<body><div class="booster-block booster-read-block">
 <div class="twp-read-time">
 	<i class="booster-icon twp-clock"></i> <span>Read Time:</span>12 Minute, 27 Second </div>

 </div><p></p>A Chemical Engineering graduate of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, <em><strong>OGEDENGBE Tolulope Impact</strong></em>, has been named the June edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST (BPPC) 2016.
<blockquote><p>The poet, who was the second-runner-up in the April 2015 edition, claimed his first BPPC trophy with his poem <strong>‘CHANGE IS HERE’.</strong> In the first-runner-up and second-runner-up positions are <strong>‘BIAFRA, BIAFRA’</strong> by <em>Izuchukwu Saviour Otubelu</em> and <strong>‘PREYS AND PRAYERS’</strong> by <em>Udokamma Benedict Wilfred</em>.</p></blockquote>
<p>Ogedengbe started writing poetry in 2012 and his poems have been featured in several anthologies, including the LOVE POEM Anthology, PEACE IS POSSIBLE Anthology, MUSE FOR WORLD PEACE Anthology, NIBSTEARS JUSTICE BEFORE PEACE Anthology, and WIND OF CHANGE (BPPC 2015) Anthology. He is currently working on debut poetry collection.</p>
<p>The BPPC May, 2016, <a href="http://june">was on the theme; <em>‘CHANGE’</em>.</a> The theme was chosen in a bid to sample the temperature of opinions concerning recent socioeconomic changes in the Nigerian society, especially since the emergence of a new government in 2015.</p>
<p>Below are the TOP 10 entries:</p>
<ol>
<li>CHANGE IS HERE by Ogedengbe Tolulope Ayobami</li>
<li>BIAFRA, BIAFRA by Izuchukwu Saviour Otubelu</li>
<li>PREYS AND PRAYERS by Udokamma Benedict Wilfred</li>
<li>WHATEVER YOU FIND IS NOT A RIDDLE by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola K-tops</li>
<li>THE BURDEN OF CHANGE by Akinbolade Ezekiel</li>
<li>REVOLUTION by Enemuo Echee Nkem</li>
<li>CHANGE OR CHAINS? by James Jerome Okeme</li>
<li>CITY OF OWLS by Efe Ogufere</li>
<li>OF A LAND WHOSE CLIME HATES CHANGE by Adeniruju Adedapo Treasure</li>
<li>THE WEIRD WIND OF CHANGE by Frank Ezechi Eze</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>CHANGE IS HERE by Ogedengbe Tolulope Ayobami</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Don’t fold your arms, change is here<br>
Change is here, if you can’t hear<br>
At least you can see the sky,<br>
And the fresh flowers nearby.</p>
<p>The season has drooped the sear,<br>
And the new leaves spring to bear.<br>
Change is here, don’t fold your arms<br>
Grab your tools, and clear the farms.</p>
<p>He that has ears, let him hear<br>
The voice of change in the air<br>
Change is here, don’t hold your breath<br>
Hold your tools, and till the earth.</p>
<p>Yes, time of harvest is near,<br>
And soon we shall pluck the pear.<br>
But if we refuse to sow,<br>
How then would the pear trees grow?</p>
<p>I know we drank the sour beer<br>
From the malts of yesteryear<br>
But if we don’t end the blame,<br>
Tomorrow will be the same.</p>
<p>The prophecies of the seer,<br>
Are good yields and better year.<br>
Change is here, don’t fold your arms<br>
Grab your tools, and clear the farms.</p>
<p>Don’t fold your arms, change is here<br>
Change is here, if you can’t hear<br>
At least you can see the sky<br>
And the fresh flowers nearby.</p>
<p><em>N.B: SEPTANELLE is a poem of 7 stanzas with 7 syllables in each line.</em></p></blockquote>
<p><strong>BIAFRA, BIAFRA by Izuchukwu Saviour Otubelu</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Biafra, Biafra, how many miles lie thy heartbeat?<br>
My battered back bends under the rage of red whips<br>
These words of mine speak freedom to my fettered feet<br>
What skilful sailor sets sail with a submerged ship?</p>
<p>I sow seed yams- I reap a basketful of tears<br>
Strip me of these royal robes; I crave no kingship<br>
For my soul’s haunted by the ghosts of wasted years<br>
What skilful sailor sets sail with a submerged ship?</p>
<p>I pen these frail verses with the ink of my blood-<br>
My father’s fathers dreamed dreams that turned bittersweet<br>
Now my drained footfall falls with a thunderous thud<br>
These words of mine speak freedom to my fettered feet</p>
<p>Am I not a weaver? I weave baskets with words<br>
Yet black blood drips across the corners of my lips<br>
I know not which way forward- my eyesight is blurred<br>
My battered back bends under the rage of red whips</p>
<p>Sixteen songs I have sung; sixty more I shall sing<br>
Till the dust beneath my feet dance to my drumbeat<br>
I must kiss a pauper’s feet if I must be king<br>
Biafra, Biafra, how many miles lie thy heartbeat?</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>PREYS AND PRAYERS by Udokamma Benedict Wilfred</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>There goes a lad at the verge of his prime<br>
Time is money, so he makes money with each tick-tocking chime<br>
He walks through life dreading the weariness of shame<br>
Success is a golden slate on which to inscribe his name.</p>
<p>There sit our mothers under torn cotton shades<br>
Their grim faces are indifferent of the sunny haze<br>
Their eyes, heavy as their hearts with bitter petitions<br>
The tips of their piled-up grains pointing skywards in supplication.</p>
<p>There goes an orphan, barely six years old<br>
At birth, she brought no silver spoon nor gold<br>
Some strangers broke open her source of wealth<br>
And emptied their hate into the only hope of love she had left.</p>
<p>Our fathers are now ridden like donkeys<br>
They work for baboons who throw crumbs at them like monkeys<br>
Emptying themselves to fill another’s wallet<br>
They’ve become victims of a misplaced budget.</p>
<p>Our ‘changer’ is now a dictating rover<br>
Flying there, fleeing here for economic cover<br>
His truths about change are constant lies<br>
He only seeks answers where the crow flies.</p>
<p>Should we fast and pray and wait on God?<br>
Or make even the stakes of vengeance to beat the odds?<br>
Should we milk our cattle to the orders of SAN?<br>
Or be goaded by the whip of the chief herdsman?</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>WHATEVER YOU FIND IS NOT A RIDDLE by Kanyinsola Olorunnisola K-tops </strong></p>
<blockquote><p>You must rise at the birth of sunlight<br>
Before other huts cease their songs of snores,<br>
Strap the sword of courage on your back<br>
And set out against the infancy of day,<br>
For this journey is a lone pilgrimage<br>
And the change you seek awaits you.</p>
<p>Take this path to the land of shadows<br>
Past the city of gnomes and the shrieks of ghosts,<br>
You will come upon a prayer of forests<br>
And an ice-cold gatekeeper of fire,<br>
There you must offer a meal of your soul<br>
For entry into the cursed village of hell.</p>
<p>Embrace a gruesome death but make it out alive<br>
Slaying crying children of demons,<br>
The darkness in your heart will be a light<br>
Pointing the way to your destination,<br>
Remember: whatever you find is not a riddle<br>
But the clear voice of the heavens.</p>
<p>When you do reach the Canaan of your dreams<br>
It will be a silent music of rivers with mirrors,<br>
You will stare into them, bathed with epiphany<br>
And you will see that the remedy to your malady,<br>
The change you’ve sought in the devil’s bosom<br>
Was, all along, an unignited fire in your blood.</p>
<p><strong>THE BURDEN OF CHANGE by Akinbolade Ezekiel</strong></p>
<p>The weather around heated the land like summer sun<br>
And the blooming flowers weren’t having fun<br>
All the plants of the field cried in agony<br>
Yeah ! Now the set time to seek new glory<br>
We sworn with our eyes never to behold again the denudation<br>
Which damped our hope and expectation</p>
<p>The songs of change blazed the air<br>
We got lost in the tune of funfare,<br>
Yet starkly ignorant that change’s not a sudden flight<br>
That bestows swift and instant delight<br>
But we ran to see a bright tomorrow<br>
Bereft of mournful shade of sorrow</p>
<p>The pomp that accompanied the transistion now dead<br>
The road becomes windy and thorny to thread<br>
Vituperations pour like a bursted dam<br>
Now the anticipation faces the air of sham<br>
People begin to cry in pain<br>
Saying this change is strange,we find no gain</p>
<p>But every change, wether good or bad<br>
Is prosperous for a humble heart who is not mad<br>
At the dry heat of the summer<br>
Yet bears the pain of waiting for the raining weather<br>
While ploughing the field for a new planting year,<br>
Hopes against hope for the indignation to pass without fear</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>REVOLUTION by Enemuo Echee Nkem</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>If we cry, gently, gently<br>
When we suppose, with our surgical voices,<br>
Tear and stitch the elected non-chalant sky,<br>
Then the offspring of our votes and choices<br>
Will remain the dry pasture upon which we lie.</p>
<p>If we sing, silently, silently<br>
What we should bang like war canons,<br>
Deaf eyes will not hear the sighing sounds<br>
Dehydrating barrels whisper to our gallons,<br>
That bleeding feets thresh our wailing grounds.</p>
<p>If we dance, reluctantly, reluctantly<br>
To the stance breaking drums of change<br>
The rich hat plays for the wretched sandals,<br>
Our purses will leap painfully in its bandages,<br>
To catch flying money, drying into oily canals.</p>
<p>If we pray, fervently, fervently<br>
Like Goshen olives in revolutionary wave<br>
And heed solemnly to the unadulterated creeds,<br>
Greyless knees must sprout to the call to save,<br>
As that all progressive mantra loses its beads.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>CHANGE OR CHAINS? by James Jerome Okeme</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>What did you hear<br>
when they mounted the stage of yesterday<br>
to declare their promises on air?<br>
Was it change or chains?</p>
<p>Maybe the lies of yesteryears<br>
Have deposited wax into our ears<br>
and hindered our hearing<br>
that we couldn’t differentiate change from chains.</p>
<p>Please let this accent be understood.<br>
Did we hear “we are working” or “we are walking”?<br>
Are we dear to your heart<br>
Or shares in your hat?</p>
<p>When we laid bare our complaints<br>
Did you say you have heard Or you have herd?<br>
Did you recover the loots or the lutes?<br>
Will you give us our rights or rice?</p>
<p>Can you see our tears or tiers?<br>
Did we hear ” we’ll make corruption bitter ”<br>
Or “we’ll make corruption beat her” ?<br>
Did you promise to make lives better<br>
Or bind many with fetters?</p>
<p>Maybe the tongue twisted the truth<br>
Only time can get us to the root.<br>
These guys!<br>
Can we call this “Change in Disguise”?</p>
<p>Is this what you call change?<br>
Herdsmen slaughtering souls rather than cows<br>
Only for us to hear whispers of ” Silent is Golden”.<br>
Is that a meaningful silent?</p>
<p>When will change come?<br>
When the price of fuel is more than one can bear<br>
as it equates a bottle of beer?<br>
Or as our Naira watch the Dollars<br>
mount upon the wings of our very own Eagle<br>
to soar high be called change or chains?</p>
<p>You feel not our pains<br>
Yet we see your gains.<br>
We heard of the fame<br>
That you made with our very own name.</p>
<p>Is this the promise of Change<br>
Or promise in Chains.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>CITY OF OWLS by Efe Ogufere</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Despair…</p>
<p>A parliament divided, the nation in flight<br>
When death came in hoots, we stepped aside.</p>
<p>A mother laughs when her tears are spent<br>
Blood and smoke creates a perfect collage.</p>
<p>A flame still flickers for the silent screams<br>
The ghosts of womanhood lost in Chibok.</p>
<p>Before our very eyes, they steal our skies<br>
Feeding us the blackness of night at dawn.</p>
<p>Harbingers of ill-omen, watchers of the night<br>
Witness us, humanity dies and we do not cry.</p>
<p>Let the mourners mourn, We will drink their tears<br>
When the earth has had its fill, we will drown in it.</p>
<p>Hold our eroding souls with migrating principles,<br>
As we watch fragments of our dreams wash away.</p>
<p>Hope…</p>
<p>A bird with a broken wing still heeds the call<br>
To taste the wind and bask in warm sunny rays</p>
<p>A wind of change with more wind than change<br>
A choice buffet of rotten meat and rancid milk.</p>
<p>Pessimism is handed out with outstretched arms<br>
Optimism, now that’s a luxury we cannot afford.</p>
<p>Oh if we could see the world from an owl’s eyes<br>
We are all like little stars twinkling in the dark.</p>
<p>With our virtues leached as the sands in Bauchi<br>
The world watches our feeble attempt at flight</p>
<p>The skies beckon as the evening breeze nudges<br>
The sun blushes as we lift off and break heights.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>OF A LAND WHOSE CLIME HATES CHANGE by Adeniruju Adedapo Treasure</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Have you heard the untold tales of a twilight<br>
that lived before winds wandered in wrung ways<br>
while we were chastising pillars of guiltless trees?<br>
that tale was written for a land whose clime hates change</p>
<p>Just this afternoon,<br>
a tired river washed and<br>
s-p-r-e-a-d-e-d i-t-s-e-l-f<br>
like a defenceless garment of guilt<br>
under a sun that is about to lose its temper.<br>
I saw (pregnant) clouds from twilight getting<br>
replaced by<br>
(pregnant) women whose sweats<br>
tell teary tales of famished families<br>
doing farming during famine!</p>
<p>even if this night the rainbow dyes<br>
the sky into honeymoon blankets<br>
I will still tell of dying dreams in Newtok and<br>
lonely leopards<br>
sent parking from their fore-father’s forests.<br>
they’re returning to eat the fruits of their neighbours<br>
who sit in green-houses mourning<br>
the arrogant fragility of a fading humanity!</p>
<p>We know this is not the land’s real face<br>
it’s the face of our greed and gain<br>
the face of faeces feasting on our farmlands<br>
and of pregnant fantasies punctured by a miscarriage!</p>
<p><strong>THE WEIRD WIND OF CHANGE by Frank Ezechi Eze</strong></p>
<p>it was a warm wind waltzing<br>
rhythmically to whistles of a tree<br>
whose leaves furled and frolicked<br>
like a volery of birds in the park</p>
<p>it worked its way gently gently<br>
into the heart of the tree through<br>
tracks of cracks in her barks</p>
<p>it saw her heart, a hatful of hurt,<br>
soured, her soul, so sick, so sore;<br>
warm wind came closer, cosy—<br>
her holy healer…</p>
<p>at the helm, his grins grew grime<br>
and warm wind unrhythmic, waltzed<br>
a wild and weird wind of change</p></blockquote>
<p>———-</p>
<p>Ogedengbe’s prize include a cash prize of N5,000, <span style="font-weight: 400;">a copy of ‘WHAT CAN WORDS DO’ by Kukogho Iruesiri Samson, </span>a copy each of the 2015 and 2016 BPPC anthologies and a feature as the<a href="http://poetry.wrr.ng/category/wrrpotw/"> WRR POETRY Poet of The Week</a>.</p>
<figure id="attachment_3747" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3747" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://wrr.ng/authorpedia/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/OGEDENGBE-TOLULOPE-IMPACT-WINNER-BPPC-JUNE-2016-2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-3747" src="http://wrr.ng/authorpedia/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/OGEDENGBE-TOLULOPE-IMPACT-WINNER-BPPC-JUNE-2016-2-1024x621.jpg" alt="OGEDENGBE TOLULOPE IMPACT, WINNER BPPC JUNE 2016" width="600" height="364" loading="lazy"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3747" class="wp-caption-text">OGEDENGBE TOLULOPE IMPACT, WINNER BPPC JUNE 2016</figcaption></figure>
<p>All the other poets who made the top 10 will get a free copy of the BPPC Anthology and certificates which will be awarded at the WRR ‘FEAST OF WORDS’ LITERARY FESTIVAL 2016 (October). In addition, all the TOP 10 poems will also be published in the BPPC anthology and automatically entered for the <a href="http://wrr.ng/albert-jungers-poetry-prize-ajpp/">ALBERT JUNGERS POETRY PRIZE</a> 2016.</p>
<blockquote><p>“Change is coming. Change has changed. Change needs change. Change is chained. The June poets have outlined the various aspects of the theme with convincing lines. Not only did no poem deserve to be discarded, but all together they have built a citadel of aspirations worth listening to. And if anyone ignores what a septanelle is like, they should rush to the June edition of the contest. Well done, talented poets. Do not change: keep writing!”<br>
— <em><strong>Brigitte Poirson</strong></em></p></blockquote>
<p>The BPPC is sponsored by WRR CEO Kukogho Iruesiri Samson in honor of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor who has worked tirelessly to promote and support of African poetry.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>NOTE:</strong> Submissions are being received for the JULY edition on the <a href="http://wrr.ng/authorpedia/call-for-submissions-brigitte-poirson-poetry-contest-2016-july/">THEME: “UNITED STATES OF AFRICA”.</a><br>
CLICK HERE TO ENTER.</p>
<p></p>
 
 <div class="booster-block booster-author-block">
 <div class="be-author-details layout-square align-left">
 <div class="be-author-wrapper">
 <div class="booster-row">
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-two booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="be-author-image">
 <img alt="" src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3de36b6da89639b3d80d015f84d2cfc35212bb0678ceb13c46dc8c712831d196?s=400&;d=mm&;r=g" class="avatar avatar-400 photo avatar-img" height="400" width="400" loading="lazy"> </div>
 </div>
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-eight booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="author-details">
 <header class="twp-plugin-title twp-author-title">
 <h2>About Post Author</h2>
 </header>
 <h4 class="be-author-meta be-author-name">
 <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/author/admin/" class="booster-url-link">
 Words Rhymes &; Rhythm </a>
 </h4>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-email">
 <a href="mailto:%20info@wrr.ng" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-envelope"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M0 3v18h24v-18h-24zm6.623 7.929l-4.623 5.712v-9.458l4.623 3.746zm-4.141-5.929h19.035l-9.517 7.713-9.518-7.713zm5.694 7.188l3.824 3.099 3.83-3.104 5.612 6.817h-18.779l5.513-6.812zm9.208-1.264l4.616-3.741v9.348l-4.616-5.607z"></path></svg></span>info@wrr.ng </a>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-url">
 <a href="https://wrr.ng/about-us/" target="_blank" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-sphere"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M 11.25 1.5 C 5.035156 1.5 0 6.535156 0 12.75 C 0 18.964844 5.035156 24 11.25 24 C 17.464844 24 22.5 18.964844 22.5 12.75 C 22.5 6.535156 17.464844 1.5 11.25 1.5 Z M 17.617188 16.5 C 17.816406 15.550781 17.941406 14.546875 17.984375 13.5 L 20.972656 13.5 C 20.894531 14.535156 20.652344 15.542969 20.253906 16.5 Z M 4.882812 9 C 4.683594 9.949219 4.558594 10.953125 4.515625 12 L 1.527344 12 C 1.605469 10.964844 1.847656 9.957031 2.246094 9 Z M 16.078125 9 C 16.304688 9.960938 16.441406 10.964844 16.484375 12 L 12 12 L 12 9 Z M 12 7.5 L 12 3.109375 C 12.34375 3.210938 12.679688 3.375 13.011719 3.609375 C 13.636719 4.050781 14.230469 4.726562 14.738281 5.566406 C 15.085938 6.148438 15.386719 6.796875 15.640625 7.5 Z M 7.761719 5.566406 C 8.269531 4.726562 8.863281 4.050781 9.488281 3.609375 C 9.820312 3.375 10.15625 3.207031 10.5 3.109375 L 10.5 7.5 L 6.859375 7.5 C 7.113281 6.792969 7.414062 6.148438 7.761719 5.566406 Z M 10.5 9 L 10.5 12 L 6.015625 12 C 6.058594 10.964844 6.195312 9.960938 6.421875 9 Z M 2.246094 16.5 C 1.847656 15.542969 1.605469 14.535156 1.527344 13.5 L 4.515625 13.5 C 4.558594 14.546875 4.683594 15.550781 4.882812 16.5 Z M 6.015625 13.5 L 10.5 13.5 L 10.5 16.5 L 6.421875 16.5 C 6.195312 15.539062 6.058594 14.535156 6.015625 13.5 Z M 10.5 18 L 10.5 22.390625 C 10.15625 22.289062 9.820312 22.125 9.488281 21.890625 C 8.863281 21.449219 8.269531 20.773438 7.761719 19.933594 C 7.414062 19.351562 7.113281 18.703125 6.859375 18 Z M 14.738281 19.933594 C 14.230469 20.773438 13.636719 21.449219 13.011719 21.890625 C 12.679688 22.125 12.34375 22.292969 12 22.390625 L 12 18 L 15.640625 18 C 15.386719 18.707031 15.085938 19.351562 14.738281 19.933594 Z M 12 16.5 L 12 13.5 L 16.484375 13.5 C 16.441406 14.535156 16.304688 15.539062 16.078125 16.5 Z M 17.984375 12 C 17.945312 10.953125 17.816406 9.949219 17.617188 9 L 20.253906 9 C 20.652344 9.957031 20.894531 10.964844 20.972656 12 Z M 19.46875 7.5 L 17.222656 7.5 C 16.785156 6.121094 16.179688 4.914062 15.457031 3.949219 C 16.453125 4.429688 17.355469 5.066406 18.144531 5.855469 C 18.648438 6.359375 19.089844 6.910156 19.46875 7.5 Z M 4.355469 5.855469 C 5.144531 5.066406 6.046875 4.429688 7.042969 3.949219 C 6.320312 4.914062 5.714844 6.121094 5.277344 7.5 L 3.03125 7.5 C 3.410156 6.910156 3.851562 6.359375 4.355469 5.855469 Z M 3.03125 18 L 5.277344 18 C 5.714844 19.378906 6.320312 20.585938 7.042969 21.550781 C 6.046875 21.070312 5.144531 20.433594 4.355469 19.644531 C 3.851562 19.140625 3.410156 18.589844 3.03125 18 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 C 17.355469 20.433594 16.453125 21.070312 15.457031 21.550781 C 16.179688 20.585938 16.785156 19.378906 17.222656 18 L 19.46875 18 C 19.089844 18.589844 18.648438 19.140625 18.144531 19.644531 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 "></path></svg></span>https://wrr.ng/about-us/ </a>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-profiles">
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </body>