El'Shazzar

iDesign; #SOUNDS #WORDS #COLORS #SPACE

Sonnet28: I WAS LITTLE

Small was I, and also indulged, I was

Given as many sweets as I could gulp;

Although, I had to grow through peace and wars

born with no silver spoon; rather a cup

See, young me was shown an unblemished love 

My good folks will protect me from danger

They sought to keep my innocence enough

To save me the scars of the wild ranger

albeit, i thrust my hand in the lamp

They…

#Sonnet25: Fantasy

Once was I lost, a king fiddling his crown

Roaming alone, the expanse of my heart

Day dreaming of the dame behind my hearth

All I see is her silhouette, I frown

Wish I could stand and then hold her shoulders

Turn her around so I could see her face

But then its still a dream, so my heart race

Then you stepped into the light, arms folded

I want to lose myself, head, heels and all

who pounds and not get pounded too?

Sinews a-creaking as steady, the heartbeat thrums

The weight of the wooden pestle breaking the yam

Which is keeping up with which as the mortar drums?

None could say as onward pounds the battering ram

  Bones a-jarring, wood and man in ‘mortar’ combat

Teeth gritting at the promise of thick paste to come

Rhythm changing as pestle launches a comeback

Even if man wins; to wooden sleep, he must slump

Tell me about life and I will tell its sounds The activity and work it puts to living Knowingly or not, nowhere else will it be found For all who hear it, live and doth rejoice therein

The flapping sound of the raging fire while cooking A cursory look at the inferno in the sky The thought of plants need for the sun for their growing Top of the foodchain is enough to make man high

Tell of the…

WORLDS APART (The white girl and the Black slave)

When Cupid becomes curious as to what happens What unfolds when two immiscible races near Not just comes close for first time, but fall deep in love Now, that’s a story worth hearing the end of, no?

#Duodacy14: Cupid’s Arrow Love hot but one unsanctioned; that is what this is When the white girl and the former black slave love up Over the ego of white dad sprawled in riches Or the hatred of black…

Let me tell you of THE WILL The will was not the last wishes of a dying man Nor a contract between two opposite sexes The Will is the heartbeat of The Father for humans That man may Love his neighbour as himself

Man failed; from the time of Noah, even Adam Even to the now, from the time of Abraham As witnessed by societies come to great harm Violence in the streets as men are brought to arms In…

PROTECTOR’S CURSE

The night was pregnant with a stark fear

The dread silence in the jungle, loud

The animals tense up with lost cheer

As the trees dance with their leafy shroud

  Tonight is no howl from the tangy wolves

No chirp of insects at the stalking doom

They all have learnt the rhythm of the hooves

Which stops afar off as the dangers loom

  The silence is broken by soft rustles

The passing of the poachers…

Queues are mind-bogglingly boring, that’s a give Plus, people are impatient, understandably But then, they cheat, dropping all facades of principles Caring not on whose foot they trod

Is it indiscipline that makes them cheat? They blame it on time, maybe they are right Or maybe not, mayhap it’s become innate Forgetting the needs of others as they propagate theirs

  #Duodacy11:The Imperial…

A couple of friends argued on what reality is Being lesser than what they call ‘perceptions’ But what is reality, but that which can be perceived? What can be smelled, seen, tasted, touched and heard?

Perception on the other hand is subject to the person Two people cannot see the exact same thing If there sight lies and yet stay in the imagination ‘Till their mind can create the object, it stays…

Know this; Discipline is as discipline does A will to be staunch in the face of events A resolution that stands the test of time A good principle that no pressure would bend

That men may make rational choices To rein in their selfish urges For when the food tastes too wonderful It is the tongue that suffer the bites

#duodacy8: The ‘African Time’

Tick tock, tick tock; on it moves without pause Droo…

I CAN’T RECOVER

Verse 1 I was sinking deep in despair No hope for a fine day A better tomorrow Many times I had wondered why I couldn’t be what I wanna be Then a ray of light Shone in the darkness In my heart yeah, I found him I found God…

Chorus (by lead singer) Immeasurable height Unfathomable beauty Exceeding might Ever redeeming Grace Lord you bring me to tears with your love My cup overflows with your joy

V…

The tears are much, the pains real She stares in space, hoping for change Help seems far, even from the hills Man wields his tools, he makes Earth cringe

#duodacy4: The heat is killing

Mother earth cries, the rains has been long in coming Though her tears don’t come in rivulets anymore (The sun dries them up as he laughs at her mourning) She’s worried sick for her seeds losing their glamour        

For the frustrated serious suitor The pain of rejection proves hard to bear ‘Cause when he commits, he’s blind to all else No other pair of legs can sway his vision

#duodacy1: The Choice and the Elimimates

He had always known what he wanted in his girl All the physical endowments and/or fixtures Yet, so many ladies he knows fit; a hard haul Faced with choices, he eliminates at leisure        “I…

This is for all lovers of poetry. This is a poetry form arranged and policed by OLAYINKA Olakunle Daniel. The word Duodacy is derived from two Latin words: duodecim and acies Duodecim means twelve; acies means array, debate, battle arrangement etc. Acies is also linked with ordo which means order, array, rank, sequence etc

The Duodacy is a poem of twelve lines divided into three quatrains (four…