Before the city grew teeth of storeys,
Every road was once a footpath of dark earth,
Every skyline a village dream feigning height.
The whirlwind arrives like an ancestral drum,
Beating zinc roofs into memory,
While the soil drinks without question.
Maize rises like angry dust,
Crops sleep beneath the earth like buried wealth,
The old iroko keeps census of generations.
We call ourselves urban, as if asphalt
Could bleach the village from our blood,
As if language could divorce us from reality.
Every man carries an ancestral footpath,
Every woman a forgotten rib in the bones,
Every last name is a door to somewhere rural.
The city is only a village that learnt to disguise itself,
And civilisation, perhaps, is merely distance,
From the stream that first taught us to swim.
When the rain smells of the earth,
Listen keenly—the village speaks through you;
Everyone is a village man, even in hired suits.
From Vandeikya to Eko sluthers the same rhythm,
Only the midriff of imagination pats on them.
Everyone was born once
But not everyone absorbs the
Weight of their name.
And not even rise to carry it with truth.
maneuvering over the vast expanse
might take eons
starships leaving the speed of light
in their rear-view mirrors
crews of AI along for the ride
in case G-d might decide
to breach the great divide
Everyone pooh-poohs me
Are they simply too blind to see
the takeover of America by the likes of Mamdani
Bernie Sanders, Omer, Tlaib, and AOC
who’ll raise our taxes sky-high and ration our heat
defund police, empty prisons onto streets
Three cheers for ‘union’ – of teachers, that is
grant them more pay hikes for brainwashing kids
And what of the immigrants who came here for freedom
~ nowhere to be found now except in museums
parks desertion raindrops on pavement
Everyone needs a little hope....
let there be light
let it be bright
even through the night
even in great heights
a star is in our sight
I watch in delight
As i make my wish i say...
give me strength and hope
to broaden my scope
and help people cope
show them how to survive
without being deprived
give them the drive
to be revived
all they need is a guide
so they can stand with pride
it just takes a nudge
to get people to budge
Everyone thinks Elves are all males, Edwina complained to me
I had not realized this, but saw she was both touchy and angry
How can they all be males? It makes no sense at all.
I am not sure everybody thinks that, I said in a voice really small
When people generalize and say, “ everyone” they usually mean one
Two at the most, but my suggestions and comments were done.
I could see she was miffed by someone other than me.
Preferring it to stay this way, I decided to flee.
"What I have learned is peace is priceless." By Poet
S=Stress will
E=Evaporate quickly as one
R=Rests and slows down.
E=Everyone needs a peaceful
N=Nights sleep to recharge.
I=I for one want mental tranquility
T=To give me the freedom I need.
Y=You can also have peace and serenity.
For a prank, he sank a tank.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
on tv shows everyone has a gun
cops, robbers, detectives, shopkeepers
show girls, drag queens, car dealers
wives, girlfriends, mothers, husbands, lovers
In real life I only know two people with guns.
Neither one of them carries them around like TV show people
You are god and god is you.
All is one and one is all (paths).
By divine time.
By divines impulse.
I wake up.
To no thought.
To listen to my heart.
Take the first chance you get.
To let go.
By just doing it.
Getting it done.
For this is the path of least resistance.
In tune with rhythm.
In fro with the flow.
Balance meeting multiple harmonies.
Dropping the feathered mask of ego.
Applying god's given gift.
By being authentic.
For this I give in.
I surrender.
And say thanks for using me.
I am playing me part well.
Using my will to hammer at my freewill.
?? connections.
May we all be blessed to one day put aside our fear and prejudices
our bullets, bombs and guns…
and realize I belong to you…
you belong to me
and everyone…
belongs to everyone.
I pamper myself so rarely.
This feels like luxury and spiritually fulfilling.
Recharged to face the world.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026, Honorable Mention 2026
Everyone wants a piece of me
They think it’s free
Bite after bite
They do it with spite
Biting to the bone
Never leaving me alone
Hour by hour they devour
I taste sour
They want to eat me whole
Swallow my soul
Bite after bite
They do it every night
Eating me alive
I try to survive
I'm no quitter
I taste bitter
Soon after the whistle blew,
When the race was over,
And my toes crossed the finish line,
The contest had reached its end.
When all the results were gathered,
The winner stood clearly before them
And the glory was his to claim.
Everyone longs to be a winner,
To taste the triumph
They believed I carried.
I can’t deny it
Everyone saw that I won.
Yet deep inside,
I lost like a battle.
How can a victor feel this way?
How can triumph turn to sorrow?
How can winning leave you blue?
Unfortunately… unfortunately,
Everyone saw that I won.
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