EXHIBITION

A time when love

Must prove you

Productive

Strong

Worthy

To be pruned

The scissors

Snaps,

Its sharp steel

Blade

Slicing away

At the overgrowths

A lone tree now stands

Rounded to perfection

Bold green leaves

Firmly rooted

And specked

With

Ripen fruit

 That time when fire

Must prove you

Precious

Tolerant

Able

To endure

The flames

Rage,

Fiery tongues

Laving flesh off

To reveal

The hidden gem

A refined metal

Now lies

Nestled

In glory

Glowing

Bright

And beautiful

The time when ice

Must prove you

A possession

Treasured

Worth

The keeping

Cold vapour

Rises

Its fangs

Slowing the heart

Numbing

Yet preserving

The truss of grapes

Now is presented

After days

With juice still

Fresh

And fruit

In good shape

The time when the world

Must prove you

A misfit

Unwanted

Rejected

Denied

The jests

Increase

Their Spite

Grow

Tears

Freely flow

Seeming sad

Yet infinitely

Refreshing

The new creature

Now takes flight

Into light

Reveling

In warmth

That radiates

From within

Making her shine

When the fair

Starts

Tree,

Gem,

Fruit,

New being

Will be laid

On pedestals

Lifted high

Above

The rest

STEPS

Looking

Down

At my foot

Move up 

Then out

Letting

Joy in

As it lands

On

Fine earth

The move...

First

Of 

Many.

Soon

Old diaries

Will begin 

To collect

Dust

Which

Will be blown 

Off

When the child

Of a child

Gets to 

That faintly familiar 

Point

That was muse of those

Forgotten volumes

Only then

Will they

Be taken down

And read

After 

Three

Long

Nights

The sun 

Is risen

And 

Shadows

Become visible

But 

The immortal tongue

Of the wise

Guides

They say

Do not 

Regard

The shadows

Do not

Fear them

Oh how sad

The sun

Must be

To see

You tremble 

Before these

Knowing it

Was it 

That exposed 

Them all

If you'd  fear 

The snake,

Then 

You must fear

The snake charmer 

Even more

WONDROUS TALE

Can I stand 

Before you 

Right here

And sing

A solemn solo

Of one who

Found me

On a dark alley

All alone

Cold

 And dying

One 

Moonless

 Night?

Can I cry 

Refreshing 

Tears

As I tell 

Of the deep

Dark

Wild

Of terrors

Bloodthirsty 

Night creatures;

Present

At a gothic dance

Of horror

And I

Helplessly

Tossed

About

Like 

A rag doll…

Almost…

Almost…

Dead

Can I lay in joy now

And just breathe?

I cannot

I do not

Recognize me

Truly 

This must 

Be 

New

I smile 

At the stranger

In the mirror

And reach out

Wanting to 

Touch

The glow

In that smile

Is it

Could it

Be

It is

It sure is

Me?

Can I 

Whisper it

Speak it

Scream it

Write endlessly 

Of it

Can I….

Can I say it!

It is a 

Warm

Golden

Enveloping

Sort of

Feeling

That rose 

With the sun

And 

Spelt out

A new name 

For me

In the scroll 

Of the skies

Do you see

The 

Jubilation

I see

When I look up?

Do you feel

The peace that 

Settles

On my spirit

Like mist?

Do you just know

Deep down

Like I do

That it is well?

From now

Till the end

Of time

Do you hear it?

The sound

Of cherubs’ wings

Flutter?

Oh Can I…

Can I

 Tell you

This wondrous tale?

THIS SEASON

Seeing the half-naked 

Kids

Dance-walking 

Down the street

To the kiosk

 In that corner

To buy try-your-luck 

Balloons

With their faces 

White from 

Their morning baths

Is what this season is about

Catching the boys 

Toss knock-outs

Under Grandpa’s 

Old rickety car

At dusk

With their mismatched

Slippers and 

Oversized shirts balled up in the back

While they run for cover

Not knowing

Grandpa has seen them all

Is what this season is about

Turning on the TV

And hearing 

A local choir

Sing Hallelujah Chorus

In discord

Dressed in old robes

Yet smiling through

Their almost 

Sorry performance

And so you care not 

That they

Sing it wrong

Because their aged faces 

Are so jolly

Is what this season is about

The ringing out

Of Afehyia Pa

And the cheerful

Hope-filled

Afe-nkɔ-mmɛto-yɛn-biom

We hear all around us

Though the year

Had not been

One long sweet dream

Is what this season is about

So it is when we march up to 

Where one road ends

And another

Unknown path

Begins

That we, 

As one people

Stand and wait

Eager for the new

Saying in our hearts

May it be good

It is what this season’s about

SCARLET JOY

She cannot

Remember

What

It does

Not feel like,

This cancer

That eats at her

Stiff-necked,

Half-deaf

She pens

Words

That

Lie

Limp

On

A

Greying

Page

They come

In spasms

Like the

Throbbing

Of her sunken

Veins

They break

Her spirit

Cold

Tears

Betray

Her resolve

Death racks

The body

Of the

Poet

Death,

Her uncanny muse

Sprawled

Before the altar

She prays

Lead her

To the heart

Of Pilate's

Court,

Silent listener

Lead her

To

Scarlet Joy

THEY SAY...

The day came 

And ended

And I did not see it

Time stole 

Its way past me

While I dozed

Under fluorescent lights

They say a shadow 

Will cross 

My bed

And snuff out

My breath

While I lay here

Shivering

They say fear 

Will come 

Speeding 

Behind it

Circle my neck,

And wrench 

Sorry sobs

Out from 

My insides

They say it's horrid

When it lasts

That I should pray

It acts fast

That when everything

Starts going cold

I should just smile

And let go

They say that's so 

I'll look pretty

When I'm laid in state

That's when I knew

What it was

They were talking

About

The day came

And ended

And I did not see it

Neither did I see 

Death.

As they described

It

I guess

I'm going to be laid in state

With a look of surprise 

On my face