In this world of heartless consumption
waste of human life to the whipsaw;
children shot dead while at recess
never did so little mean so much
then when a deer in a field
saw you and you him
nothing mattered
as neither blinked.
Self-righteous take aim,
the pious obey at the sight
non-believers stare but afraid
little orbs of shimmering lights,
admiring all in the wafting shade,
stars peek and rage during the loss;
stunning was how twilight was made,
as teary eyes peer at the lightened cross.
Omosi said:
Listen my friend...!
Area Boy: I am not your friend
Omosi: Do you know who I am?
Area Boy: Who are you? Are you Langtang mafia?
Omosi: You mean me?
Area Boy: Who else? If you bite nail, I chew bottle
Omosi: My uncle is a Brigadier General; my Senior sister is married to Dangote, and my brother is comptroller general of Customs.....
Area Boys: If you like, let your father control Boko Haram and Wu-Tang Clan.....Who did you help?
I'm riding the train into town,
Enjoying the suburban scenery.
And here it comes -- a poetry idea!
I know it's an idea
'Cause it rides beside me:
Something about the riders
As they all crowd the train,
Rushing, sitting, reading.
I'd like to share with the man on the next seat.
But no! he doesn't want to hear from me.
I'm walking west on Main Street,
Enjoying the sidewalk scenery.
And here it comes -- a poetry idea!
I know it's an idea
'Cause it walks beside me:
Something about the coffee-breakers
As they sit in the donut shop
Drinking, reading, talking.
I'd like to share with the smoker on the sidewalk
But no! she flicks her butt and walks away.
I'm relaxing in a bar,
Enjoying the social scenery.
And here it comes -- a poetry idea!
I know it's an idea
'Cause it watches the people with me.
Something about the folks
As they come into the bar
In one's and three's, and leave in two's.
I'd like to share with this guy at the bar
But no! he's not here to "just chat".
My journal listens.
It's good at that.
But it doesn't answer.
Chaos has its own grace,
a beauty hard to embrace.
They say it leads the way,
a way nobody dares to obey!
Living only where it sways,
they say they hate the disarray.
Where peace feels so far away,
Who needs order, anyway?!
In the spaces between heartbeats,
Where time stretches thin as spring leaves of poet-trees
blowing in the breeze,
I catch glimpses of you living
In a universe adjacent to mine.
There, the sky burns violet at dawn,
And trees grow downward, reaching
For a core of molten starlight
While gravity plays different songs.
You drink tea made from moonflowers,
Write letters with crystallized rain,
And speak in colors I can only taste
I press my palm against the membrane
That keeps our realities distinct.
Feel it pulse like a living thing
Between dimensions, between dreams.
Sometimes, when the barriers grow weak,
I swear I can hear your laughter
Echo across the cosmic divide,
A melody in quantum frequencies.
Perhaps one day the walls will thin,
The boundaries between worlds dissolve,
And we'll meet in that strange space
Where impossible things become real.
Until then, I'll keep watching
For traces of your existence
Collecting evidence of parallel lives
In the corners of my consciousness.
Thursday, 2025.1.16
Happy birthday to my sister.
She turns a mile stone at the new corner.
Now she earns the title of being a senior.
Congratulations to you, my sister.
Congratulations to me too.
Today, I was introduced the Poetry's world.
I started to post my poems,
Few days later, my first piece of work,
Was listed in "This Week's Featured poems".
It was read by many viewers.
I was overwhelmed and flattered.
Initially, the poems were written,
To serve as my diary keeper.
Eventually, the writing got easy and easier.
I was glad, I met this poet,
Who I named "Mr Author",
He introduced me to the poetry's world,
Hopefully, I can continue on writing,
Post them all on the internet.
Thank you "Mr Author"
Thank you all the viewers.
It was all my pleasure.
The pedantic words
May seem to you too much wise,
But they're worth nothing.
The land, where gods once trod
Has kindness withered, lost to rot?
Naivety is not kindness
Trusting is not blindness
Adoption is not a taboo
It is not a crime to have a tattoo.
They crash big trees with veins withered bare,
And all we do is see their dead remains in despair.
They whisper on women, they murmur on the state,
They chatter on the rich, they grumble on the poor’s fate.
They buzz with gossip, they clink their glasses,
Yet fail to see the love that passes.
Their hearts thump with envy, cold and stark,
Yet miss the warmth that lights the dark.
Our income’s judged, our errors scorned,
Yet mirrors crack, their faults ignored.
How dark their hearts, a devil’s delight,
Their words hiss darkness, quench his night.
Kindness is not hard to spread,
A little understanding won’t steal our bread.
Blind need to
feel seen - accepted by
shifting reality
ALPHA BETA
As I understand it
Back in the distant past
Communication was at first, verbal
Distinct, if limited
Every tribe began with its own
Finding it a challenge across boundaries
Getting an understanding, the first step
However difficult it may have been
In delving deep into facial expressions
Just as tribes began to share stories
Kinsfolk with greater vision
Laid down a simple written code
More in glyphs than modern letters
Now established across most of the world
Of course, there are still subtle differences
Perhaps enough to make it interesting
Questioning whether a common principle applied
Revealing a basic alphabet at its core
Some solid basis to record words in writing
Twenty six or so the most popular
Understanding was now assumed
Vested in those who learned to read
Whatever their motivation
X-ray vision was not required
Youth instructed by their elders
Zest for poetry soon followed
You can bleed me blind,
execute my eyes,
victimize my vision,
immolate my imagery,
nullify my name,
suppress me into silence,
slaughter my soul,
execute my ego,
slay my spirit,
veil my verses,
poison my prose,
annihilate my alliterations,
ravage my rhymes,
waste my words,
vaporize my vocabulary,
halt my heartbeats,
but you will never
pause my poetry
"I am because we are," a truth profound,
In Ubuntu's philosophy, our humanity's found.
Our shared existence, interconnectedness so strong,
In unity we thrive, together we belong.
To be truly human, the first maxim shows,
Recognize others' worth, let empathy flow.
Through others, our mirror, humanity's reflected,
Respectful relations bloom, connections perfected.
When choices arise, wealth or life to save,
Opt for life's preservation, the second principle crave.
For human value, far outweighs riches' gleam,
Thus, benevolence and compassion reign supreme.
Even the king’s power, the third tenet’s clear,
Springs from people's will, to whom he owes dear.
His status, a communal gift from voices below him,
Their will becomes his role, to uphold without a whim.
Solidarity's our strength, collectivity’s our might,
A life of sharing, a love life radiating light,
“Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” the Zulu recite,
Let’s live Ubuntu's truth, day and night.
For twenty years I have walked my curvy tree lined street,
and there're neighbors I have yet to meet,
I look into the windows of the oblong and squares,
and wonder about the people who live in there,
I was once a happy and energetic child of the nineteen seventies,
now I'm saddened and tired by modernity of the twenty twenties,
imagination and derring do were great companions,
now the children have safe spaces and isolation,
who really cares about the people who live in the other houses,
or if they have partners or spouses,
their living rooms flicker from televisions and cell phones,
sedantry activities for the lazy bones,
their style of apparel hasnt really changed,
and their values are generationally ingrained,
celebrating the holidays like good citizens do
I wonder if the moms and dads desire to start anew,
I walk up and down my curvy tree lined street,
gazing into windows and wondering about the people I have yet to meet,
sometimes I want to be a child and say,
hey, you want to come out and play.
They sit upon their thrones, our feline friends-
aloof at times; to interact depends
on how they feel and what excites their mood
to offer mews- or simply stare and brood.
They are so regal with demanding ways-
yet come to rule our hearts with their displays.
And once we have their trust, expect a change;
no better loving pet can we arrange.
More full meows- more twirls around our feet-
jumping on laps with purrs, so soft and sweet.
Staring with eyes that somehow seem to know-
are we okay? Do signs of sadness show?
So cozy at our feet, at night in bed,
curled like a ball or stretched from tail to head.
A friend for life- this love goes far beyond;
our gentle cats create a lasting bond.
And yet, their royalty remains intact;
when more than one, there is a feline pact.
A hierarchy's formed by one that rules-
instilled from jungle days survival tools-
evolved into a huge variety-
famed as "Sacred Meow Society".
You forget who you are
Amidst the chaos of this journey
You ignore your true purpose
Trying to chase your problems
You lose your identity
As you suck into the society's labels
Before you even realise
You're engulfed by the worries of this world
You've lost track of time chasing hard cash
You're a reflection of what you wished not to be
Many years ago when you'd judge your formers
Who am I? What have I become?
You ask yourself
Unable to recognize the person you see
Little did you notice
While you were trying to make amends in others
You lost a part of you to them
Until there was nothing left of you
That truly belonged to you
Now you're just like others
An automaton, a label, a status, a cash cow
Sub Categories
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.