The Poetry Marathon

Shapes form, but dissolve before

I can name them.

Colors come into focus,

blend, and come back

a new hue.

And us?

We form, come into focus, blend, and

come back perhaps not better, but

yes, good enough.

Take equal parts desire and regret
A cup of commitment
An ounce of common sense
Or better yet
Leave that til the end
Probably fitter
Or the mix will spoil and be bitter
Pour in a healthy dollop of gullibility
Grate some nerves
And irresponsibility
Turn up the heat at the start
Hotter than all hell on fire
Then add your mix
To the sacrifical pyre
Half way through you’ll need
To do something peculiar
You won’t understand why
And might feel like a fool, yeah?
Transfer it all to the freezer
Just follow the instructions
It doesn’t matter if it falls
If you want to please her.
Swing back and forth
From volcano to glacier
Until in the end
That doesn’t even phase you
Then turn it upside down
To take it out cos it’s cooked through
At that point add your common sense
And instead of beating the oven tray
Like a dead horse
Just chuck it in the bin
And file for divorce

I hate you for making
me so vulnerable,
so addicted to the smell
of your skin and the
summer sweat.

There is an inferno
that awakens inside of me
and only you
can extinguish that
need with which I
I was born.

I saw you so vulnerable,
so willing
to consume yourself in my fire.
You no longer seek heaven,
you want to burn
with me in this game.

Spinning, wheeling, colors clash and pull together,

as I blink and squint, childish dreams and colors pulling together,

pulling apart anew.

Why on Earth

is the phoenix

the symbol for rebirth

and reinvention,

when we have condors

here already,

which nearly disappeared

from California skies

but now produce

their very own young

in the wild

once more?

Kaleidoscope

Dancing in the softest of macabres’ melodies.

Revelling in our unison of ever revolving step.

Always in tune with the dark whispers of the night…

The Sun and Moon

The Sun and Moon, eternal pair,
One gives light, the other lays bare,
Dancing in the heavens up so high,
As they chase each other in the sky.

The Sun awakens with a fiery glow,
Its rays painting the world below,
Chasing the night and bringing the day,
To light up the path for life’s way.

Then comes the Moon, with its gentle light,
Guiding us through the dark of night,
Casting a spell over the land,
As stars twinkle, hand in hand.

The Sun and Moon, forever bound,
Their love and rhythm, forever profound,
One shines bright, the other mellow,
Together weaving tales of tales untold.

So let us embrace this cosmic duo,
And see the beauty in what they show,
For the Sun brings day and the Moon brings night,
And together they light up our lives so bright.

©Aliyu Ibrahim

Stress is tension,

climbing and a system of pulleys.

The tight rope closeness,

emboldened by the fear of a lead fall.

Create a crack in the boulder

with my grip,

snags and zippers.

The catch that takes my breath away before ascending again,

determined not to make a sound.