Long Raffia Poems

Under the tree in Africa, we sap strength
from the songs of the sparrows before sunlight.
as we walk to the farm, the 
morning breeze brush our 
body from the billowing branches.
We pick up our hoes and...

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In ancient land, 
—A realm of kings and queens,
A tale of courage, sacrifice, and love, unfolds unseen.

A noble hunter, 
—Moremi, with heart of lion’s might,
Became the cherished queen of Oduduwa’s ancient light.

The kingdom thrived 
—In...

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(Dedicated to the memory of my mother Catherine who died June 3, 2011 and was 
buried June 24, 2011)


Sleep. Wake. Sleep
Sleep on empty stomach
Food and liquor make the journey
Eat, make Epicurus laugh double for once
Holiness!...

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(Dedicated to the memory of my mother Catherine who died June 3, 2011 and was 
buried June 24, 2011)


Sleep. Wake. Sleep
Sleep on empty stomach
Food and liquor make the journey
Eat, make Epicurus laugh double for once
Holiness!...

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*SON OF NOBODY*


I was born in the Trenches 
In the walls and roof with no fences
Drank from the seasonal rivers
Trust me we knew no povereties
 We labour to live and not to gather properties 
On...

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As the day dusked yesterday,
The deflowered sun shone down 
with those eyes of a goldfish

'KATH’, got a light; 'EER’ lit a room;
And ‘AH’ illumined the night

No sound of a thing in your presence.
No bullet whirr,...

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A man who is yet to find for himself a maiden
       Absolute success yet, is he to find.
       If a sailor on his...

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SATIRICAL: SATIRIZED EUPHONY

Hissed her path to say No
As amulet dangled on her' dandled
Tis so sweet to trail the forlorn 
As no help came to a hearty hut

On the rafter was a treasure kept
To a loned...

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Built with the measurement of The Alive
For those once here but no longer thrive;
One J saw for a dog that didn’t ask for interment
And it was some lavish entertainment!

In the past, bamboos strung into a...

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Memories of those nights at Ekpoma
Cling on to my dreams like bees to raffia palm
Seeking for food to be produced

The Muse said we left many issues unresolved
While we sat around the well at my abode
Pondering...

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Night’s lingering silhouette no longer
Shields my restless shadow, which clutches me
With gusto and haunting trauma.
My naked thorax seeks raffia clothing;
My ribs rebel against enchanting shivers from the spine of terror.
Adam’s greenish raiment I long for,
Among...

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Night’s lingering silhouette no longer
Shields my restless shadow, which clutches me
With gusto and haunting trauma.
My naked thorax seeks raffia clothing;
My ribs rebel against enchanting shivers from the spine of terror.
Adam’s greenish raiment I long for,
Among...

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The cry of my baby tears through the night, again
Waking everyone, including the birds whom use
our tattered raffia hut as nest
I know why she cries though
The small giant has used her long thin deadly
needle to...

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How come Stephen,
When do you forget defence?
Why don't you hack death with your golden boot?

Do not disappoint me,
Do not let me down Keshi,
Your crown is medal-made;
Roam not with  lilliputians
Whose blazer is calico
Whose utensil is...

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We dwelt together,
one hand on a door handle.
Keeping rooms --- a semi-settled living,
parents still squatting in our heads,
rent due spaces,
red buses passing below or above,
according to what level we rose to.

Domestic wreckage evacuated,
a small venerable...

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STANDING ALL ALONE
THINKING NON BUT ALL
NATURE AND DESTINY AT
ITS BEST
AT WAR BUT WHO WINS
GRIEVE NOT WOMAN
GRIEVE NOT
FOR IS THERE A REASON TO
NO SEED CAN EVER SURVIVE
IN THIS LAND
WHICH YOU’VE NURTURED
PLOUGHED AND TILTED FOR
MANY YEARS
YET NO...

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An hour before dawn,
the market people arrive
then settle like resting birds
beside the Ping river.

Girls squat over large straw hats,
hats brimful of dried chilies
or small freshwater fish.
They lay down bamboo mats
laden with okra, aubergines, mangosteens
and rambutan.

They...

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An hour before dawn,
the market people arrive
then settle like nestling birds
beside the Ping river.

Girls squat over large straw hats,
hats brimful of dried chilies
or small freshwater fish.
They lay down bamboo mats
laden with okra, aubergines, mangosteens
and rambutan.

They...

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Memories are like visitors coming to pay us an august visit
Sitting on my veranda I reminisce about my childhood
I feel reawakened by the sweet sounds of okpotumtum
I am refreshed by the serene breeze from the...

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Those days.....
When men didn't attempt to cage the lion,
Domesticate the cobra or try to play god

Those days when men didn't dog breed, cat breed,
Moon walk or day dream
Nature wouldn't bark so violently 
With climate change,...

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Why do these guys quit before seventy?
After achievements Life on Earth empty!
There was to be a Macgregor Laird:
Before sixty-one years to rest laid...

For my avid interest in History,
I could not but alight on his story
With...

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Quizmasters often test mentalities, 

by asking folks to name pluralities, 

of things of many different sorts.

Like, soldiers might be called 'cohorts'.

There are 'flights' of geese and jets and stairs,
 
my socks are sometimes found in...

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The Human Eye, too, needs feeding,
The Screen, too, not Textbooks reading;
Things that translate into Thriller
Or-does it matter? – Time Filler
I myself would itch for Horror
And, if I can’t reach one, Terror:
Some eyes do die for...

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Under the torch of the crescent moon
On bare pants and catty eyes
Our hearts yawn for the story line
Our ears gulp saliva, hungry to hear
The tasteful recipe that ooze so sweet

Beneath the canopy of the oha...

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Like a burst of confetti
They erupt into the corner store.
Tanned, long legged,
Laughing and pushing each other.
They toss their sun-bleached hair
And glance around to see
If people are watching.
Beach outfits – bikinis
Barely hidden under short
Skimpy  coverups.
Sandals,...

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