You are my lifelbuoy,
To go safe from the Great Lakes,
You are my suave harmonica
To play the melody of happiness,
You are the only shooting star
To make an extraordinary wish,
You are my sweet ile flottante
To save me in your darkest dreams.
You are my Chinese wall,
To stop the tiger invasions,
You are my double espresso,
So as not to fall asleep at the wheel of the vice.
Sunday dinner is a time for family gathering
Enjoying conversation and home-cooked food
At the home of matriarch or patriarch of the clan,
Feasting on gumbo is a tradition for our brood
Oysters, shrimp, blue crab from Lake Pontchartrain
Onion, bell pepper and celery ~ Trinity of seasoning
Dark caramel color of roux though stirring is a pain
File' powder is made from ground sassafras leaves
It's used to thicken to a consistency that is nice
Leaving it out is a sin in the world of Creole cuisine
E'ach ladle of seafood's bounty is served with rice
Grateful to the cook for the effort to please our taste
Using the right ingredients brings smiles to the table
Makes us a happy family when nothing goes to waste
Broth of gumbo is a local favorite in New Orleans
Offensive not to have another bowl if you're able
Ololade mi is from the South West
Descent from Oduduwa the cradle
of Ile Ife.
Ololade is owambe personified
Amala, ewedu and gbegiri a gourmet
of choice.
Ololade mi adorned with facial incisions
Ololade mi is from Modakeke,
in Osun State
Akogun Eda
E ba mi wa eda
Eda adapa lo soja
Eda to lori meji
Eda abaya ganga
E gbe kini yi wa
Emi lokan
Egbeje kole daa duro
Egbeegberun ko to bee pelu
Emi lokunrin meta soso
Afefe ko gburo obolo
Onidiri ko ya dori re mu
Alagemo ko moyi arisa
Ko kete ile yaa yera ajeku
A ba moni; a ba wariri
A ba moni; a ba gberi
Iku tii pa ojude eni
A kilo firi, a ba yeri
Eda kan soso ajanaku
Eda kan soso, ogbologbo
Eda kan soso, ogbontarigi
Eda kan soso, larin egbeegberun
For interpretation; connect with gemstone Poetry Network
The House of Light
Bountiful stacks
Showcasing illuminating scripts
Spiraling out shapes and forms
Churning myths and facts
All bounded in suited attires
Now a budding epiphany
Enticing enlightenment
Consuming the benighted phase
Cultural version
Bountiful stacks
Showcasing illuminating scripts
Spiraling out shapes and forms
Churning myths and facts
All bounded in suited attires
Ile Sanmi ti di nkan mi
Ile Sanmi ti tobi
Sanmi ti ga
Now a budding epiphany
Enticing enlightenment
Consuming the benighted phase
"We are no different"- they said,
looking for reason to divide instead
The biggest ile I was told
is that every life matters... ditto
Black, Mexican, Yellow, White
they made us think only one is right
But is it true? Is it though?
Or is it just easier to hate than let go?
forget about past, have a fresh start,
open our eyes to reality around
rewrite that was written with hate; disrespect
unite as four equal and our rights - protect
Detente dissolves as so often before
Insults and slurs echo each slamming door
Vile accusations by both man and wife
One bellows, “ You’re a complete waste of life.”
Rants - baritone, facing soprano tears
Children sat upstairs with hands over ears
Each sees ‘divorce’ as the least of their fears
Tell you this again,
When you see
A shooting star,
Someone loves you,
Someone tells you
“Eat chocolates”
Offer jewelry,
Think of me, then,
Pineapple flavors,
Mango flavors,
On a distant island
There is happiness,
Tell you this again
When you see
A shooting star,
There’s someone who loves you.
Dites-vous ceci,
Quand vous voyez
Une étoile filante,
Quelqu’un vous aime,
Quelqu’un vous dit
Mangez des chocolats
Offrez des bijoux,
Pensez à moi, alors,
Parfum d’ananas,
Parfum de mangue,
Sur une ile lointaine
Il y a du bonheur,
Redites-vous ceci
Quand vous voyez
Une étoile filante,
Quelqu’un vous aime.
Vampire, out for no good.
Vile-a stake made of wood,
Victory over you.
Violent, that’s you too.
Villainous to nice folk.
Very bad, nasty bloke.
Vexing, should end in smoke.
Vladimir shuns sunlight
Vampire bat stalks at night
Vivid moon shines so bright
Vile pointed teeth cause fright
Veins on nude neck he’ll bite
Virgin’s blood his delight
Victim turns ghostly white
Ayangalu is standing by with the drum
And "oluawo" has ceased the evening storm.
From Oyo Ile the "sekere" master has arrived
So lets get ready for this party derived;
We may need the flutist but Im not sure yet,
We shall await until "Irole" before sunset.
Summon the "omele" drummer for 'Tis time
Of merriment for "omoluabis" of this clime;
Now adorned in my "sanyan" and "ileke",
And my feet graced with "babanla itele",
Im so ready to dance like a snail's shell,
"Olohun oyin" please sing and make my head swell;
Shall we dance now that "Osupa" has beamed its light,
When the "orekelewas" smile are starring up the night?
Shall we now sway as the palm trees by the ocean,
Sipping on "oguro' and soaking in joyous emotion?;
Sway I say to the rhythm of our ancestors...
Beeni, to the delight of the cheering spectators.
I am Gali Da Poet #AfricanChild
Hengâme 2
yagmur yagiyor üryan ve telas içinde izmir’e
bir kadinin incecik parmaklari gibi dokunuyor bedenime
iterek karanligi geçiyorum sarhos dervisler mezarligindan
cebimde intihara meyilli flüt sesini annem saniyorum
yanilgidan içimdeki tanri resimlerini ters çakiyorum kaburgama
daglara ormanlara suya inaniyorum içime düsmüs süpheden
dionysos’a kiziyorum sesimi bosaltiyorum bakire bir cümleye
rest diyorum yasadigim ana gören olmuyor korkudan
süzüldüm can ve ten üstünden delirmesin diye sizi
kendimi ve psikiyatri doktorumu yitiriyorum
ablak suratli monolog bir budanin aklinda
eklem yerlerimde repliksiz korkunç titremeler yaliyor kendini
nietzsche ile karsilasiyoruz psikiyatri kavsaginda
kan sicaktir diyorum parmaklarimi çikariyorum beynimden
durmaksizin su içiyorum elmaya kan bulasiyor agliyorum
nilgü’nü hatirliyorum bir balkona siginiyorum
meryem ve üç kardesi bir de isa
yemin olsun ki ölüm yamalidir diyorum
sonsuzlugun girtlagindan çekiyorum kemiklerimi
ainsten oluyorum çocuklugum kaçiyor anne karnina
V-ile weather turns fine,
E-arly Tuesday March twenty-one;
N-o huge waves in the sea;
E-ven rivers calmly
R-un.
D-awn has just broken, bringing warmth to the day;
E-vening shadows are gone, twilight and dusk fade away.
A-fter the moon has left,
S-un has begun to rise;
I-nclement clime is over,
S-torm passes from eyes.
M-isty Wednesday is gone,
A-s the dawn starts to break;
R-aindrop from the sky
I-s having no chance to take.
T-wenty-second December
E-liminates the dark night;
S-hadows have disappeared and turn into a bright light.
C-old chill of the wind
H-as evaded the Thursday;
A-llowing the sun to shine,
V-ile weather fades away.
E-arly morn has broken, as the twilight is gone;
Z-enith awaits the noon, after you stop the yawn.
M-orning tenth February
I-s beautiful and fresh;
A-nother dawn has broken, dusk and twilight vanish.
N-ew light early Friday
A-ims to warm your heart;
V-ile weather disappears,
A-s the raindrops depart.
R-ising sun has come out,
R-eplacing the night of sorrow;
O-pen your life to beacon, as you stand in the shadow.
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