Oyedokun Ibukun Stephen is the winner of the February 2019 edition of the monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC) which was themed ‘THE FEAT’.
Oyedokun, aka PENAWD, is a poet, novelist, essayist, playwright and recent English Education graduate of the University of Ibadan. His passion for poetry is ineffable, and he travels – as an artist or audience – to work towards art’s fulfillment in his environs and beyond.
His 24-line poem, ‘NOT UNTIL THEN’ is beautifully rhymed and rich in original metaphors. In second place is ‘DE-FEAT AND THE-FEAT’ by Emmanuel Faith while serial finalist Ogedengbe Tolulope Impact was the second runner-up for his poem ‘FEAST OF STARS’.
Below is the winning poem:
NOT UNTIL THEN
Not until mother calls my siblings
To tell tales of my mutual feelings:
When I starved for poetry dealings
Before its entourage of shillings.
Not until satire sits on solace
And buttocks dance to its pace
Without baton of fear to chase
As heat fades like the rainy days.
Not until rhythms sound in stereo
And poetry becomes wave of radio
Not just caged under the hip hop flow
As each blink sees art on TV show.
Not until cowries see profit in art
And not where morality falls apart
For craft carves cure to the heart
While others lit seasons and depart.
Not until unrepented gods flourish
As lonely moments set them a dish
And poetry wears not a robe of rubbish
As they beat their chests for its fish.
Not until unsaid words reach the sense,
Not until ink echoes beyond violence,
Not until art is the metaphor of affluence,
Not until then will I know my essence.
You can read all the top 30 poems in ‘THE FEAT’ chapbook available for download below.
Oyedokun will take home the N8000 prize money and, alongside the other TOP 10 finalists from February to September 2019, will be automatically entered for the 2019 ALBERT JUNGERS POETRY PRIZE (AJPP) in addition to receiving a certificate and a copy of the BPPC 2019 anthology at the Words Rhymes & Rhythm Literary Festival 2018. All the top 10 poems for the 2018 Season will be published in the BPPC 2019 anthology while the top 30 poems are featured in THE FEAT, a chapbook of all the top 30 poems of the edition. The finalists of each edition will also each receive
ENTER FOR THE MARCH 2019 EDITION HERE
The BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST, a brainchild of Words Rhymes & Rhythm (WRR), is a monthly writing contest aimed at rewarding the under-appreciated talent of young Nigerian poets. It was instituted in February 2015 in honor of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support African poetry. Now in its third season as one of the few credible contests for poets, the BPPC has since grown to be one of country’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.
