of no bourn
the feels of the soul, sate.
Awe chills into my spine
as your Hymn in pride sung
for Home in peace I pine
and love never be swung.
How could my pen, you turn
in a fine rhyming word
as my quill longs to learn
inking with grace and verve.
Across the Serengeti plain our matriarch would lead,
Dining on the guarri fruit, and gum acacia seeds.
Upon our sweet green namesake grass our bellies we would fill,
I'd visit with my mother's bones, nap in the northern hills.
We'd cross the Mara river, then the southern rains would fall,
We'd see the African spoonbill, and hear the weaverbird call.
We'd care for all the young ones, and with my sisters I would roam,
Victoria Lake... But then I'd wake, give up my dreams of home.
I'd bust my cage, I'd smash the door, and trample all around,
If I was an elephant, I'd tear the circus down.
December 6, 2016
Now I lay me down to sleep
In my home that's really sweet
Had three large meals and a snack
There wasn't a hint of any lack
Comfortable shoes and clothes that fit
My heart's desires my money can get
Friends and family know my name
So many opportunities it's just insane
Doctors and dentists, heat and air
A hope and a future.. No despair
Little chance I'll die before I wake
But if I do, my soul God will take.
But the homeless orphan goes to sleep
His unbathed body on a filthy street
Sold himself today to get a meal
From a slimy stranger with a dollar bill
No life, no skills, no future, no hope
No family, no friends, no heat, no coat
No shelter, no job, no doctor, no care
No money, no support, no help anywhere
Despair and neglect, a fight to survive
A shell of a child more dead than alive
And if this orphan dies before he wakes
Will he know my God his soul to take?
~Lyric Man
Note: Just returned from two weeks in Africa. I’ve seen the most amazing and the most tragic sights. This poem/prayer is a contrast of a typical western lifestyle to that of a fatherless orphan.
PS-I’ve basically been without internet for the past two weeks and have missed reading your poetic works. May you and I never take take for granted all the blessings that we have been afforded!
The sun cries for us, its heat fades away
snowflakes sprinkle round its orbit, yet go unmelted
it feels like evening, but its yet noon
time never changes its pace but now runs from a rifle
daylight sadly pretends, just to soften night's mockery.
Blood has substituted the rains
death has defined our borders
humanity is rendered homeless
and politics, given the borrowed authority of a landlord.
Life is cheaper than wine
tribal dominance exhibited in a show glass
for love to become an expired product.
Unity is deprived of its oxygen
from a gang of beasts, spare headed by religion.
Genocide celebrated, killers protected
understanding and cooperation, required from the affected
silence and denial, demanded from the afflicted
marginalization defended and grievances rejected.
The edge of the cutlass strikes harder than racism
Indigenes in their own homes hit worse than xenophobia
hope is lost, drowned in the sea of Impunity
faith is locked up in a cage underneath evil's valley
decades of cries to the heavens
the tears flow down to meet more affliction.
The sun rises, but presents in dark red
setting hours later to the notice of no one
a people bounded on falsehood
a large home of smaller fenced habitations
as everyone needs protection from everyone
and where space becomes too small for the stars;
but when distinguished into different galaxies,
it beams brighter to be a better decoration.
An unbearable course too small for the river to flow
makes nature justify its split into tributaries.
Enemies can no longer be in one home,
so live and let's leave, or leave and let's live
is the only policy left for us all
and the survival anthem for this beautiful garden
no more suitable for community germination.
Livers
bleed
lungs
gasp for breath
vessels of poetry
read
pain disappears
tears recede
love floats above the sea
tides of sadness
recede
planted in marshlands
seeds
friendship bloomed
living for words
no longer matters
I embrace my brother
love his might
standing on cliffs ledge
gazing this new morn
softly I whisper
we are one
Pull out the easel
set the canvas
positioned long and slender clean slate.
Sketch the figures huddled and dark-bound hostage
to charcoal-cooled coals
etching in shadow images;
Faceless entities
slipping in and out the background
earth-toned sojourners accepting, alone, quiet, dying;
Still the images in silence
hard and disfigured
grotesque horrors in place;
Somber soul-drained eyes
skeletal socket holes
buried in the heart and mind;
Let tears fall down their cheeks
in wonder, awe, and
fear of what happens next.
Acrylic primers dilute the wash in the storyline
flaking and cracking
tearing each soul and truth away;
Polyptych blended burnish bleeds
quiet, soft exuding
whimpered cries, asking why;
Chiaroscuro collages of death from life
fading to diluent breaths
the heartbeat of an unholy silence;
Graded gouache monochrome scraper boards
releasing sfumatos of singularities
communal lives sacrificed
Varnish the final rendition
camouflage the realities,
the actuality of what it represents,
Time immemorial in genocidal atrocities
of Native Americans, Cambodians, Hawaiians,
Jews, Rwandans, Bosnia, Darfur,.
When does it stop?
The never-ending list
life is more precious than this
until change comes
Paint the Picture Black and Gray
pray
then act.
Ellie was just three months old,
When she was brought to our sanctuary,
A safe haven was our fold.
She was an orphan, her mother,
Her sister, her aunt, her brother,
All chased and shot, and left to die,
From our sad experience we knew,
That probably a foul mouthed,
Red faced, sun frazzled man
Whose muscled legs would look
Disgusting,
And who with red eyes bulging
Would say,
What a booty,
We have in the truck today.
He would generate an excitement,
Of the atrocity they had
Committed, saying they would
Receive a bonus this month
Added to their pay.
And what was their booty,
A truck full of tusks
Elephants killed when it
Was still light,
Until dusk
Too dangerous at night.
A war between poachers
And rangers
How could rangers,
Gentle souls, who loved animals,
Equal the poachers trained brutality,
Who had not a trace
Of humanity.
Baby Ellie
Was found,
Starving, scared and cold,
Somewhere in the African bush
Almost dead,
But she survived a shot to the head.
We had other young orphans,
They all would play
As baby elephants do,
And slowly Ellie became stronger.
Her mummy who faced
Horrific slaughter,
Would have been so proud of
Her daughter.
Rehabilitation was done,
It was both work and fun.
Eight months later we all
Thought that it was time,
For Ellie to be with her own kind,
And knew she would find
In the African bush, a new
Family who would care
And love her.
Clumsily she got into the truck,
Perhaps it was fear that
Brought the smell of death near,
Awkwardly.
And hesitantly she walked
Down the ramp,
A mama elephant spied her first,
And with their recognizable gait,
And heavy weight,
Walked to one another,
Swinging their trunks,
And so, they met,
And side by side they walked
To the nearby water pan,
Our hearts sang,
As Ellie turned and let out
A loud,
But proud,
Thunderous trumpet,
Thank you she meant,
I love you too.
Ellie had finally
Come home,
To her own.
With the heavy load you suffer
a substance not needed
yet drags you
cushioning your efforts
and deterring your pace, forgetting that
the Train is already moving
with passengers determined
for this journey.
Why get so distracted
by passers-by focused to catch up?
Why are you tossed side to side,
putting you each time,
a step backwards?
Can't you realize that
the Train is already moving
with passengers determined for this journey?
It seems you are the only one left
and this is solely your doing
with no one to blame
and the rest,
definitely have no added advantage over you.
So stop acting weak
cos the Train
is already moving
with passengers determined for this journey.
Wake up oh Africa!
you get your independence
just to become a volunteer slave.
You live in a Mansion
yet have no place to sleep.
Stop acting like a bucket of Crabs
killing each other
just to get out
and copy the ants
united and networking
for a common cause.
You fight for just a coin
underneath the Table.
When on it is a box
full of this same treasure.
Despite knowing how to reach out
to its top,
you neglect such knowledge
and accept conflicts, violence and wars.
Settling for good enough
is worst than being bad
you blow your trumpet
when you make a step
out of a thousand more.
You show unbelievable contentment
to mediocrity and under-achievements,
but remember this!
Half a giant is no giant at all.
You have the breast plate
of protection
and all the arsenals to battle
yet you dine with the helms of poverty
and embrace the ambassadors
of all kinds of infirmities.
You walk around naked
and seem not to bother
oh Africa!
Do you exist to actualize all these negativity?
An expert of imitation
and a professional in copying
no wonder no matter your trys
you end up as number 2 at best.
Because you've neglected
the sweetness of your originality.
You milk your cattle
to nourish the west
you harvest your crops
to feed foreign stomachs
you stand on abundant humus
yet your leaves are yellow and dry.
Exactly what will happen to the ants
if their Queen puts
their fate on the lizards
is what will befall you
not until you wake up oh Africa!
Chains of Colonialism
With guns they came
With whips and chains
Chains to capture the Dark Continent
Chains snaking across Africa
Africa blessed by nature
Africa a precious jewel
Jewel coveted by imperialists
Jewel stained with blood
Blood of the disenfranchised
Blood of innocents
Innocents slaughtered
Innocents subjugated
Subjugated like cattle
Subjugated nonentities
Nonentities to colonial masters
Nonentities bowing to alien flags
Flags of oppression
Flags of exploitation and domination
Domination of inferiors
Domination of natural resources
Resources robbed
Resources nurtured with sweat and tears
Tears of those with no voices
Tears of those whipped and silenced
Silenced by superiority
Silenced by weapons and fear
Fear of foreign invaders
Fear of certain death
Death of ancient civilization
Death of treasured culture
Culture stripped and raped
Culture battered and fragmented
Fragmented destiny
Fragmented people
People crushed to the ground
People with no more sweet songs
Songs of freedom and happier times
Songs of nationalism
Nationalism and solidarity
Nationalism thwarted
Thwarted to divide and conquer
Thwarted to castrate minds and bodies
Bodies chained and beaten
Bodies killed for defiance
Defiance against injustice
Defiance against colonialism
Colonialism in the name of God
Colonialism in the name of kings
Kings
God
05-01-2016
Contest: Dig Deep - Race Relations - Conflicts - Colonialism
Sponsor: Marugo Mo
Placement: 2nd
Better days
Is all good
To hope for
The better days
But is there
Actually better days
Without making today
The best
Oh better days
Can't be without
The best of today
Better days
Too many knees on the
Ground
Too many heads kissing
The floor
Too many hands
with ten fingers
Together straight up
Like a triangle
In deferent pulpits
Deferent temples
All to one just
Praying and hoping
To god
For only the
Better days
Oh better days
Can't be without
The best of today
Better days
Too many questions
I ask myself
Too many places I
Go
Like I see life's
As they live in darkness
While they keep
Hoping for the
Better Days
Some believe
The better days only
Exist After life
With their religion
While a kind
Like me live
the better days
Now with love
Oh better days
Can't be with out
The best of today
Better days
What make a day
Better than another
How can we hope
For tomorrow
While we waste today
Away with our ignorance
Oh live every day with
Love and you will
Always have the best of
The day
With love
each day is better and
Better
Here you will always have
A
Better days
Oh better days
Can't be with out
The best of today
Better days
Love yourself
As you love another
Love what you do
Do what you love
Believe in yourself
For you and your image
Is god
Their is no god but you
And all around you
Love nature respect
Humanity
Live not with greed
For your soul not
To be lost to vanity
On and on
Above all
Love life for
Life is love
Love is life
As you live with
This principles
You always live
Now as each
New day comes a
Better days
Oh better days
Can't be with out
The best of today
I love my broken English
Am in love with my broken English
Am honored to have two other languages
The ability to think from language to language is one that many don't experience
The ability to bring vibes from one language to another is one, that many envy
Sometimes it's like a train, English flows easily before it gets to a halt
Sometimes it's a bus with many stops, some harsh, some dash, some flash
And some mistakenly whether car or train, crash
Some like aeroplane, are up there in the air
Building their own castles
Creating unfamiliar words
Whether writing from kikuyu to English
Or kikuyu to Swahili and then to English
Or just writing from the little dash of English that I learnt from my English classes,
With poetry,I can still escape
Whether in the veiled grammatical errors
Or just like a volatile chameleon
And as the hills yonder
Turned red from sunset rays
As darkness engulfed the valley
And the sweet sounds of birds
Rent the cool evening air
Our cows and sheep and goats
Hurried down the footpath
As though they were late
To a gathering of clans
Or to one of their own
And we the happy herds' boys
Turned our ravenous thoughts
To bananas yams and milk
And all available munch-able stuff
To calm our restless tummies
And as the evening metamorphosed into night
And the stars of the sky reclaimed their might
We the famished children of the valleys
Approached the fireside with widening eyes
As the roughshod soldiers laid claim to all
And shot in the air to frighten us all.
And so we watched with pangs of hunger
Training our wrath and rancor and dismay
To other sons and daughters of Africa
Who for reasons best known to them
Or known only to their heartless handlers
Proclaimed themselves ‘defenders of our freedom.’
Voila! Children of the valleys of Africa
And of the cities and slums of Africa
You who gather in the evening breeze
After torrid days in the fields and streets
Only to return to a darkening sky
Sans food sans wear sans light. Voila!
Islam is non merciful
Islam is about repressive means
Islam has no heart
Over and over this chant shall start
For when we close our eyes
For when we judge our fellow man
Chants may bring us comfort
However false is the ringing of the rant
Men of terror may fly their black flags
Claiming a merciful god orders them to kill
al-Shabab reads no holy books, be sure of this
At reckoning they will be omitted from Allah’s bliss
So let us now pay tribute and honor
Let us hold a tissue for a tear so well deserved
The blood of Islamic hearts shall surely open your eyes
As I myself bow, in despair at a humble mans demise
That day, both miraculous and tragic
Salah Farah, a kind man, now a hero
His Muslim brothers became the strong and the brave
For they followed the true teachings of Islam
Salah Farah has passed on from Gods bountiful earth
A Muslim of brave heart and generous soul
He stood up for the love of his teachings
No man he claimed, should defile his fellow man
As terrorists point their rifles
At Christians shivering in fear
Salah Farah and his Muslim brothers
Stood firm with all of humanity dear
Salah Farah proclaimed “we are all brothers”
Let us do no harm
Let Muslims protect Christians
Let Christians protect Muslims
For we are one, no matter religion
No matter destiny, we must all hold true
To the values of compassion and love
As every Muslim that day, stood ready die
I proclaim, Salah Farah flew the flag of hope
His brothers choose love over death
The all Merciful’s eyes too had tears
His flock of disciples saw his message clear
Teaching
Mercy
Love
Compassion