The Message in a Bottle

I roved out one dawn in may
With a free spirit
Blowing like leaves in the wind
To watch the beauty of sunrise
On the nipple of Mt. Mitarnmitan!

Out there in chill of the morn
I took a seat on my favorite log
Facing the east where the celestial fire ball was meant to rise
From the ashes and slumber of its death in the west!

The fragrance of an eau de toilette
Wavered through the morning breeze
Making clear to me
That I was not alone in this great theater of nature!

On a flowery sheet spread to my left
Sat a lass with a hand painted gown
Her torso was guarded with a knitted sweater
Prepared too to observe the beauty of dawn!

When the sun had finally taken its seat in the skies
And the world was up and busy with life
I leaped to my feet walking away
Pretending I sat through this movie alone!

This spot had been mine for years
Studded with memories of my adolescent days
To find another sharing my niche
Drove me into the frenzy of a territorial lizard!

To the sea my muse led me
Where a trillion fathoms bathed the shore
There on the sand I sat
Reminiscing about my partner at my theater of dreams!

She indeed was pretty
With a finely cut face
Bearing one of those beauty spots
In the corner of her nose
My heart somewhat had formed an unspoken bond
Replaying the encounter every now and then behind the curtains of my minds eye!

Then it came drifting in the waves
A message from the skies borne in the billow
The cork bubbled up and down
Hitting the sand right in front of me!

In the bottle was a letter
Written by someone in love
He spoke of a strange encounter with a lady of his dreams
Whom the heavens gave a glimpse of her beauty
In an encounter at sunset!

I looked around for a sign of company
But the deserted beach held none but me
Into the bottle the message went
And up in my bookshelf it found a resting place!

Sitting on the porch
I watched live forms fill in the empty scene at the beach
Laughing and playing in the noon tide
Without worries or care!

Dreamily I tapped the floorboards
To a familiar tune
Through the rays of sunset her face comes to me again
Refilling my thoughts with another serving of the morning's encounter!

From "Musings"
By
John Martins Agba
April 06

THE COLORED TRIBE

Colored! they call us
Looking Down in distaste
Yet endlessly they troop like baboons
Swinging on the Duku tree
To steal a sight of these wondrous burnt skinned tribe in the guise of tourism!

COLOURS

From the multicolored jigida
That temptingly graces the slender waists of our maidens
To the multi coloured loom that weaves the Akwete and Kente cloth
That clads the Mohobelo dancers!

NATURE

The browns of our savannah
The ochre of our deserts
The greens of our jungles
Like a magnet attracts the world to us!

We pride in our pride of lions
While we gather round the fireplace
Sharing laughter with the hyena
Underneath the guard of mother moon!

MUSIC & DANCE

With talents too we are blessed
The sweetest of sounds
Escaping our instruments
Carved by our own hand from objects of nature!

Bring out the talking drum and the lyre
Pluck the Lamellophone and Mbira in harmony
Strike also the strings of the Adungu, Kora and the one-stringed fiddle
And relay our passion to the world
As we sing in one tune songs of peace!

Let our maidens come out and dance
As well as our clay colored warriors
Clad yourselves with the Kente, Alasho, Isiagu and Djellaba
Throw on a Kanga and Koto
Let your Kaftans sweep the floors
As we thrill the pale world in the dance of the colored people!

Clear your voices Dibango, Kojo, Habib and Kidjo
Rouse the ghosts of Fela and Taylor
Bless the night with the rhythm of the Afrobeats
Letting your ancestors be assured by your drumming
That the tribe lives on and our tradition too!

FOOD

From his looks
This stranger appears weary, pale and underfed
For he has come a long way
To see with his own eyes
That our resilience comes not from magic
But from puddings and gruels
Concocted over the hearth!

Let him have a taste of our palm wine
As well as a wrapped serving of Tapioca and fish
Let him whet his appetite on the vegetable salad
Before he is presented with a mound of our cassava fou-fou!

He asks for “desert”
We present him with more palm wine and a bowl of roasted termites
Yuck! He says!
Well my pale friend I replied!
“In Africa Nature gives all and we waste none at all!”

TRADITIONS

From the tongues of the griots of Sambala,Papa Susso and Tata Bambo Kouyate
The stories will flow down the line
Dan Maraya Jos with the sweetest of tongues
Will speak forth the tale that once was handed to him!

Let the young men gather beneath the banyan tree
Where they would dare the adventure of the forests
To prove their coming of age
To partake in the rituals of adolescence!

Let the Morans gather at the palace
And present their herds before the king
And he whose flock outnumbers all
Should be given the hand of his daughter in marriage!

Let the women and children
And those with feeble hearts
Run for cover beneath the shades of dark
Let the initiates join the parade
For the dance of the night masquerade is about to begin!
Let he who seeks the hand of the maiden step forward
And bare his back to the sting of the whip
Let him prove himself a man worthy of her maidenhead
By bearing the bite of a hundred lashes!

PEACE

A grey partridge
Coos in the morning light
Calling out to their smiling faces
Asubuhi Njema !

The owl and nightingale
Birds of dusk
Hoot and sing their evening song ushering in the night
Kachifo! COLOURED PEOPLE!

From “Songs to Mother Africa”
By
John Martins Agba
April 06, 2015 08:53p.m.

PRAYER OF THE GODS

Prayer of the gods
Osun like the ocean I breathe my peace she says
Clearing the fog forming upon all waters
Purifying all wasteland giving prize meat to their hunters
As Obatala has willed it, through the fortune of Orisa.
Kabio Osi Omo iluu Africa

Chi answers.

To each one I give will to create

from chi-ani plentiful, bountiful harvest to eat
Fertile as the Okija Forest
Covering their hut with rich palm, that only the thatching skill of chi-nkata can display.
With the sword of a warrior I'll reward them

making Ikenga brim with praise

as alusi decorates their body with Isiagu and upon their head okpu agu.

Feasting them with Okporoko and Awa

till they want no more and always

I'll make Eri pour them plenty rain for a earth-full harvest
And my mmuo will among them will habit

Baring my mind through the seeker

They only need know
I am Chukwu. I am Obatala
Through orisa I speak, through amadioha I show myself.

With the divinity of orunmila I bare my mind. With their Alusi my fortune they predict.

To each I have given Ori to take on their destiny.

Using Chiofufo and Chiojiji to mark their time limit.

They shall find my supremacy as olu-orun
I shall breathe through them as chi-ikuku

Healing them when they pay homage to me as sopona.

I shall forever favour their mornings when i rise as chi-agbara.

avenging against their enemies as ogun.
I am Chineke. I am Chi-ukwu
Find me.

the colour of the sky is Red

The colour of the sky is red
Painted in blood, dipped in misery, bronzed in fear.
The colour of hatred is red, veiled in distrust, cladded with suspicion,

embellished in anger,
adorned in sorrow, washed in penury, gloomed in despair

The colour of pain is red, bent in horror
Shadowed in grief, immersed in agony,

infused with shame, pierced with tyranny,

controlled in weakness

                                
The colour of hope is Red.

 Created in Faith, tested with sacrifice.

 Destined for greatness, cheered in clarity.

The colour of life is Red, full of love,

made in deep experience,

built in reasoning, nurtured with truth,

basked in you. You who I call compatriot

The colour of my compatriots is red
Built in pride, supported in team spirit.  
Shaped in one rich history
Etched in one true memory
Refined in one deep brotherhood
Upheld in one fine doctrine
Blessed with this great Continent.

The colour of growth is us
Heart bond to our nativeland
With honour sworn to our tribe

And duty vowed to our motherland,

wearing our culture like a badge of excellence

delivering mankind

The colour of my country is green
lushed in greenery, fruitful in accomplishment,

enthroned in majesty, regaled in royalty,
the colour of red is you and  me

THIS IS WHO I AM

This is who I am
I am your vegetation
luscious and gay, brimming with laughter and joy from the birds and crickets nesting my foray
I am beauty, simmering with alluring flora

I am your sunrise
Glazing your mornings, gently exploring your wanting and yearnings, fusing your faces with bronzes from a  mask god
I am pleasant, dazzling your landscapes, enchanting your skyline with graces and drama
Delighting your day.

I am your mountain
Boosting your ego, propelling your brawn, spurring your might, influencing your height, shielding your pride firming your strength, holding your forte and guarding  your domain with  the joy  of your savannah

I am your river
Smoldering your panorama,
Seething your terrain, with alluring fishes slithering through your waters and ravaging your scenery. Enriching your greenery.  I am your manna

I am your culture
Discerning your customs, teaching the commons, traditions that blossoms, refining your lifestyle, cultivating your ritual, with ornament beaded in comely ivory and the virtue of a goddess, never your karma

I am your people
Building your commonwealth, with language and tribes uniting your races, similar in faces, connecting all mankind
Linked in brotherhood, let this be your mantra, you hold the four aces

I am Africa
Tending my own, not waiting for loan, to care for my throne. nurturing my people, with chronicles and tales of fertility and humanity , budding on booming, waiting on this generation to magnify me in venerations. Yes I  have that power to do all that matters

This is who I am
I am Africa

WHERE IS MY AFRICA?

Where is my Africa?

It's my state of mind.

Where all is calm and peaceful,

With living lofty not dreadful,

And my spirit highly cheerful.

Where is my Africa?

It's my woken dream.

Where dreams are formed and made,

With dues ultimately paid,

If plans are set and laid.

Where is my Africa?

It's my Lilly field of green.

Where ideas brim and nurtured,

In fertile grounds are manured,

And let to grow into pasture.

Where is my Africa?

It's my lofty site of hope.

Where Young’s are ‎spurred to achievement,

With ‎adults as paragon of testament,

For society's honour‎ and wealth. 

WITH A STROKE OF PEN

With a stroke of pen

Pensioners sent to penury

With my pocket filled with jewelry

Pity the poor against the powerful

Pen is mightier than the sword

The fool says,

A zero after another alter your foolery

Nation never cure of ny‎ctophylia

With morals dulled with‎ the familiar

As stolen wealth hang as memorabilia

The ink is faint with amnesia

As they author our treasury with insomnia

No more, scribbling off to poverty

Write it  in history with this paraphernalia

That the records etched in our memory

Must be told through our mass media

FIND ME A MAIDEN

Find me a Maiden

My heart is sober and my guard lowered
My thought far in the setting sun
In search for a maiden fair
To be a wife of mine!

For the price of flax and wine
And all that riches can define
Find me a maiden fair
That she may be my wife!

She whose beauty is comely
That the eyes of men endlessly stare
Though welcoming is her smile and charm
They admire but go not near
Seek me that very ivy
That I may claim her as mine!

One with debonair
Whose prance is like a mare in may
One whose fingers find familiarity with the household chores
And and she would be my wife!

Find me a maiden tender and gentle
Who would rock the cradle with love and care
With a gold ribbon in her locks of gold
And a lullaby on her lips
And she would play Madonna to this child of mine!

A maiden soft as silk
Yet firm as steel
Whose lips speak forth fire
Keeping the devils at bay
And she would be my wife!

Seek me a maiden fair
One with ancestral name
And smile as sweet as wine
Whose beauty mine would outshine
And I would make her a wife of mine!

And if you find such a lady
In the guard of an ophid ball

Seek me a sorcerer too
That he may charm her home
And I would make her a wife of mine!

From ' Musings '

By
John Martins Agba
January 19, 2015. 10:32 p.m.

THE CHILD

The Child

With the winds against them
They trudged along the lonely road
Homewards where there was hope
A hope of warmth and shelter from the devil in the winds!

Mother and child they appeared
But from the fifteens' in her cheek
Where stood tears upon her tender face
You could tell the child who bore the child
As they staggered through the journey!

It was a bitter weather
And the temperature had dropped a bit lower
Forcing the young mother on such a night
To visit the apothecary uphill
For a solution to the infants malady!

She too had a ruckus in her chest
But for tender sake and pocket driven fear
She considered the life of her replica
Swaddled in the thin blanket!

Like the Sire of this little thing
Her family too disclaimed her
That she was a disappointment
Having gotten green malt in the floor!

Back to where she called home
She takes a seat in the corner
Rocking her infant child who relentlessly cried
Shooing the little one as the stern faces of her family watched her
From every corner of the living room!

A tune she hums her gaze focused on the branches near the window
With the infant lying in her lap
Now drowsy owing to the potion
Administered by the man uphill
For two hundred naira
The only money she owned!

Looking into the face of her child
Curled up in a ball

The child shed tears in silence
As she silently wished she was older
Or that she had known the guile of men!

The candle standing in the bowl on the dresser
Slowly gave out a bright light
As it went out in the wind
Leaving the humming mother and child in the dark!

The moonlight shone through the shutters
Illuminating the snoring bodies about the room
She quickly set her wrapper in the corner
Carving a niche for herself and child
On the cold cemented floor of the living room/makeshift bedroom
From where in tears she made her way to dreamland
Where the bitter reality of life was momentarily taken away!

From as Life as I know it!

By
John Martins Agba

HOW COULD I

how could i have loved you this deep, even when we've never kissed
how can my body yearn for you, when you've never touched me
the thought of you evoke deep sensation in me
sending me riveting in my lonely space

will you make this want come alive and feel alive
or will i die slowly from the pleasure i will never get
do you miss me like a rose waiting for the morning dew
do you crave my body like a burning flame whistling one winter night

oh make me know, this glow you fused in my face
this pure ecstasy your musing provoke
this trance that enriches my fantasy
will it ever be an actual memory?

you whose sun causes my body to vibrate
you whose shadow darken my shade
and your spirit breathe want
will our passion ever be an eventuality

we must venture son of the Zeus
we shall mate heir of mars
this heart must stop to skip
only if the rhythm our heartbeat sinc as one

WISH UPON A SATURDAY

Wish upon that Saturday

‎When my sleep was lazy and my thoughts peaceful

I wish upon those Saturdays her voice was my speed and her care  my haven

I wish upon those Saturdays when her sound make merry and her tone keeps me cherry

With Qs and As on well-being and Oohs and Aas for inflection

‎Those Sat Mornings that awaken a new hope, brighten my day

And charm my spirit

To seek and breathe again

With Sat laughter to calm and ease my broken self

I wish upon those Sat, that you infer my nuances and ‎provide me comfort to rest my feeble thought

I wish upon a Sat, when your love was all i needed to breathe.

i wish upon your call mama..

WIDOWER'S PAIN

Panic, patience, a widower’s pain become

Cruelty’ callous, a child of chaos he bore

To a god, he grieves, to a deity he dips

His heart  heaped with hopelessness held

Tears, timing, these a  fool may tame

Fears,  folly, a fate that ruins his fame

Offscouring, offspring, off-screen must off-take

Tis shame shared, on shrinking  shoulders shelved

 A wish will wane, a faith could fade

Duty done, are not deed delayed

Rid a rogue of his rotten right, and a rascal’s rot without a rate

Bravery born on broken backbone we just  but bear

Tis his folly alas we break

For our weakness our strength is tried

In us once a triumph found

A tyrant’s  back is bent for life

THIS GRIEVING LOVE

How can I talk  love when I feel  hate

How can I give joy, while still a'sorrow

How do I share gain, while pain I labour 

I've tried to love you a thousand time

but all you ever give is kiss of death

though what i wanted is  see you happy

I hope you find your happiness if you look

I hope you see a sister’s heart in shreds

I hope you find your light deep within

I pray my words get gentle again

I beg you make them mild again

I know you will find us once again

This bleeding heart will grieve no more

This tortured soul will be at ease

This lost love will dance again in peace

As long as sun and moon still shines

As much as day and night still counts

This raging rain too will soon know quiet

Dedicated to my brother- I hope you become that man someday Henry

TONIGHT

Tonight, i will wait so you fulfill your vows
Tonight i will open my legs, like a clock in the hour of 9.15
I shall revel in your  romance, like the birds enjoy the perfumery from flower nectar's
I shall swim in your ocean of passion, as you sing me a new song of love
and tell me stories, of how you crossed 9 oceans and 7 seas to see me
I shall listen to your raspy voice
As you narrate the ordeals you encountered in the lonely dungeon of wait
Of how you longed for me to say i love you
Waiting patiently for the sun to rise, so you could gaze upon my beautiful face
To tell me how my hips sway and make (snakes) jealous
Of how the sound of my voice is like a melody to a crying baby.
Of my skin so supple and rich as the queen of Sheba's
Of how my lips taste succulent like a juicy strawberry.
I shall wait to hear you tell me tales, of how my eyes give light to your heart
Tonight, i shall again wait for you to tell me, how sweet i taste
How raw my love making is, how wild i moan, how deep you thrust,how cush my body feels
Tonight, i shall again await your touch, your smell, your breath, your smile, your look, your scintillating freshness.
Tonight, i shall wait to hear you call me, your beautiful Nubia
Mon ami, ade ori mi, nkem, my golden armory.my sunshine, my rose, my muse,my angel.
Tonight i shall i await your love making
Cos' you will love me likka movie tonight.

MUM'S LAST WORD

Gathered at your bedside
waiting for your last word
with hope sinking fast
we sought your last word
we longed for you to say something
yes something, anything, just anything
one tip as life guide
one last chance to drink from your inspirational quote.

But we waited in vain
the guiding light never uttered
the do's and don't to guide us through life weren't birthed
instead, we had calm
our night became quiet
stillness seized our hearts
your face allured with serenity
as your body give way to a new life

but we hanged on
hoping for the sun to rise
with hearts heavy and wanting the cock to crow
we longed for the grey sky to be blue again
we wished that this memory will fade
that this memory,this dark memory will fade
to fade like the watch-night's whistle in a distant land
alas the earth could take it no more
our reality blur our eyes with tears
leaving our hearts to ache
and our voices to croak with sadness from our cries

you slept peacefully to wake no more
at last I've found your last word
your last word..
I don't know what they are...
perhaps... i'ts in the memories we wish to erase
maybe we will find it in the pain we long not to remember
howbeit, they just might be in the laughter we shared
in the scolding and discipline you instilled in us
maybe it's among the stars as they dance at night
will we find it in the kids you catered for like your own?
or among the folks you counselled at each opportunity you get.
or is it in the service you offered your little community,
by being their voices on matters of family and health?
I just might find it in the women you gave your shoulder to lean on when they hurt
or in the new song they chant when rejoicing

Mum I'm still searching for your last word
wondering if I missed it.
maybe i'll hear you say it
your ever willing and caring heart could be your last word
in doing all that you ever taught me to do
in accomplishing all my goals and dreams
I hope someday, i'll find your last word.

MEANINGLESS TIME

when time doesn't count again..
and i cant remember a moment at all, would u remind me?
when tick tock doesn't swing me on
and hours and minutes no longer make a day, would u remind me?
oh i pray you'll be fine
be alright. just be ok
for you I'll wait this long sentence

this timeless time may be sinking me
this feeling might make me hallow
what won't kill me is this love i have for you
what will keep me going is this feeling that gives me hope
ill remember 'cos you made it count
when you told me, you'll be there for me
when you promised to hold me till the end

when the sun no longer set
and my eyelid close still, would you remind me?
if our love threatens to die
and this cupid choose to fade, would you remind me?
a kingdom full of blossom you vowed
a union tied in harmony your oath says
please remind me.

As I Watch You Grow

Do you know how much you mean to me?
As you grow into what you will be.
You came from within, from just beneath my heart.
It's there you'll always be, though your own life will now start.
You're growing so fast it sends me awhirl, 
With misty eyes I ask, Where's my little girl?
I know sometimes to you I seem harsh and so unfair, 
But one day you will see, I taught you well because I care.
The next few years will so quickly fly, 
With laughter and joy, mixed with a few tears to cry.
As you begin your growth to womanhood, this fact you must know, 
You'll always be my source of pride, no matter where you go.
You must stand up tall and proud, within you feel no fear, 
For all you dreams and goals sit before you very near.
With God's love in your heart and the world by its tail, 
You'll always be my winner, and victory will prevail.
For you this poem was written, with help from above, 
To tell you in a rhythm of your Mother's heartfelt love!

 

By Kay Theese

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/as-i-watch-you-grow#ixzz3ArSPnR78 
Family Friend Poems 

 

for Adaora

THE LUCKY ONE LEFT

60 seconds in a billion hour
that's how long i hunger

A single glance from a summer shower

It's all my expression needs to get dour

Waiting saps me of my power

All i can do is scream and glower

Galaxies keeps you fairy  bloom like flower
With hopes heightened like a tower
Awaiting sweetness around a bower
While i await my big moment
You is the lucky one
The galaxy beams promises forever

While like a penny waiting for a change i feel
With loneliness and hurt my bane
You is the lucky one i say and cower

Fresh events you seek and embrace

A greener knowledge you clasp

A brighter life you find

While moments pass and hopes shifts
With new grounds conquered
I play the waiting game
The experience leaves me sour

I hope you know

You left and keep me waiting

Waiting on you  forever

Till you be back I’ll wait all over

you is the lucky one

THIS LOVE HURTS

This feeling keeps me bound
My mind remains entangled
Your thoughts latches my shackles
This memory is my bolt

Something in me want to scream
The still in me is letting loose
This feelings my prison has become
This like my cage has empowered

He took the keys to my cupid
I'm locked up in my feelings
He refused to let out my will
He fumbles with my feelings like in a football match
He kicks at the arrow like a penalty shoot

Oh please help find him
tell him I'm tired of this limbo
Beg him to set my soul free
Ask him to release my heart
Make him let me go

All i wanted is to be loved
Loosen this noose around my neck
Untie this knot in my heart
I ask that you show me love
Free me,love me, release this keys
Open this cage.

On the day before we died

May 27, 2014  Uncategorized Leave a comment

On the day before we died
Ghetto felt like heaven as we grew with pride
We were kids, beautiful souls, children of the most High
Fear of evil, future heros, afraid to tell lies

Talk about harmony, I remember how we lived
Mud castles and warrior stories we strongly believed
We felt loved and walked tall no matter where we roam
I would sleep off at the waziri’s and wake up at home

Firmly, We were family, like we shared the same hut
play husband and wife, police and thief till we get caught
Then retire home to eat from our mothers’ pot

Then things changed, we hung peace on our own iroko
Strangled our love with our own hands
Placed our hope on coma
And Left with tiny chance to heal our land

Now mum says i can’t play wit them and dad nods its true
Avoid kunle, sadiq, chima and Fatima too
That They have marks on their faces unlike you
With Different religion, language, tradition and school

But On the day before we died
We had the chance to live and avoid death
Forgive ourselves and put hate aside
And finally Wash ourselves of prejudice before the sunset

This is that day.

Sic.Nwanguma Ogo . Culled from Dtmiil.wordpress.com