Poetry

George Osodi

By

Oki Kehinde Julius

Before 2050

before 2050,

single women will start paying the bride price of seven men,

on the matrimonial altar

where marriage shall be for adam and adam

and not for cock and cockereal.

before 2050,

virginity will no longer be the pride of infants and adolescents,

but for foetus sucking the milky breast of the womb;

homosexual scene will be the movie

juveniles will begin to act

on the theatre stage of subsequent generations,

if sexual immoralities and rape assaults

are not sentenced into the cave of life imprisonment

before the conception of 2050,

lucifer would ordain himself as the priest

who’ll be putting on the loin and cassock of sin;

on that sacred pulpit, his deceitful sermon will be preached,

false teachings, which will surely shake human’s feet.

before the bell of 2050 rings,

economy recession may still be adored as king

if looters keep looting the treasures of africa’s mother

and her empires keep dancing

to the talking drum of corruption.

before 2050,

crude oil may decide not to flow anymore in annoyance,

if vandals keep cutting the oesophagus of pipelines

and avengers keep setting the shrine of oil depot ablaze.

before 2050,

will there be a breathing life,

in the next century to come?

when terrorism slays like sword

and bokos of haram gives people

the visa of death

through the embassy of insurgency.

before 2050,

heaven and hell might be the abode

we’ll be living,

and not these cramble walls architectured with bricks and sands.

before 2050 will come,

the earth might have sleep on the cradle bed of death

and refuse to wake,

till the angel of armageddon

percussion the melody of the last trumpet.

Abiku

abiku,

you’re the wheel

that rolls salty tears on mother’s face.

you’re the ailment

that infects father’s destiny with illed fate.

for nine moons of month,

you ate and drank

from the eatery of that sacred womb—without paying.

instead of paying back

with a life seasoned with longevity,

you fade away like a falling star

whose light is a taboo to the whitish sky.

abiku

you were christened with bitter kola and kolanut,

to live long like the scorching sun

cum blooming moon.

abiku

you were benedicted with cubic sugar and candy honey,

with salt and water that knows no enemy,

abiku

you couldn’t wait for the fulfillment of all these blessings,

until you turned the priest’s prayer

to a truthful parable of ‘april-fool’.

abiku

you become a log wood,

burnt like smoked meat in the fire.

you become a raw flesh

inscribed with the nibs of hot knife and sharped razor.

abiku,

you were baptised seasand times

with water

like a fainting coward,

of all this, you couldn’t wait

till your withered flower fades away.

abiku

you hold in your palm

the power of death and resurrection.

you visit and go

like the bob of a swinging pendulum.

abiku,

you’re the kokumo

who finally tasted the vinegar of death.

you’re the kosoko

who turned papa’s home

to an abode of chisel and shovel

abiku— you’re the malomo

whom death stinge finally cajoled away.

abiku— you’re the kuforiji

whom death is too cruel to forgive.

abiku —you’re the durosinmi

whose parent finally planted like a tuber of yam.

abiku— you’re the durojaiye

who couldn’t wait to enjoy

the pleasure of this sweet world.

Oki Kehinde Julius

Poet Oki Kehinde Julius is a renowned and prolific writer who hails from Okitipupa, in Ondo-state Nigeria. He is currently an undergraduate engineering student and a Christian by faith.

Okilux, by poetic name is a spoken words artist whose prowess performance has mounted the boundary of difference between him and other slam performers. He has won laurel in both spoken slam and page poetry. He won the “MOST INFLUENCIAL BEST POET OF THE YEAR 2015” from “Paragon Poetry Contest” in addition to being inducted in 2015 into the “Communty Of Thought And Society” and awarded the position of Writer1 in the League.

His work has featured in both local, national and international magazines and was shortlisted among the Top 30 page ‘Poets that rocks’2015 by BLACK PRIDE MAGAZINE. He was also nominated by TUCK MAGAZINE, among the 168 Writers of 2015 with poetry, article and fiction.

He is currently holding the position of Writer1/Media Officer at CHRYSOLITE WRITERS TEAM and as Moderator at Literary Planet Poetry.