Poetry

By

Ogunsanya Enitan Olalekan

 

 

UNHEARD SPEECH

 

 

I.

 

Maami,

I can hear some voices ranting

within me,

they speak sense with deep

meaning

hidden between their messages

waiting for me to figure them out

as puzzles.

 

 

II.

 

After several wars waged

I got the drift

they are the words spoken by

Amina

whose mouth is covered with

stony hands

speaking yet unheard.

 

 

III.

 

Maami,

these are the words I heard her

speak

she sent them throught wi-fi

cos 4g, 3g, H even E are stuck in

the traffic

which might take ages to get to

me.

 

 

IV.

 

She said

life took pity on her

by coming to a conclusion

of wiping her sorrows

unknowing to be adding more

by giving her a bastard for son

through the least expected

 

 

V.

 

Maami,

she told me to tell you

to wipe tears from your face

dance around the room

with songs from your mumbling

heart

of how she brought doom to you

a being a girl.

 

 

VI.

 

Maami,

she sent a message to baami

that he should drink to stupor

let him lounge in from one gutter

to another

making known to the world

she is nothing but a mistake of a

child.

 

 

VII.

 

Maami,

she said

she had prepared to fight through

after she killed sorrow

caged silly flowing tears

so that she might get them

flogged out

of her heart temple.

 

 

VIII.

 

Maami,

even in her unheard speech

words died.

 

 

 

 

Amina is an Islamic name.

Maami means mother.

Baami means father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A LE ILU YA ( TIED DRUMS TORN)

 

 

I.

 

The atmospheric environment

it creates

sounds a note of warning to

sadness

that enclouded our heart crust.

Its atmosphere lures

our standing mind

to run around in leaping joy.

 

 

II.

 

We beat it

into the eardrum of

Olugbon, Aresa, Owarogun

even Orunmila’s eardrum

tasted the sweetness in

our handsome drum’s voice.

It kept their head

soaked with pride to dance

pulling off their royal regalias.

 

 

III.

 

Ask Iya Awelewa

why she gave Awelewa to me

cos it was on the day of

her mother’s sendforth to the

graveyard

that I clothed her with honor

amidst her family?

Awelewa tasted the sugar of love

the one I poured into the tea I

gave her to drink

and danced to the lyrics

that radiate from my beats.

 

 

IV.

 

I had played in glorious places

I had played in glorious

I had played in

I had played

I had

I..

 

 

V.

 

My drum is my joy

it makes my unhappy mood

swim about at it’s sound.

 

 

VI.

 

One day,

after playing to escape happiness

from the cage

sadness kept it in quest to reign

in the mind of people.

 

I came home

sat on my chair

my hands crossing my drum

 

mistakenly

 

‘Pho’

 

the drum I tied tore.

 

 

 

 

A LE ILU YA (TIED DRUMS TORN) – this was coined from the word ‘HALLELUYAH’.

Olugbon, Aresa, Owarogun, Orunmila – these are names of dead kings in yoruba land.

Awelewa – this is a yoruba name for a maiden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ogunsanya Enitan Olalekan

I am Ogunsanya Enitan Olalekan a.k.a. Enistik: a Writer, Poet and Novelist from Nigeria. I am a lover of art thus venture into poetry to heal the wounded minds, feed the hungered souls and quench the thirst for change. My quest is to preach around the world change via my pen.