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Henry Ategie Poem
"I do." Two words
Which have sealed our lives
And bound them together
Forever
Goodbye Beautiful License
- License to cheat,
Fool around and get
Fooled around. No more
Late hours at the club. No more
Partying till the sky drops. No more
The life of a party animal. No more
Flings with flirty friends
With a forced smile on my face
I walk down the aisle
With my partner.
Partner! That word scares me!
Shared house, shared room,
Shared bed, shared food,
Shared children perhaps,
Hopefully, shared finances.
That part sounds good
But what a price to pay: freedom!
Exiting the church building
Into the open air
I ignore the cheers and applauses
And glance at the decked hearse
That will convey me to a life of
Confinement.
Have I made a mistake?
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
A common purse I thought we had
A common ideology I thought we shared
I was wrong. I can’t believe he lied
Yes, we got rid of the farmer;
Yes, we all fought for the struggle
Well, almost all – save for him: Judas
Who cheered us on with a promise:
Give me your voice. Give me your support
And utopia will become a reality.
He forgot to mention its name: Animal Farm.
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
When we are old and grey, what will they say?
It all comes down to this: the good old days
A rocking chair, an old tobacco pipe
Tiny feet sprawled about, faces in need of a wipe
Dear little ones, I have a short story
About the early days of great guts and no glory.
Travails came my way and choices had to be made
Mouths to feed and bills to be paid
The fool of the court I was called
Not once was I perturbed nor appalled
Dusty shoes and never owning a car
I worked so hard all my life and all I have are
Soiled clothes, dirty hands, a clean conscience and an empty can
Although I lived in bondage, I will die a free man.
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
Alone in the dark
Daydreaming about what was once mine
Eternal flames dancing about like a lark
Killing my sorrow in bottles of wine
Up until that night
Nothing – and I mean nothing ever
Left me in such a state of fright
Except for that fateful day last year in November
Arriving at a crossroads
Jungle boots and helmets
At loggerheads with civilians in folds
Shots fired. So many deaths
Including my beloved’s
November is here again, and so is the hurt!
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
Today
I lost another piece of my flesh
Strangely
I feel no different than I had been
Yesterday
It was only a little portion of it
Tomorrow?
Who knows? It just might be everything
Still
I marvel at the rise and fall of day
Wishing
Time would make up its mind
Hoping
For once, humanity becomes vanity
Happy
To see it end one day
Unfortunately
Time zones make Time a dummy
Undecided
It watches hopelessly and helplessly
Weakened
By carefully-caliberated divides
Mankind
Craftily created to cheat its own demise
Defeated
Time seeks help from the Leveler
Death
The only being unrestricted by zones
Slowly
With his souls-snatching scythe in hand
Surely
Time, in the end, becomes the victor
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2018
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Henry Ategie Poem
"Nice to see you again", said
Mosquito to the Blue-bottled Fly
"I see you are well-fed"
"Thank you", replied the latter. "I
Returned recently from a big meeting"
" What meeting? The CONFAB?"
"Yes. What a bout of feasting!
There was so much blood on the slab!"
Softly stroking his proboscis, Mosquito said: "I don't know about you
But I prefer blood that comprises
Vitamins and nutrients, fresh and new." Patting his robust belly, Fly asked: "Where can I get such?
Would that mean waking up early?" "Yes", replied the other. "Pretty much.
Just stick with me, I'll show you the difference
You are yet to see
Human blood is a whole new experience!" "Thanks for the offer, but
I'll stick to the butcher's venison. With him, I have an honest cut
Human blood is sacred - that's a reason!"
And with that, Fly flew away
"Potbellied fool! Who better than myself
Knows its value? I'll go on my way
And let him find out for himself!"
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
Life showed us immense kindness when
One day, a princess was born into our home
Uniting estranged brothers, nay, brethren
Into one hive, into one honeycomb
Solomon, Henry, Paul and Stephen
All brothers of yours
Armed themselves morning till evening
Brooms swathing at insects by the gross
Revelry revealed in our victory dances
Aunty wakes up in anger to shut us up
Halting our steps and prances
A queen you were born to be
Mom is proud of you; so are we
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
Our father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name …
Please grant us the attainment of world peace
Please take the homeless ones off the streets
May men and women have plenty apiece
Children, their fair share of peanuts and sweets
May sickness be far from me, mine, hers and his
May good health be in abundance
May beautiful flowers and majestic trees
Create atmospheres for the sun’s dance
Keep famine and pestilence away
Let our barns and silos be full in stock
Keep hunger and starvation at bay
Make our aged as strong as a rock
May ours be an egalitarian society
Where everyone has the means to their ends
May ours be a classless economy
On which profit per person’s desire depends
May our roads be free of accidents
Our earth from natural disasters
May our vehicles get no scratches and dents
That they may gleam under the light of the stars
Keep our r0ads free from hazards
The streets, safe and secure from hoodlums
May we never encounter witches nor wizards
Who’ll, from our farms, steal berries and plums
May we all get passes to the gates of Heaven
Regardless of multiplicity of religions
That all may attain the perfection of seven
And be one with the angels and legions
Amen…
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
I salute you brother of mine
One whose venomous bile
Sends shivers down the spine
Of spineless rank and file
I have never known you
But like William’s “18”, your
Legend lives on afresh and new
Telling tales of valour and rancour
Singlehandedly, you transformed Be-neen
Into a Bend-Hell; singlehandedly,
You made the state’s purse quite lean
Only to spend your loot foolishly
Like Samson, you had a Delilah
Like Achilles, you had the heel
Expecting you to be caught very far
From home, like a complacent eel
You were tangled in the net
Reclining in the recess of expired nipples
Dousing my awe and admiration. How wet!
Your fame is lost among the ripples
Commander-in-thief that you once were
You died like a mere beggar in the street
How disappointing! From stag to mare
You lost your crown by being indiscreet
Daredevil, bank robber, kingpin
Notorious criminal – the infamous Anini
The Dillinger of your time – a King
Dethroned by men on one knee.
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2017
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Henry Ategie Poem
Water. I need water.
Can someone help a man
Dying of thirst? Dying of hunger?
You with the watering can!
Can you spare a drop or two?
Be kind to a weary one
For tomorrow it might be you too
Life decides to use for fun.
My path I didn't choose
My journey chose only me
I fear I'm destined to lose
And be lost like a drop in a sea
I am strong. Well, I was!
I am tired. Still am!
Life for me is a fuss
All clogged up like a dam.
I see my end. Thankful.
My end beckons ruefully
Suddenly, I feel like a fool
At the self-discovery of my folly!
My end ends with an open door,
A cup of water on the other side,
Loose change on the bare floor
And a new map for the ride.
Copyright © Henry Ategie | Year Posted 2018
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