OLUWAJIMI . J . THORPE

Every time I see the pain in your eyes A little part of my heart dies No matter how hard and how often you try All I seem to do is make you cry. You risk so much and take such chance To share your heart and your romance, You share your hopes and dreams and fears And let me in to all that's dear. All I seem to do is be mean and cold To fail to cherish, fail to hold I seem to fail to put you first You act your best, I am my worst. My mouth contradicts my heart My actions and thoughts so far apart, I love you with every part of me Yet act so cruel and thoughtlessly. I dream of you all night and day And hang on every word you say, Yet all you see is selfishness and arrogance Casual disdain and ignorance. Assumption and judgment and every thing's a test No matter what you do you're always second best, No matter how hard you try it's never enough I never hear your protestations of love. I say I love you and cherish all of our dreams Yet act...

A poem by the renowned Nigerian poet       My Lord    Please tell me where to keep your bribe? Do I drop it in your venerable chambers    Or carry the heavy booty to your immaculate mansion Shall I bury it in the capacious water tank     In your well laundered backyard Or will it breathe better in the septic tank      Since money can deodorize the smelliest crime Shall I haul it up the attic     Between the ceiling and your lofty roof Or shall I conjure the walls to open up     And swallow this sudden bounty from your honest labour Shall I give a billion to each of your paramours     The black, the light, the Fanta-yellow They will surely know how to keep the loot      In places too remote for the sniffing dog Or shall I use the particulars      Of your anonymous maidservants and manservants With their names on overflowin...

A lecturer bought a product from a student. It looked so funny because in the real sense he didn't need it. He only did that to appreciate the lady's efforts, and you know what, it's with no doubt a brain bursting move for everyone. In his own little way, he's encouraged the lady's spirit and who knows if that will be her core motivation to being a successful business woman? For as many passions and dreams that are dying daily, the main cause of their death is that people around them do not encourage them. What we say to people when we see them doing what they are doing matters so much to them. If you call yourself their friend and you never appreciate what they do, you are not what you think you are. It's not necessary you give them money.  Really, have you taken your time to discuss with them, encourage them and help them realize where they are getting it wrong? If my friend has passion for music but he doesn't sing well, instead of neglecting ...

Toyin! The road to my house is as smooth as The screen of a suffering slippers, In fact, there's no gallop, just a tìnrín Movement all through. Apart from that, My mother is like your mother, Beautiful in and out, If yours' African fair mine's African black, or vice versa. She's as cool as a natural dove Ready to have you with her So why won't you? Aside from that, My brother told me about you, My sister loves the first contact It was natural and fair. So why won't you? Toyin! As for me you are my Single dimple single goddess, Flat Flat I fall for your fore It's pregnancy reminds me of the Birth of Orunmila baba ifa. If you know you know. All I want you do is follow me home. David O. AKANO (KING JUSTICE)

Reality, who are you? Here, you are that with whom we wake unfilled, sleep unfulfilled; devilish jokes clipping fruity wings, able legs but disabled knees. Reality, who the hell are you? I heard across the sea, with you, tomatoes festival, they stage while here tomatoes are gold. And when I saw boys below my age frowning toward serious directions, I said but here I’ve lost my sight, my legs are tied. Laughter, serious laughter they threw when dear I said, here, we fly at night. Oh son of bull, Harry, from vegetables yet sunken cheeks, but you’re hosting Banjo! Ah well, son of hill, Harry, I’m not a clean thing. I’m Doe, nerd who trumps only with boards of keys. They taught me biology for seven years, allowed me a microscope for three minutes. The only thing that eventually made sense was baiting my shes. Here I am, Camry in peace. Noisy roads, uniform thoughts; food, which destinies bought. An ancient tree, teary eyes, her hope, slowly dies. No, do not weep, I will fight. I ca...

Who is man to God? Who is God to man How much distance do our prayers cover by land? In relation to our circumstances and time What does man think of what he sees? And what does God see of what man thinks Emmanuel; God with us But Immanuel on Alakija Street is having spiritual blurred visions On a trip to the priest to inquire of what the future holds, Inheriting gold and paying exceedingly half its worth to verify if it’s gold The tales of Alamu the one with the gift of palmistry Brothers killed brothers, Because the other has been identified to be, The one who will inherit the gift of the fathers, Which of my kids shall be successful? Answers of which the priest shall deliver A gift of wine, a gift of hen, The fake priest gets fatter, Worshipers of the deity that sip champagne and eat gizzards Whilst living off the believers hazard Your mother is a witch Your sister is the glitch Until your siblings die your lineage shall not succeed, These priests we...

Everybody knows that nobody knows, That nobody knows that I tried, That I tried not to sit or fold arms, Or fold arms crippled by shots from brothers, From brothers whose hearts are biled, Hearts biled by fathers who lead us, Who lead us to the feast of fists, Feast of fists of barren palms, Barren palms wearied by bankrupt guts... Everybody knows that nobody cares That nobody cares that I tried, That I tried, but here I am... Here I am - where men who tried not reside. ©October, 2018. Artwork by: Opeyemi Olukotun

Many of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of “Watch Night Services,” the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year’s Eve. The service usually begins anywhere from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year’s Eve event. Like many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service — made a bit more Afro centric because that’s what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with the Black Church. Still, it seemed that predominately White Christian churches did not include Watch Night services on their calendars, but focused instead on Christmas Eve programs. In fact, there were instances where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New Year’s Eve. Ho...

I am not cursing you; I am wishing you what I wish myself every year. I therefore repeat, may you have a hard time this year, may there be plenty of troubles for you this year! If you are not so sure what you should say back, why not just say, ‘Same to you’? I ask for no more. Our successes are conditioned by the amount of risk we are ready to take. Earlier on today I visited a local farmer about three miles from where I live. He could not have been more than fifty-five, but he said he was already too old to farm vigorously. He still suffered, he said, from the physical energy he displayed as a farmer in his younger days. Around his hut were two pepper bushes. There were kokoyams growing round him. There were snail shells which had given him meat. There must have been more around the banana trees I saw. He hardly ever went to town to buy things. He was self-sufficient.  The car or the bus, the television or the telephone, the newspaper, Vietnam or Red China were nothing to ...

Tuesday de'usse The story of the mother of twin girls, Iya ibeji. Who was raised on the theory of "you're beautiful, Nothing else matters." Husband they warned to stay away from yellow women but he stayed cause her plays were tongue crimes  People tell night time tales at day times Full housewives, gossiping is a busybody crime. Give unto Ceaser it belong to ceaser but it was Tuesday, He was one handed Tiw And what they have they gave unto Zisa: Connaître, Sauter. She collected from whoever was giving She learnt barter trade; Doesn't matter what they are giving She exchanged what she thought was a fair bargain for each person, The legend of hold something But it's all in the mind The laws of the flesh, The body move to the mind. When you talk about sexcapades The listeners mind will dream Then they point fingers to the women knowing it takes two to tango If you are a diligent man you could have said no Instead you comot the w...

First of all it's a happy New Year. Sure the atmosphere has been sparkling and we all have been enjoying. But let's take a few minutes off the merriment to think about others, let's talk about the people who live their lives in fear, people who only live for today and not tomorrow, not because they don't want to, but because they don't have the chance to. Let's talk about the children that are brought up with hate and the pictures of the cruel part of life. These are the blacks in some of the countries around the world. I ask myself, "does colour sticks?" If no, why do blacks live their lives hoping for survival and not have what it takes to survive. Why do we still have to check the mirror and confirm the colour of our skin before deciding to go for interviews? What is the future saying to the young stars born with too much of hatred and violence? Is it a crime to be black? Sure, Black is beautiful. But it's beauty circulate among ot...