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 </div><p>A student of the <em><strong>Ladoke Akintola University of Technology</strong></em> (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria, <em><strong>Samson Oluwatoyin</strong></em> has emerged winner of the <a title="CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST" href="http://wrr.ng/authorpedia/call-submissions-brigitte-poirson-poetry-contest/">February edition of the BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST 2015</a>.<br>
Samson Oluwatoyin’s poem <em><strong>‘THE PHONICS OF A LEADER’</strong></em> was adjudged to be the best out of scores of entries received.<br>
Following closely is 2nd placed <em><strong>Darlington Ekene Ogugua</strong> </em>and 3rd placed <em><strong>James Ogunjimi.</strong></em><br>
Samson will receive a cheque of N5,000, a certificate and a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1508514798" target="_blank">Kukogho Iruesiri Samson’s collection of poems <strong>‘What Can Words Do?</strong>’</a><br>
Interestingly, 11 poets, instead of 10, made the top 10 lists, because the 6th and 10th positions were tied.<br>
All of them will be awarded certificates.</p>
<blockquote><p>“…Writing about or evaluating a large plate of poetry on a theme as intricate as leadership/service must be a daunting task to do, yet I encountered some delightful, if compelling verses worth rereading and reflecting upon.”</p>
<p><em>~ Shittu Fowora BPPC co-Judge, February 2015</em></p></blockquote>
<p>Here is the winning entry:<br>
<strong>THE PHONICS OF A LEADER by<em> Samson Oluwatoyin</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Down in the world of the heart<br>
Among the brethren of thoughts<br>
Deep down the oasis of life<br>
Across the fire of love<br>
Up above the vengeance of hatred<br>
Lies his spirit of happiness</p>
<p>Up there above the sky<br>
Beyond the strength of the dews<br>
Above the colourful atmosphere<br>
Higher than the blissful stars<br>
Beyond the power of the sun<br>
Lies his power of service</p>
<p>Above the doings of the heart<br>
Across the golden streams of thought<br>
Far beyond what you can fathom<br>
Is the logic beyond his algorithm of existence<br>
The extravagant grace to lead</p>
<p>The oceans can never be quantified<br>
No one measure the sands on the shore<br>
Far beyond the graces of air<br>
With the ferventness of glories<br>
Up above our fears and judgments<br>
Lies the reward of a leader</p>
<p>You tell your tale<br>
They tell their stories<br>
We all have pens in our mouths<br>
But the words are different<br>
Some unto death<br>
Some unto life.</p></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPTS FROM THE TOP 11 ENTRIES:</strong></p>
<p><strong>‘LET’S HOLD HANDS’ by <em>Darlington Ekene Ogugua</em></strong></p>
<p>I watch as soldier ants trudge along<br>
One behind the other, strong<br>
No evident ant commander,<br>
How they stay true to task, I wonder</p>
<p><strong>‘HUMANITY’S CALL’ by <em>James Ogunjimi</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>When we talk about leadership,<br>
Very few understand what it means.<br>
Should it be about a shepherd directing his sheep?<br>
Or is it about man playing God and punishing all sins?</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘CASSOWARY’ by <em>Alade Toheeb Oluwatoyin</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>mighty flight,’<br>
the infinitesimal humming bird lives with’<br>
poor cassowary remains a ratite’<br>
and never flies.’<br>
Giantism bows to dwarfism’<br>
let us be dwarfs!’</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVED US’ by <em>Emuobome Jemikalajah</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Remember before you open your mouth<br>
The men before you.<br>
They were left dangling from gallows.<br>
Buried they were in unmarked graves.<br>
Wiwa had a cause;<br>
He was left hanging.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘CHRONICLE OF A DEAF LAND’ by<em> Adewumi Olumide Benedict</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>The deaf man’s land<br>
Wiped out by the blind man’s hand<br>
Every face faced the sand with tears<br>
Every hair, plaited, cut or left<br>
Became rolled over some oil, wealth of death.<br>
This happened in the deaf man’s land</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘A CALL TO SERVE’ by <em>Ferdinand King</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>They always dream to ride at the Pinnacle,<br>
To be held in awe like an Oracle,<br>
Men thirsty for the red wine of Supremacy,<br>
Shedding blood on the altars of Democracy,<br>
Kai! Is that what it means to lead?</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘MY PLEDGE’ by <em>Adelaja Ridwan Olayiwola</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>…that my wind shall help<br>
And not distort –<br>
Help lift pollens into stigmas<br>
And not raise dust to blind.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘BECAUSE I LEAD’ by <em>Nwamaka Frances Ebubechukwu</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>I sit on a throne<br>
My head on a crown so gold<br>
This seat a golden plateau<br>
From which I can’t be thrown</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘THE BROKEN POT’ by <em>Oluwatosin Faith Kolawole</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>The dusk is nigh,<br>
I will once again place my rattled bone<br>
On this soiled land filled with our leaders’ farts<br>
Let them clatter!<br>
And sing rhythms to posterity<br>
I wish not for a resting place called grave<br>
Save the land of my ancestors</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>‘I WRITE FOR YOU’ by <em>Showunmi Olawale Michael</em></strong></p>
<blockquote><p>I do not write for the god of rubies<br>
Nor for the noise of mortal<br>
The pomp of power and lofty spoils<br>
The fading flashes of earthly dames.</p></blockquote>
<p>The judges looked out for: Structure (harmony of words, presentation, etc), Creativity/Originality, Relevance to the Theme and the overall Impression of the poem.</p>
<p>The <strong>Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest</strong> (BPPC) is a monthly contest organized in honor of <strong>Brigitte Poirson</strong>, French poet and lecturer, editor and promoter of African poetry.</p>
<p>Click<a title="CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST 2015 [March]" href="http://wrr.ng/authorpedia/call-for-submissions-brigitte-poirson-poetry-contest-2015-march/" target="_blank"> Enter for the March edition of BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST, </a>themed “MAN AND RELIGION”.</p>
<p><strong>Announcer:</strong><br>
Kukogho Iruesiri Samson<br>
Founder/CEO WRR<br>
080-60109295<br>
Kukogho.samson@gmail.com</p>

 
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