PLOUGHED

#Poetry

#shortpoems

LITTLE BEGINNINGS (Twisted Truths) So I left the clutches of solitude to revel with the outside world; To find solace for my broken soul, To sew up what's left of my happiness like a torn kimono To heal my diseased emotions and amputate this gangrenous anger that wells up in self-hatred; To open up my doors instead of riding solo But maybe I was wrong, maybe association is indeed confinement Maybe the cheers and the applauses only leads us to back to Pilate Or maybe if only we'd existed alo...

BROKEN ENLARGEMENTS We both had this "big picture", too big to fit into our frame Visions and dreams stretched beyond scopes and borders, a confinement of crumpled paper and pane; A legless portrait staring with an expression of sorrow, emotions crutched up for the lame Your beating heart raced for the dotted line, ignored the tracks that brought the train Now all that's left is the dust over our once happy faces, our smiles drowned out in my tears My heart, kissed by many knives; red ...

LABYRINTHS AND CATACOMBS Welcome to "church", here nobody is a sinner; Here corpses walk in clean-breasted - white robes squirted with cologne, here nobody was a killer Welcome to "church", here remorse is encrypted in a hidden tongue; Alphabets flipped in reverse - inversed, repentance getting the heathen's thumb So "confession" is a byword flying about like ravens Hated and despised, the confessor stands stigmatized under the face of the heavens Here the "broken" are trashed and put as...

MENT I see your projects have been executed senator: 70% embezzled funds Squandered monetary allocations 20% on inferior building materials with no concrete evidence on documented expenditure But still, you dey pose for picture, make them for carry your image do billboard? You see God!? Abeghi! Democracy in the mud! You no dey see potholes wey be like grave for our federal roads? Dead bodies from accidents, but still herdsmen just dey slaughter commuters like goats Big man wey dey sidon ontop...

AS TIME PASSES Of auras and essence he ghosted between ranks, a shadow as of a dead man's The curse on the clock, hands clasped on the hour mark with a pair of knees bowed in penance So, for everytime that bell chimed from the belfry, it signaled a call to incense; of censers giving Life whiffs of her breath back; The obligation of rites and reverence, offerings of atonement for the flesh that is burnt black But there's a spirit that hangs above the belfry which always ticks and tocks An ec...

THE SORCERER'S COTTAGE Backstage whispers can be heard, the ominous muttering on the lips of conjurers Objects ballooning on the wings of spells the mastery of both illusions and auras; Hypnosis whorled on a wanded tongue; Essence oozing from a poof of powders Curses bitten into mannequins, so every wink was just a proof of powers He sat a goof of a sorcerer; Smirk on his face, grim in his eyes He let out that maniacal laughter as plumes sodden the skies Vials of elixir, potions, an ex...

Theme: Mental Health In An Unequal World IMBALANCES The universe always seeks a balance, whether or not our thoughts are weighted; Whether or not it leaves a depression - imprints on our minds; the pressure Doesn't even care if we're aided So we try to balance the scales, to even our collective sanity To rid our minds off the choke of anxiety To exhale stress, erasing the furrows above our brows stroking the faint lines of insanity But life doesn't always go our way, even though we k...

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Son Of The Devil There's a shack across the street no one dares to enter Where inscriptions of profanity are scrawled, articles of satanism its center; Where flesh and bones meet barbs of metal Her screams, shrill behind closed doors, and yet no one even cares to help her Where the option of death seems to be better But time and time again he keeps teasing the grave from having a feel of her soul No, he wouldn't just let him get her So If hell was on earth, it'll defini...

MILE 89 I ain't gon' talk to my kids like I blew no trees in junior high, Like I stole from no groceries so the gang could get me incorporated That I never served jail term on turning 18, and didn't pull a knife for all the years I was incarcerated That these bullet holes ain't Hollywood but real life; the receipts from all my thuggin' That the streets ain't as clean as they seem, and the whiff of dope, not something that I'll want 'em to indulge in That the law ain't structured to entertai...

BENEATH THE SURFACE We hid our scars in pocket slits - fillers to suit all occasions So when our moods took up black skin, we bleached Negro white to Caucasians We carved our masks on stiff leather - eyes gouged on a horse's hide Beguiled in stormy weather; the mere pretense or just foolish pride So beneath the surface hid the scab - the story that we couldn't tell The bleeding lip we failed to dab, blood clotting like a gag so we couldn't yell Yes, we stifled the truth and hushed him ...

TALES OF THE VANQUISHED So at dusk we count our losses; a mound of shields and spears Corpses of thousands up in flames, we sob in grief whilst we stare The smoke of burning sting our eyes, with tears rolling down our cheeks Whiffs of memories on ascension, of the souls that we fought to keep Now on every lip the question of worth is heard The war needless, if we may, when the living is joined to the dead So gold fades into ash and rubies into stone, for the house of many have returned a ...

HALLUCINOSIS: Fata Morgana From a child's eyes were made mirages of a distant future; that glint of optimism we cased in glass Hope englobed so its flame wouldn't flicker; a fairy's buzz, so we could wish upon the stars Pixie dust and a wizard's wand, symbolisms of all the faith we had Hypnosis from a tweaked perspective, reality whirling its essence in hand So we ventured beyond the horizon unprepared; a voyage driven by the winds of ignorance With mirth and a wide grin intact, we set sail;...

NETIZENS OF CYBERIA We've all got stands on the cyberspace where we trade our emotions; platforms to market our feelings: Anger, love; the promotions: Free stickers for every meme shared, no billings A heart to a soul in transit; an express for moods and commuters in motion A cushion for tempers and reactivity, just in case a flare in conversations sparks an explosion The toxicity of the industry; the bile spat as comments, salivas foaming derogation Hate smeared on emojis and reactions...

CAN WE BE HUMANS? Integrity is a rare commodity that's hard to find on the black market; the alleys, not accustomed to such legitimacy Backstreets, a harbour for the light fingered; terminals perfectly meet for piracy Bureau de change of gold for stone, a swap of virtues for vices Compassion bartered for sheer sadism, a case of mere compromises So show me an honest man who factors in conscience to prices? Whose scales aren't padded with weights on one side, whose passion and drive got ...

A WINTER'S TALE It's been 3 months and 5 days since our last crisis; since we traded words and couldn't come to a compromise, failing to strike a bargain on the prices The fraud I saw on your price list, demands way too high I could see the falsifications; the tampering all over your writings The lies you sold me that I just couldn't buy Your pride up on a hundred; a significant raise I could see the market value couldn't be lowered from such a high My lapses that could never be overlooked; Th...

SIGNS AND SYMBOLS There's that corner of our religiosity that's darkened with eclipses of skepticism; that basement our faith is too scared to decend; those exposed vitals our beliefs are too vulnerable to defend That part of our reason that doesn't want to reason, that part of us that always tends to pretend There's that part that questions the path of our religion; the sermons of our preachers, the existence of the true God, the Devil and all of his minions; the justification of our faith, ...

TRACKS THAT LEAD TO BOSNIA In the dust of summer stood a child, Her limp bloody hands losing grip on a drooping teddy Her face cracked into a cry; Shells and warheads driven through steel and concrete, graffitied with the blood of many An endless rain of bullets,; Mushroom clouds, a towering ghost in the midday sky A shadow cast on the innocence of the bereaved, a ghoul of hellish 1945 So on her cheeks were smeared the blushes of soot Her dress, unbelted from a careful bow The once neatly pac...

WAFTS OF AUTUMN With leaves swivelling in the gentle breeze, you called out my name softly A spirit's whisper through the brown of sunset Your gentle hands over my shriveled skin - of wrinkles, a sonnet, you could literally pick up every line my striated body spoke of: An anthology of times and seasons; of ages and kingdoms; poems, art and history, I became to many a folklore So as time passes, I just smile at his monotonous tick tock: Those rhythmic footsteps of death ascending the stair...

BEQUEATHED BY THE GOD OF POETRY The universe chose us out of every tribe, tongue and history; Out of the clasping enclaves of culture, poetry uniting men of differing ancestry; Tribesmen marked with the ink strokes of kinship, lineage, a trail of our collective legacy Forebears and shamans, serving at the very altar of this ancient deity; So we were chosen, priests, for the rites and ritual; For the rhymes and rhythms; Drums and flutes - the myths and folklores, recounted by each and ever...

A WALK THROUGH THE RUBBLE Memory lane is a broken street stained with graffiti; the shadow of a once buzzing city Walls still bearing on them the portraits of young love; A pile of bricks well made up - brush strokes and blushes smeared all over her cheeks; The white of paint beautifully colouring her teeth, grinning with so much zest her burning eyes could pop out of passion ...but of course, that was before the shells took a hit; before it blew our feelings way out of proportion: Before o...

THE FIGURINE You blew your charm straight into my face, you little wild flower - the gust of black magic your chalked lips whooshed off from an open palm; From the shrine of a beaded wrist, to the "cup of skin" whirling within with essence - the fantasies of an infatuated man You got me slaving; a man bowed to the wiles of a negress's girl-power; Your pasteurized melanin, evaporated by dark arts into the potency of a wizard's white powder The chains you held me captive with - daydreams lastin...

TO THE GOD OF GOLD Inscribed at the back of the coin was the devil's face, a frightful beast chiseled out from solid gold; Teeth baring, an ear-to-ear grin stretched to fit fitly into vanity's mould: To that prideful stare smeared with the colours of pomp and profit; Suits bearing on them the fragrance of mint; pockets ladened with wads of currencies, the badge of fame boldly crested on it So all who worshipped took the knee before this deity, lips kissing the metallurgy; The sweat of the g...

A DAY AFTER TOMORROW Behind a thousand suns sat the future - a teenage girl too shy to say hi; Enshrouded in hijab and doctrines; a chaste virgin, too celibate to bear a child So she sat in the sombre of piety too devout to honour dates; A no respecter of time and seasons, some died in the process of keeping wait ...so much to expect from this fifteen year old tattooed in henna Too engrossed with beads, yet can't take the hits when life puts up a scowl and cringes sterner So like a wisp sh...

THE LIES WE TOLD OURSELVES We both put pen to paper and signed the terms of our friendship - it was strictly business, and no pleasure; the boundaries, well defined; well measured, you planted a beacon in the wall: A few CCTVs to checkmate impending sensuality Yes, you were the detective monitoring my every call So with the cross hanging over your chest, you wore the tenets of your religion boldly And honestly, I had no issue with that because I respected your person, and admired your fa...

SERMON FROM A BLACK PRIEST How do you preach the gospel of a "White Jesus" to a Black man? How do you explain to him that white and black are just harmless colours? That it was never in God's intention for his symbolisms to put a war between brothers; That racism is nothing but a needless competition that leaves its winners with no honours; That the podium on which they stand wouldn't guarantee them any wreath, nor win them any forge of medals How do you tell him that the slave trade was al...

CUTS AND STITCHES I was tailored for poetry; cuts and stitches styled in unconventional fashion; The nonconformity of seams and snips, fabrics spun and woven with every fibre of passion The overlay of pain with purpose, flesh-folds tacked into a dauntless look; Strength whorled in strips from a writhing expression, the twists and intrigues of an epic book Yes I'm a 6-piece cloth slitted three each at the corners, ripped by the claws of reality; a cliffhanger stretched to the edges and border...

THE FLUX It's satirical, the change we preach; brooms sweeping real issues under the carpet They say: “Security is everyone's business", but oga you too dey try to put eye for the market? They say: “Justice Is Blind" but justice still dey feel face before him use him matchet E be like Justice dey fear face? Cos e free rich man, put poor man pikin for casket All man dey para! Tempers flaring cos pump price dey high Flood everywhere; place wet, and yet our pockets dey dry FG sef dey on def...

CREMATED: The Heart, The Torch, The Urn So Trust sat a bloody mess, his jagged body looped in a tyre Knife cuts and a bruised head, a doused flesh fitly meet for the fire Tales of the lynched, he had a crowd for the listen But who listens to the mute when the deaf starts a beating? Ripped to shreds, every fibre of his torn clothes soaked up gasoline And with the flame flickering before his teary eyes, he took one last look at me I'd never seen both despair and anguish captured at onc...

TO THOSE WE GAVE OUR HEART We did it all for charity, our benevolence suffering abuses; Her slaving back, a sketchpad, scrawled with all strokes of the scars and bruises A black eye beaten into subjugation, a blacksmith forging obedience; The tong and the hammer, molding with iron hands, the sword, like you really had do this!? Donors of hearts to the "heartless", our organs were neatly wrapped in foil Served a cocktail of our blood and tears Our time and emotions, time and time again bei...

A SÉANCE FOR LOVE Crouched before the tombstone, his fingers rustled through the dried leaves laying flaked by autumn The smothering of both stalk and petal, wilted roses laid to rest upon the same earth the deceased was laid on A medium cursed into this bouquet that opened up the portals of the afterlife A communion with love beyond the shores, the lucid embers of dawn emerging after night So he muttered enchanted words while clutching her amulet; Kissing the pendant at intervals, invo...

THE MENDER'S HANDS Your eyes spoke your mind to us; Lids, muttering an oratory of words Batting with a flutter; Lashes, whipping at the back of our minds till the message pierced through our subconscious like daggers and swords We got your point easily, and that's because you never failed in hitting the nail on the head; Your knuckles were hammers, driving the "well-strapped" wisdom into the thickest of family skulls; Breaking the potsherd of childish foolishness, and ramming into our harden...

OF BLOOD AND INK I've conned the intricacies of the art - the heart and soul of poetry Artistry forged with the smearing of both blood and ink; on a “canvas of words", I sketch each masterpiece So every stroke births a cry for freedom, of a slave seeking release Brain cells turning a prison, remanded thoughts could be heard begging “please!" Sometimes amnesty is granted a prisoner, other times, they just have to serve their term Despair aired on the faces of convicts - a cinema “Rem...

SYNCRETISM: A Tale Of Two Tales So he crushed discord in the palms of his hands and handed each a kola Schnapps spewed on the fronds; libations offered to the clayed deity of dissension, ablutions performed to the gods Yes, outburst was a man of tradition, his lips always incanting the curses; a mouth full of invectives, hands unrestrained from holding the bits of his horses So like a mad man he ran wild with words; reviling Staff thumping on the loose earth with every pronouncement, his t...

TONGUE-TIED We were fed from the same soil staples that united us in one tongue; Bound with the cords of dialect and customs, birthed as siblings to the same ancestral sons So we carved niches for ourselves - the pure art and mastery of an artisan's forge; The crafting of cultures, tribes smith into goblets and plates; serving rivalries as of an assassin's cult The scourge of ethnicism, the war on our identity and ancestry; The scars of its aftermath that our bodies still bore; The engravin...

OKORO (Voices of the Aggrieved) They found subtle ways to exploit our compliance - with MoUs and mere propaganda Promissory notes hinting at rural development, brown envelopes stashed in agbada; A mortgage of the commonwealth by kinsmen, their intents masked like Lagbaja Wetin dem promise we never see, everything just jaga-jaga “A new era is in the pipeline", a crude way to siphon resources Only you president; only you minister...Haba! Abi na only you like the office? See as men dey die...

ECDYSIS: A Testament Of Judas Your arm's not so far out from the one that'll betray you, the reason we keep at “arm's length", not further A cubit and half a span, the murder scaled to a perfect math so precision could be attained on a brother Bread dipped in a bowl of lentils, the Messiah needing less lunging to pass on a piece 30 pieces of silver jingling in a bag of hide, sold a man by his lover a kiss So preach to me about Judas and I could sketch out his visage: A little plump girl...

PRODIGALS It's with a rather pitiful stare that I look upon the sum of your choices the exuberance that's blinded your eyes to reason Your juvenile emotions beclouded by hormones, the adolescence in your thoughts so your heart wouldn't listen The fire that feeds on your passions and urges; Appetite voracious, restraint losing all bouts to your splurges So I behold your ignorance and bemoan the arrogance you show My compassion yelling her lungs out to your deafness, whimpering: “Oh! If o...