Living long with gratitude mirth
my heart prays to abide in God against hope's dearth
sharing warm bond with family of loving worth
enjoying home-paradise in our heaven on earth
while serving upon ministerial fortress-berth...
Indeed, longevity as gift of the Lord by His grace
is a blessing against rigorous survival race*
since it shows divine mercy with compassion ways
propelling faith in persevering along worshipful praise
while delighting in life of triumphant, vibrant and radiant days.
*Hebrews 12:1-2 12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
May 21, 2026
Honorable Mention, "1483" Poetry Writing Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand; judged on 6/26/2026
Before I walked into those caves, I had reserves. I asked God to help me triumph over the other gods. He granted my request, and I went into the caves after 273 steps. Walking into the caves was an experience. Even an old woman from an Indian family was walking with bare feet. Seeing the young women walking in and out of the caves barefoot was a sight. Mostly, since many of them were beautiful. Their outer appearance. Looking at their feet, I realized a message. To become a beautiful person, one must undergo rigorous training, as the journey is what shapes one.
The bare feet reminded me of the ‘Footprints in the Sand.’
You are being carried toward greatness, even when it seems like you are pushing a boulder uphill.
You must go through the trial before you can enjoy the fruit.
Just as those women probably had a foot massage later, so must we, as people, work hard and then find pleasure later in our journey.
188.
Hail Queen of All Media
Hail Queen of All Media
Fit for horror, comedy & drama
Thou hold the scepter of soap opera
Thou alone our prime idol
Of rich & poor, masses & all
Cape of charisma to you install
Delight of song & dance
Brilliant of head & appearance
Thou don the train of elegance
Thy awesome aura to public a jewelry
It's rigorous to find thee any awry
Thy flawless radiance is a phylactery
Any man to you shall kneel & bow down
Black or white, meztizo or mulatto or skin is brown
They stand with awe before thy precious crown.
-08/08/2012
*My Twilight Poems Collection
EXPLORATIONS
transformed
harmony
manifold
in
appearance
an
unthinkable
observance
steeped
in
sensibility
rigorous
intimations
actualized
in
allegory
of
deliberate
oracles
in
interpretative
openess
discrete
& unmistakable
manoeuvred
immobility
of
single
moments
pure
essence
in
visual
contemplations
Inspite failures and life's hard knocks
You can still be recognised for high achievements in your works
Forget the young you going through the tough
Others may give up on you but don't on yourself
Dream gives support to your hope
Relate with acrobats focus on tightrope
What else could have inspired their performances?
Apart from steppings' miscalculation and its consequences
As hope inspires efforts
So efforts are stalwarts
Rigorous and may be barbarous
But struggling means you are progressing via being adventurous
Efforts result in success
As you ignore the naysayers
Gets you convalesce
And lays you to acquire being among achievers
Make dreams roots of successes
Don't stop; keep pushing
Find your purposes
Refine you abetting
Follow your dream
It knows the way
It may seems going downstream
But will never lead you astray
May all dreams come true...
And while you wait patiently
Don't take death an option brilliantly
Too promising to be addressed adieu
Oladokun Kolawole just keep me inspiring and writing
It is awesome having you around
Wanting a person to get up and be moving
Bed chase
Wasn’t a race
The person needed a push as a head start
It’s was time for rigorous exercise
Time for the morning run
The person dragged for so long
The bed chased the person at the door and down the block
The bed wanted the person to jog
Get the blood flowing and energizing
The bed was in charge
Being large feeling large
No more being lazy
Get up and exercise
That is what the bed was trying to emphasize.
My best friend walks beside my soul,
Not always seen, but always whole.
We talk in ways the world won’t hear,
In jokes and jabs and thoughts sincere.
We’re echoes in a common shell,
Two minds where one truth loves to dwell.
We share the heat of daily light,
And wrap each other through the night.
55 seconds still, no sound,
Yet louder peace is rarely found.
In silence, storms begin to slow,
We trade our highs, confess our low.
One day, the world will understand,
How friendship doesn’t need a hand.
Just rigorous, kind observation
A glance, a pause, a revelation.
I met him once not far, not wide,
But looking from the other side.
A mirror framed our secret blend
Myself, and still—my truest friend.
F I r e burns, blazes
with vigour and energy ,
furious, outrageous,
dazzling in rigorous flames,
exhausting fuel, turning c r u e l.
p r l n
Also, enchanting flares in. ~~~s a k i g
in glaze and glare.
Primitive fire in Cosmic Explosion
Hydrogen is burning in fire ball Sun :
Prime source of Energy providing life on Earth
Molecules breaking into those of Helium
in Nuclear Fusion.
F I R E flights with frear,
makes mind clear
ignites dormant desires,
strengthens soul,
puts head higher.
F I R E The P U R I F I E R
Laboured breaths
with each strenuous uphill step,
taking in the ancient spirits
from an ancient world
when the earth was venerated.
Every stride taken prompts visions of
the Chaquis who journied this
rigorous passage.
In an empire of siwi, corn and orchids,
rock etched with lichen, sweltering heat and winds that bite;
a worn path of rugged stone and steps
rises then falls through the damp cloud forest
on Pachamama's curves
leading to primordial sacred sites.
Tasting the victory of reaching
that final destination evokes
emotions of gratitude, while honouring
a vanished civilization and those who perished
defending their ancesteral province.
Amid the ghostly essence of the terraced terrain
a lone condor circles above-
Unincorporated The Slab City
Off-the-grid different community.
Slab City is a place of real danger,
whether be a resident or stranger.
Lawless free city, yet hundred fifty
families live without facilities
of electricity or sewerage,
running water : Yourself to arrange.
In Slab City retirees or visitors
known as snow birds coming to spend winter.
No need to buy any land, it is free.
Build your house with own effort in spree.
Local police may have jurisdiction :
No use in critical situation.
Get absolute freedom to commit crime.
Have perfect scope to turn into victim.
If daredevil or crazy to visit :
None gives objection or none will assist.
Rough rigorous life as if life sentence
A vagabond may gain experience.
Pieces of broken glass gathered in ocean
undergoing gradual conversion
by metaphoric changes through ages.
As processed by rigorous vigorous rolling
under turbulence and tremendous pressure,
rough edges to get rounded off producing smoothness,
lastly happens to yield sea glass :
Nature ‘s marvel and splendour.
Glossy texture to claim : lovely looks of a gem,
with frosted appearance.
Trash turning treasure, nourished by ocean.
An accomplished sequel on transformation .
One can't surmise : Splendid surprise !
Available on some beaches not in abundance,
but bare fact : not so rare!
By chance , I glanced to pick up prompt
ignoring envious looks of my friends.
I collected few from sea beach in Puri, Orissa, India.
I feel proud to own
those, comparable to precious gem stones.
THE WAVES
Watching from cliff of hill, waves crash.
Sun to set, twilight displays hues.
Violent sea is eager to thrash
waves on aqua flow profuse.
Twilight glow is seen gorgeous.
Watching from cliff of hill, waves crash,
dance and prance up-down rigorous.
Colours of shimmering sunrays flash.
Turbulent forceful waves in clash
with stubborn rigid rock of hill.
Watching from cliff of hill, waves crash.
Stable sturdy hill standing still.
Inert hill shows no emotion.
On rocks at random sea waves splash !
Frolic waves splashing in frisson.
Watching from cliff of hill, waves crash.
Weeks of rigorous preparation are now complete
As the journey up the mountain begins I can not accept defeat
My goal is to obtain the worlds most ultimate view
I know I must go beyond physical and mental endurance to follow through
I start to feel breathless reaching for the sky
The higher I go, struggling through the bitter cold and deep snow I try not to cry
A flock of birds glides right by me in perfect flight
The sunshine is so brilliant such a perfect site
My dream of reaching the peak is about to come true
As the clouds break apart the top is in plain view
I finally arrive fighting incredible fatigue and nauseating pain
A sense of great accomplishment for conquering the terrain
Did you hear that pleasing sound?
Or rather a musical note unheard before.
It’s heard when the mind is free
Free from the mundane mental occupancy
The note is a drift away from daily dilapidations
That further deteriorate the already decaying mind
It’s time, it’s time to stop and start,
Stop the rush, stop the rigorous thinking we subject ourselves to
Start the stay, start the stay in the cocoon of Mother Nature
Here’s where we will hear that note, which keeps ringing
It’s sublime, it’s omnipresent, it’s super powerful
It’s unforcefully forceful
It’s forever heard, it’s forever unheard
It can ring in pleasure, it can bring in peace
It’s seeping in through creeks
It’s what Our Mother Nature Speaks.
Among the boulders that gaze on with proud regard
When times are rigorous, having patience is hard
Water gently brushes the riverbanks over time
Blue river flowing slowly, crickets chirping in rhyme
The river's peace is disrupted, though, by the rain
Our babies are sobbing louder, battering our brains
As it evolves, it surpasses every hurdle in its path
Of ravenous sadness or the grasp of wrath?
In such instances, I find myself tearing up at the core
However, I struggled and failed to locate any doors
Clock hands are in motion, moving at a rapid pace
In slow motion, creep through the daily, hectic race
Appear weary as they watch the clock tick down
The bull broke his knees, and the farmer lost the crown
As I delete memories, I am reminded of the past
I had believed that all my history was cast
Knowing what adds delight and delivers pleasure
Will let the hectic, noisy swarm steal their treasure
Let me feel it in the punctured vein of pure essence
And practice a fire sprayer to indicate our presence
I contemplate until I'm numb if pain once raged
I yearned for the river as I aged.
Written: June 02, 2023
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