I am my own chariot and warrior Winning battles without collecting enemies’ lots It is queasy If my quiver is full of breathless warriors What sound of gong is sweet for the dance? As you stepdown from the cloudy hilltop Let cavalry full your pocket And your shoes like the serrated teeth of iron blade… Continue reading MY STRENGTH IS IN YOU by Adedokun Seyi
Tag: motherhood
MAMI by Amore David Olamide
There are words for her that I will tell to the ears of Aresa There are words for her that I will tell to the ears of Alara There are words for her that I will tell to the ears of Orogun Ila There are words for her that Ajero must perceive . There are… Continue reading MAMI by Amore David Olamide
UNRIPE MOTHERS by Akodu Oluwaseun Shedrack
Mothers! the ones we had in those days They were mothers of reference and reverence The ones we knew then are Nation-building mothers… The ones we had then were Ransom-payer mothers. Those days when wedding garments were precious Every mothers in embryo lust for it. Those days when bride price are heavy. Every parent longed… Continue reading UNRIPE MOTHERS by Akodu Oluwaseun Shedrack
THE WOMAN by Saidu Mark Jatau
If I was a girl, Would I agree to be schooled only to graduate and be wooed, worked and have pay, and be chained by a ring in the name called marriage? If I were a lady, Would I agree to get pregnant for nine months, with the pains of child birth, and subjugate myself… Continue reading THE WOMAN by Saidu Mark Jatau
CARRION FOR THE GODS 3: THE SILENT OBSERVER by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
Drumbeats, Dawn met her again on her rickety stool. Her eyes had seen what her mouth would always whisper; Was it Ashake’s adoption (Aye! That was her name – The one the gods have chosen) Or Alade’s calamitous journey? She had watched the procession Rushed slowly by, Bearing upon their shoulders A blindfolded young man.… Continue reading CARRION FOR THE GODS 3: THE SILENT OBSERVER by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
CARRION FOR THE GODS 4 (Finale): PROPHECY REBOUNDS by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
Drumbeats, The booming voice of the silent gods, Their will has been enacted; Sacrifice was made in flesh, blood And Ashake’s Maidenhead. Alade threw a huge tantrum But the gods were silent And their wills unchanged, Ashake would marry the crown And birth the fame that would shame the lame. The sun arose from its… Continue reading CARRION FOR THE GODS 4 (Finale): PROPHECY REBOUNDS by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
CARRION FOR THE GODS 2: A TRAVELLER’S TRAVAIL by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
Time stretched like acres of farmland And the North star soon lost its twinkle. The dews dropped like soaked balls of fluffy cotton, The day was unproductive like the other. Drumbeats, The voice of the silent gods. The mind is a jumbled heap of despair, The cold ran its strange course along his body. The… Continue reading CARRION FOR THE GODS 2: A TRAVELLER’S TRAVAIL by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
CARRION FOR THE GODS 1: THE SACRIFICE by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
Drumbeats, The voice of the silent gods. Papa is still without, digging trenches And mama fried akara balls At the village outskirt. The insistent pounding of the drum Caused my head to weigh a ton; But papa swift feet seems slow today And mama sharp tongue is muffled by silence. I will answer the call… Continue reading CARRION FOR THE GODS 1: THE SACRIFICE by Adeosun Oluwapelumi
THIS GODDESS’ PLIGHT by Eziudo Michael Nwachukwu
While they played she like a nun in her mother’s den learned with difficulty To make a home and to keep it learned under crude tutoring From the cradle to the ladle she’s known to bear The pains that befriend her, a world abhorred but believed her destiny And at the dawning of maturity responsibilities… Continue reading THIS GODDESS’ PLIGHT by Eziudo Michael Nwachukwu
ASTARTE’S WOMB by Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto
She gazes into his distant thoughts as the mane of her flames sway in his haste. Captured by the silence of her victim- She mourns his taste. She etches into the depth of his soul- the canvas on which he bled. Stained with clots of fertility and war- Emptiness has seared her sacred door. Arise… Continue reading ASTARTE’S WOMB by Yolanda Lindsay Mabuto