Shall I tell?
I look into the eye
Of the baby called today
I speak of a lost generation
Waiting to be revived
I speak of raw stones
Waiting to be polished
I speak of time
Waiting to be captured
I speak of a future
Being mortgaged today
I speak of hollow homes
Fractured by the life’s demands
I speak of children
Left to their own devices
I speak of legacies
Being buried with the dead
I speak of tears
Becoming the norm
I speak of an unplanned future
Of a future I fear
If there are no sutures
Of love and care
Holding the present and past
Till at last we reach
The town of hope
© 2009 Derin Onokpasa
INSULATED (THE RE-MAKING OF JOHN GOODMAN)
Why ’twas only
’twas only yesterday
I saw John Goodman lonely
Like a solitary needle in hay
Surrounded by manly
Yet in the midst of none
"What ails thee my friend". "plenty"
" I’ll thank you, kind sir to lend me your gun"
I sat with him to hear a tale
That brought tears to his eyes
"O human nature, how frail"
he had loved a woman of ice
Who had made a plaything out of a kind man
Who finally summoned courage to ask
But, nay, he’d always be her "dear man"
In a confusing answer that took him to task
Why ’twas only this morn
’twas this cheerless morning I’m sure
I heard a haughty John Goodman say
As he a good woman scorned
The light in his eyes was long gone
Replaced by the gloomy darkness of rage
It’s over woman, begone
Your tears move me none,
Love, Bah, its for fools
And my wise heart has been schooled.
©2008 Dotun Adejuyigbe
Untitled
Just before you came
I knew I was me
my thoughts trailing
through the tides of time
When you came
my thinking stopped
I started sailing
rapidly like a boat
I found all of me in you
believing still it’s me
did you choose me or
pray! did I find you?
can’t tell which way now
I see me deep down in you
© Folasade Bello
PLAYAHATIN’ (The story of Mr. Nice)
Sometimes the babes ignore him
‘cos he’s so frighteningly cute
Dependable and honest
All those proper sounding "virtues"
They seek one after another
Their chance with the players
Who look what they are not
And what they may yet not be
Who break their hearts
"To hell babe, your tenure’s expired
Watch their mouth form O
A necessary precursor to the deluge of tears that follow
But hey whad’ya know, Mr. Nice consoles them;
‘cos no matter what he’s always there
And when its time to settle down
When suddenly like a slowly appearing
And suddenly obvious daylight
They find he’s the one
He’s gone like a wisp of smoke
Alas he’s become hardened
Another like him got a lucky break
It hurts so when they come back
In tears with their sorry tales
To good men who have always been there.
©2008 Dotun Adejuyigbe
Till I believe
It won’t be real
Till I believe
It won’t hurt me
Till my heart comes to accept
That the voices out there
Are really the voices I need to hear
That the echoes or resonance of other’s thoughts
Echoes what should really be
Till my heart stops standing
Till my inner voice chooses silence
Over that which I know to be true
It won’t really be
Till I believe
© 2009 Derin Onokpasa
Mama’s Wisdom
How lovely and pretty I’ll look;
if only this dress I had!
"Not so lovely and pretty my dear-
For all that glitters isn’t gold!"
…And that’s what my mama said.
So alluring and beckoning that is;
the callings of that ice cream van!
"Yes,very enticing I’ll say-
but much of creamy simply is fatty!"
…For that’s what my mama said.
Quite young and wrong I was;
to give my heart all out!
"So stale and bitter it always is-
a love gone cold and sour!"
Oh!Mama, how always right you were!!!
…And that, now, I’ll always know.
© Folashade Bello
ANOTHER SANDWICH DAY!
Tick tick tick, the seconds slip away
Sting sting sting, the tummy sings in pain
The click of the door I almost could hear
Oh finally, the familiar greeting I heard:
"Good morning, Sandwich man".
Not a word flew back his way
Not even a semblance of a greeting!
He probably doesn’t command such a great crowd I presume.
Not one word thrown down his lane.
But wait! An exodus of people I see!!!
Managers, Heads of Departments, and team members as well.
All hurrying to the call of the sandwich man!
…Well, maybe not to him really,
But the pull of his sandwich just would do!
And as I hear him say once again:
"Thank you, bye-bye, see you tomorrow",
I cannot but smile yet again –
What power he has over all men here,
Neither he nor they probably know.
Another sandwich day yet is come.
© 2004 Folashade Bello
I’ll be there
Sometimes you cry
But things don’t get better for the tears
At times like these, have no fear
‘Cause I’ll be there
To hold you near
© 2000 Adekunle Adejuyigbe
Two hearts
Two hearts we are
one love we share
The union of our hearts
Has brought our dreams,
Our lives,
Our thoughts,
Together as one
Ours isn’t just love
It is true love
And our love,
Will grow
© 1999 Aderinola Adejuyigbe (aka Derin Onokpasa)
LESSONS FROM THE WHITE NOSED DOG ON ROAD 12
I reach out
He runs
Sometimes in circles
Sometimes he comes near
but when I reach out
He runs away
On and on
We go through this everyday
Sometimes in the company of friends
He dares to venture near
But alone he’d rather back off
when i reach out to him
and sometimes he barks at me
I’m astounded
Who scarred you li’l brother
Why do you run?
What‘s so vivid in your memory
That makes you reach out
And at the point of contact let go
It is better nowadays though
with another you come
And only then can you be touched
Today I touched your head
And I was surprised you’d let me
watching warily from the corner of your eyes
my hand upon your head
But soon after,
you ran
Many a time I’ve watched
musing about the amazing parallel
between you and I
You gave me hope today
Yet you still ran afterwards
How long till you trust me?
How long till I trust?
I don’t mean to hurt you
But do you know that?
You are an enigma
And you are a playful fella
I’ve seen you play with friends
Now I’m supposed to end this all
With a fancy phrase
But the parallel is so large
In my minds eye
I sit and watch you
As we sit face to face
Pondering about life as we see it
I suppose then
That this poem will not be finished
But the story will end
Happily I pray.
©2001 Dotun Adejuyigbe
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