The Poetry Marathon

We have been through all these together,
journeyed through the worst days
& most terrible nights,
we have encountered troubles
that almost suffocated our dreams.
Life is truly an uneasy path
but gradually we are approaching
the apex of its goodness.
Cheers to us that came, saw & conquered
we therefore hold silent minutes in memory
of those whom were conquered by
the woes of the -athon journey.
Gently, gently the night rolls away its mat
for a glowing ball to soar into the skies
& fill our souls with nectars of joy.
Our window glasses bear morning dews
we now can hear the songs of chirping birds
whose beautiful rhythms chases away forlorn
into the far lands of no return.
Widely open the doors of your hearts,
let go of every pain caused by the past
for behold, here comes a new dawn.

I find myself in open dimensions
where my past revolves around
dates / hours I never can recall.
Is my life a reality or am I just
a character in someone’s illusions?

The world itself is an unanswered
question that leaves bold marks on my soul.
Is it just a large ball or an island
lingering around light & darkness?

I am a witness to metaphors
of different worlds; one holds peace / silence
while the other is a collection of grim.

I try restlessly to map a route into
the phase of peace / silence
but my effort remains a product of futility
as I am unable to achieve such dream.

Hence I am left inside the world of assorted misfortunes
with my pen spilling out tears instead of ink
& I wonder when my pain shall get loose off me.

My tongue has never felt the taste of a pizza before, I wonder how it will feel tasting it. I learnt it’s just a bread, but there’s something special about this one.
At times I wish mama could get a pizza for me, but if I should mistakenly say it out to the hearing of anyone, then a war will definitely begin on my body.
I’m just an ordinary boy from a home where poverty circulates in our history. My grandpa passed it on to my father, it’s generational but I won’t allow my father to hand it over to me. That is why I’m always having a conversation with silence, meditating on how to rewrite my story & help to polish the unborn offsprings coming in the nearest future.
I never have tasted a crumb of pizza, simply because of my father’s incompetence to afford one
so I swallow my misery without belching, for behold! The force that held down my father shall never be able to hold me down.

Running from my body &
soul, I fear this life
cause it’s a traitor to
me. Look how reality
roars terribly like a
hungry lion, lusting for
a taste of my flesh &
bones. Sorrow splashes
on my face like drops of
contaminated water & I set
my legs on an endless race
away from life. Oh! Find
me peace if it’s not a myth,
I need to be rescued from
the whips of a chaotic life;
One that frightens my
heart, keeps me restless
as I continue screaming & running.

A day starts with a
picture of me
rising from my bed

Secondly a brush
is found in my mouth
then a broom
sweeping away the
dirt of yesterday

The library calls
my name as soon as
possible & it’s a
call I can’t decline

Soon I go about
in a broad world of
pages where I pure
out emotions into
verses & lines

At this moment
food remains unwanted
until the belly begins to
sing a song of distraction

& in every life,
there’s always a home-
a place of settlement
where we nurture both
our joy & pains

‘Home’ a name with depths
conversant to every being,
a place where memories
are held from dusk to dawn

a stare from my windows
exposes my eyes to the
wonders of mother nature,
I perceive the scent of flowers
& dance to the chirps of birds

truly, home is a place
where enthusiasm is found
a place where our histories
are written never to fade

I send my sight around
my surroundings & I see love
from all four angles
whether there’s is beauty or not
I’m proud to write from here.

Every day begins with letters
that spells ‘strugle’
& the drumbeats of our hearts
sends our lives on a quest
of survival, where only the
winner is entitled to food.
A law says never bite the finger that feeds your mouth
but another law says
there’s no brother in the jungle.
Big man takes kill over little man-
it’s a slang of the jungle
& over here, our purpose is to live
so we haunt down others to
elevate our names.
I keep no enemies though,
my wars aren’t for the crown
I’m just a striving fellow,
fighting to stay alive.

There’s is an irresistible
beauty in what my eyes sees,
the reflection of colours
that drives my soul into a
realm of fantasies. I would
love to get a touch of it
but its fragility threatens
me, so I’m scared it might
break once I get hold of it.

Hello, thank you for banking with us,
you have been called to be informed
about the sudden disappearance of
your two million
after our bank was visited by an unknown snake.

This is touching, yes we understand
but always remember;
we are in this together,
your joy is ours, so is your pain ours.

Your money has vanished,
there’s definitely not going to be a refund
however, the police are on it.

It might sound odd but just remember this;
in our country, everything is possible.

I won’t be the first to slap a stranger’s face. & even if I do, it’s never my fault (a thought hits my mind as he stares furiously into my eyes) Look, there’s a conflict call in a moving bus & we both are right though he feels I’m wrong. It’s never our faults that the bus bears too much people than it can accommodate, but the sudden increase in the price of petrol makes a bus carry a thousand men instead of just ten, thus suffocating our lives before we reach our various destinations. Today, I’m a log of wood in a man’s eyes (he really thinks I am his biggest problem) But I won’t hide my rights just to please another fellow who cares not about my comfort, so I have refused to get choked in a bus after paying a hundred Naira. My rival says I must sit next to a chubby woman whose ass can rebuild another man_ twice my size (I once had experienced this, but never again) so I’m against his will yet I’m not ready to pay an extra hundred Naira in order to be given another seat. Behold! This is what my country currently looks like, we are denizens of a wild land where everyone needs to be the lion in order not to serve as the Lion’s lunch. There is a strong misconception between I & my rival, we need to understand where our problem lies (definitely not within a bus of accumulated human beings) Our problem is nothing but poverty, & the causes are the potbelly ambassadors who sets the fire of our tribulations, flying flags in foreign lands like Europe where they breathe out rehearsed english just to impress the camera while our butts are been exposed to the consequences of their actions.