Rain Brings You to My Heart (For the Lost Moments) Chinedu Caleb

Home , Journey Without End, My Last, Old School Love, Sweet Serenade, Those Memories of You, When You Loved Me

Love Poem Anthology Written by hundreds of poets

Compiled by Cynthia Gentile

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Love Poem Anthology

ISBN: 978-978-981-576-0

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission from the Publisher.

Published in Nigeria by:

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION YOUR CLOSENESS IS LIFE by Chichi Alintah SENSATION by Membis Okorie Chukwukamma YOU ARE THE ONE I ADORE by Nutan GLIMMER OF LOVE by Sarawagi Steven Dangu AS WE ALL LIVE LOVE IS LONELY by ALONE by Nutan Alaghde T. Kelvin Sarawagi ENFLAME by M.S. Atta WHERE ARE YOU? by Kalam Nutan Sarawagi THE STARTLING DAWN OF TOMORROW TRUTH by Arowolo by Dominic Nwobodo Jamiu AN ODE OF LOVE by FEAR OF LOVE by Izundu Christopher Arowolo Jamiu Nwokocha COLORS by Andre A SHADOW OF Roberts MYSELF by Izundu ANIKE by Bolaji Ajayi Christopher Nwokocha

WEAVING PASSION by MOROUNTODUN by Don Bright Chibuking Mhiza Flows

YOU'VE MADE ME EMOTIONS UNSEATED FORGETFUL by by Mbah/Spirit-borne Edidiong Etukudoh HOME (Height of My ABIKE by Edidiong Expectations) by Mbah Etukudoh / Spirit -borne

YOU ARE LOVED LET ME REST AT BEYOND MEASURES YOUR DOOR by by William Warigon Funkekeme Akposeye

I DO by Anthony Arnold EBICOMBERE’S SONG by Funkekeme WITH LOVE by Michael Akposeye Anan Onimisi pg. 3

a postcard by Chinedu NOTE TO YOU by Arepo Caleb Savior Blessing rain brings you to my SONG FOR IZEUMA by heart (for the lost Pius Romans Chukwudi moments) by Chinedu GORGEOUSLY FLY by Caleb Raphael Adedoke CITY OF LOVE by LOVE ABYSS by Jay Owolabi Awwal Njirimanh Olanrewaju OLD SCHOOL LOVE by SUMMATION OF Raphael Adedoke ETERNITY by John Festus I SAW GOD CRY by Raphael Adedoke IF YOU LET ME by Gift Daniels ADAUGO by Kingdom Nta SEDUCTION by Hamza Adejoh OYI by Kingdom Nta

CONJUGAL by THE BEST MATE by Nwankwo Christian Ernest Enoh Eyong

FERVOR by Nwankwo BORN TO LOVE YOU Christian by Ernest Enoh Eyong

OBIBEST by Mhizta LOVING YOU IS Flow DIVINE by Aghadaghebalu Clement MY QUEEN by Ese Ndubuisu S. Josiah COLD NIGHT by HAVE YOU SEEN Aghadaghebalu Clement HER? by Ndubuisu S. Ese and Cynthia Gentile Josiah REFLECTIONS by DON’T BE LATE by Frank Ebom. Membis Okorie Chukwukamma IN THE CLOSETS OF YOUR EYES by Elisha LOVE CONNECTION Kichime Philibus by Billie Dee Smith Pirela WHEN I'M YOUR THOUGHTS by Mr. Nate I AM A TRADITIONAL SAINT by Okoroafor I SHALL WAIT FOR Onyekachi YOU by Aamir Abdullah

pg. 4

I THINK OF YOU by ADMIRATION by Bijoy Aamir Abdullah Bhakat

QUICKIE by Martin Ijir BE THERE WITH ME by Bijoy Bhakat OUR LOVE - EVER TRUE by Salman Fawaz WE NEED by Bijoy Adewale Bhakat

A DROP OF LOVE IS THE MAIN POINT by THE HOPE WE NEED Bijoy Bhakat by Kingdom Inyang INQUIRIES by Bijoy DO YOU KNOW? by Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat REMEMBRANCE by LOVE by Benedixio's Bijoy Bhakat Diaries WHAT LOVE IS by DEAR MARY! by Chi Go Bijoy Bhakat Kie. TAKE ME THERE by ZULIKARATU by Bijoy Bhakat Kamarudeen OUR LIKENESS by PROMISE by Bijoy Bhakat Kamarudeen REQUESTS by Bijoy I MISS YOU by Sullivan Bhakat De Poet SENSUAL YOU AND ME by Bijoy CONFESSION by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

REGRETS by Bijoy HUMANITY by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

IMMUTABLE by Bijoy BITTER TRUTH by Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat

TOGETHER by Bijoy EXPOSITION by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

LET YOUR EYES DESIRES by Bijoy SPEAK by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

AS I GIVE by Bijoy UNSEEN by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

FRIENDSHIP by Bijoy HERE by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

pg. 5

LET’S SAVE by Bijoy Bhakat WELCOME 2020 by ALLOW THE BIRDS by Bijoy Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat GOODBYE 2019 by LOVE ME MORE by Bijoy Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat ADMIRATION by Bijoy EMBRACE LIFE by Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat NOT HERE by Bijoy MY DESIRE by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat REGARDLESS by Bijoy 2020 by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

CHARGES by Bijoy LIFELY ADMONITION Bhakat by Bijoy Bhakat

PRAY FOR AUSTRALIA MY STANCE by Bijoy by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

SONG OF LOVE by ARMS OF LOVE by Bijoy Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat

NARRATION by Bijoy MY BELIEF by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat

MAGIC OF LIFE by PLEA by Bijoy Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat MERRY CHRISTMAS SOLUTION AND by Bijoy Bhakat ANSWER by Bijoy YOU AND I by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat INSEPARABLE by Bijoy ENJOY! by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat GOODBYE by Bijoy LIFE by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat ONE DAY by Bijoy HAPPY NEW YEAR by Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat LIFE by Bijoy Bhakat THERE FOR YOU by OH, MOTHER Bijoy Bhakat NATURE! by Bijoy WISH by Bijoy Bhakat Bhakat THE BESEECH by TIME by Bijoy Bhakat Bijoy Bhakat

pg. 6

MAKING YOU MY UNDERSTAND by Bijoy ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Bhakat by Bijoy Bhakat

THOUGH AWAY by ECHOES OF SILENCE Bijoy Bhakat by Funkekeme Akposeye

pg. 7

DEDICATION

To my family

pg. 8

pg. 9

SENSATION Membis Okorie Chukwukamma

You are the music behind the dance of ten thousand stars

You are the beauty that makes the whole world amazing

If you doubt, show me something more magical than you are

And I will show you how your smiles lighten the universe

Your heart is a kingdom where golden jewels are like stones

And if I could walk into it, I would gather them for a pure temple

Where I will daily adore the uniqueness of your divine soul

For you are a goddess more charming than vibrant spells

I have seen coasts of seas and have stood on mountain‘s peak

Yet nothing traps my soul like the sound of your voice when you speak

Are you gone like the rainbow that decorated my yesterday?

Or have you faded away like the candles I ignited during my praying hours?

There is more to this than we can tell, oh my sweetheart!

That same force that binds fishes to sea and birds to air

A cup of kisses and a night of blissful romance, sweetheart,

Surely would trigger the melody of our intoxicating affection

Your images rotate inside my head during my meditation

You are still the greatest temptation to my honey chastity

More often I dream holding you in my freezing arms, my love

pg. 10

And to devour you like brown sugar and chocolate pizza

I closed my eyes and saw memories of us in passionate state

That‘s you riding on me to where I‘ve never dreamt I could be

That‘s you touching every part of me eagerly like a leaping hyena

With our lips glued and my hands traveling on your chest

Memories of you can‘t be wiped away even with erasers

The emotions you have built in me is like a reoccurring volcano

I long to hold your neck once more and kiss you endlessly

But until then, remember that I wouldn‘t forget my promises

Loving you makes me stronger and hold on to my healer

My hands around your neck and down to your hips, my love

My hands rolling on your back and up to your breast, my love

My lips on your nipples and your back bending to the bed

Hearing the sound of your breath and feeling your smooth skin

Is a magic that science cannot prove; yes, all of you is vanilla

And I can never have enough, more and more till the end of time

And if you be mine, more and more till eternity and beyond

Do I seduce you with my poetry? Get it off, all that can resist

My heart is shattered like a green garden hit by deforestation

You are my joy and my pain, yet again you are my true love

And when I meet you again, I will devour you like a hungry lion

pg. 11

Months gone and I am starving of your internal sensation

Come to me and I will never let go of your highly electric body

I will shoot you to the moon and make you groan speechlessly

And I will softly caress your laps till I get to your clitoris

Arm in arm till day break at dawn, dancing on each other‘s body

There is more to this than we can tell, oh my sweetheart!

That same force that binds fishes to sea and birds to air

A cup of kisses and a night of blissful romance, sweetheart

pg. 12

GLIMMER OF LOVE Steven Dangu

The light that birth darkness

Led to the abyss of oblivion.

Yet, the amour shines radiantly with the sun

Being a shield against spears and swords

Penetrating to the marrow:

Fragrant beauty resonates, consuming.

Fairest of all

Shines brighter to none.

In the days of barren silence,

Your words quenched all my thirst;

Satisfied my longing.

Yet, it made me long for more; I‘m addicted.

No paraphernalia to waltz Matilda through the abundance of Katherine.

All focused on you; the stars, camera and action you put me through.

I cross my heart and dot my I‘s from all the T‘s abounding.

pg. 13

LOVE IS LONELY Alaghde T. Kelvin

Staring at the ceiling,

My heart starts to flicker

And I can't figure out my feeling

Slowly sucking in my rainmaker

And I can't believe I'm grieving

Ever breaking my heart without breaker

It was all good having fun

But I never knew her words shoot and crack without gun.

She looked for my weak point for love

And wholeheartedly, I gave her with joy

My dreams she flew within her like a dove

While I followed her like a butterfly with erratic flight

So in love I couldn't feel it as she drove

Every day‘s joy

And then, she broke my heart

And split it apart.

pg. 14

ENFLAME M.S. Atta Kalam

A busted bird ran to my domicile

In an obscure tone; intoning

To me heart poisoning verses,

Of how her world was reduced to ashes.

To her I listened as she told her tale in a fearful trill,

With tears parading downtown her cheek,

In hips, crushing the boiling sun on her lips

And her used-to-be-orange face bespeaking grill.

I was moved by every dark flame

Her troubling tongue enflamed.

Then I wished her snarls I could redeem

And grant peace to her smite soul.

But I‘m just me – a helpless being.

I wish this was a daydream,

But it‘s not, I had to weep

And ―kai duniya‖ to myself I speak.

Oh, you bird, your somber humor

Immense makes my heart swell.

It makes me feel like I was heave

Into a lightless cycle to forever dwell.

pg. 15

Oh, you chiming colorful busted dove,

Your soul, who will shove?

Can't he see how much of a queen you are?

A bleeding blue priceless sapphire!

Oh, you sterling busted bird,

For your pain, my heart enflames

And for you I wrote this poem – enflame.

pg. 16

THE STARTLING TRUTH Arowolo Jamiu

Beautiful African damsel,

You are like natural born water

And you charm my manliness with breath-taking emotions.

I will sincerely proclaim your name

And sing praises from the bottom of my heart

In the evenings of peace

Because you are beautiful like the morning golden sunshine.

From the inner depth of my soul

I will voice out like a nightingale

Possessed with beautiful and soulfully songs

And you will feel the breeze of my songs

Like wailing harp into your heart of true love.

You are indeed radiating with black beauty

And the startling truth about you

Is that you are the reincarnation of Queen Sheba.

pg. 17

FEAR OF LOVE Arowolo Jamiu

Your love has created

A huge vacuum in my soul

And I become completely impotent

Because of the fear of your love

Whenever you are absence.

Every sunrise and sunset,

I truly cry like an elephant in distress

Because of the fear of your sweet love

Which we shared

Above all else.

pg. 18

COLORS Andre Roberts

Take a minute close your eyes turn your mind to the picture— the one on the right see the memory of colors see the blues of the sky see the images in bed dead

see the pink in your eyes

feel the pleasure of the moment feel the warmth of your mind then reflect what would it be like if this was your life?

sound be your master

the guide to your light hear your inner thoughts— those ones on the right remember placement

pg. 19

walking in the dark and so important remember your heart

Think of what you love

feelings and such reach out and touch the visions of the dark

let your mind paint a scene of your life your closed eyes the backdrop

stories of your life

if the mind is quiet how free do you feel? scenes in the dark

don‘t they feel real?

waltzing in a room dancing in the dark

reaching things unseen

pg. 20

grasping at the past tasting foods of thought

sucking moments past

living in this room running in the dark

politics seem different

so is the question of race monetary ventures sex seems a venue matters of the heart description is your way

the land of the dark

seems to me

this quiet moment— one well-deserved gives piece to your mind— the eyes of what you see

seems to me we do see the corridors of the dark pg. 21

ANIKE Bolaji Ajayi

Dream became reality the day I met you.

Night alone couldn't describe your beauty,

Even day testified of your regal brightness.

Not again will I liken your beauty to that of a rainbow,

For you are the beauty human eyes have never seen.

Yesterday, nature complained;

Your smile is the reason the sun has never shined at night,

The gleam in your eyes is why stars never showed by day;

It claimed you are the light behind the brightness of the moon.

ANIKE,

They said heart is the home of love,

In yours I've found the definition of forever.

Permit me to build my world within your arms,

The walls around your lips and the foundation right on your tongue.

pg. 22

WEAVING PASSION Don Bright Chibuking

Last night,

I forgot eternity

And crashed deep into her.

Pulsive blood flowed beneath fluoride skin

As I penned damnation upon flesh.

Last night,

Heaven was a myth

As I parched on the branch of ecstasy

And weaved wonton hand on her skin.

Yes, heaven was a myth.

Last night,

I forgot death

While grappled in her arms.

I belittled beliefs and caution

While taking the forbidden fruit.

Last night,

I signed all certificates with my tongue;

Her neck was the paper and my tongue the pen,

As I groaned in forbidden pleasure

Of the gift flesh gave.

pg. 23

Last night,

I promised her heaven

But gave her hell.

I would've traded the world if it was mine

But I promised it all the same.

pg. 24

YOU'VE MADE ME FORGETFUL Edidiong Etukudoh

Abike, do you know you've made me forgetful?

See, I have forgotten all the beauties

I owned just yesterday and like a newly bought drapery,

I admire you beyond all the other clothing sprawled in the womb of my box.

You are like the tender buds of hibiscuses; unfurling before the watching eyes of dawn.

I adore you beyond purple stones and glitters.

I have forgotten how life was before you; maybe, I had no life.

For what then could life be without this

pg. 25

sweetness you bring?

I must have been a starving bee hungry for your nectar but now tucked safely in the warm comb of your sheltering arms where I have taken shelter cuddled by your gentleness.

You've made me forgetful of all the pains of yesterday; nothing matters now but the future I see of you and me walking arm in arm till we grow greys of time and age.

pg. 26

ABIKE Edidiong Etukudoh

Abike,

I will stand by you no matter the weather, come shine or chilly rainfall.

We could pick pearls of dew on harmattan mornings and glimmers of warmth at sunshine.

I will be by your side always; a dutiful bodyguard.

I will never let you cry if those tears aren‘t that of joy.

I will love you till heaven becomes the life you live daily with me.

You will be my paradise and I, your El dorado.

I will stand by you;

I will stand for you till loving me becomes your only religion.

No matter how many times

pg. 27

we fall apart, we will come back better.

Do not let uncertainty drive you away for I will never let you go.

I will stand by you;

I‘m going nowhere.

I will stay with you till we grow greys and life fades gently away.

pg. 28

YOU ARE LOVED BEYOND MEASURES William Warigon

The ocean of your tears

Waves to wavering lengths

I feel your trembling fears

Slipping away your strengths

When those sleepy hills come alive

Filling the air with sweet music

You recoil like you're struck with knife

No panache, no more magic

Once, you were the life of the party

Many falling over themselves

To eke a cool niche from your curry

Why dwell with invisible elves?

Besotted you were like an eagle

Heartbroken you turned to a wren

Rain beaten; I see you struggle

To beat the rain at the game of rain

If I may, I might

Take a stand and cry your own tears

But I am in a bight

Ready, rolling and grinding my gears

pg. 29

With the hammer of determination, you can break the shell

The vastness of the sky hasn't lost its appeal

Come out of the well, face the wall, and you'll feel well

No more dramas, be real this time.

pg. 30

I DO Anthony Arnold

I stand here today, with my heart in my hands

Promising to love, honor and obey

To cherish you with all my soul

Until I draw my last breath

I promise to be your guardian

To watch over you

To protect that precious thing about you—

Your heart

I promise to kiss away your tears

Your hurt, your pain

You are my starship

My wing and a prayer

My ride or die

This is the beginning of the rest of our lives;

A journey without end

And the only thing I can say is

―I loved you then, I love you now,

And I'll love you forevermore.

―I do.‖

pg. 31

WITH LOVE Michael Anan Onimisi

I have heard a thousand times that apples don't fall far from their trees

But I have discovered an apple fall right into my eyes

And it gladdens my heart that it became the apple of my eyes.

I have also heard a million times that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

But quite funny how I still love you with my eyes closed.

I heard a billion times that love is blind

And this I believe I can prove true

But how do I explain how my heart found the directions

That led to you without my consent?

I strive to change no fact

But meeting you has already changed a whole lot of facts

Which is why I cherish your beautiful impact.

My heart can't get over you;

You are the one I cherish

And without you I will perish.

This love I will always garnish

With hugs, kisses and whatever.

Did I mention

That my ears have been told a trillion times

pg. 32

That I am not good for you;

That you are not perfect for me?

But you‘re still the one I cherish nonetheless.

Nothing is perfect, I have heard today

But I know we can walk into perfection together just as iron sharpens iron.

pg. 33

YOUR CLOSENESS IS LIFE Chichi Alintah

Where are the feelings;

Feelings of life without your closeness?

Tell me!

Where is living; living in love

Without your closeness?

Tell me!

Your closeness is life, to feel love in life and be lively in life.

Don't take it from me.

To be closer to you is to be closer to life.

To be nearer to you is to be touched by love.

To be around you is to breathe in life; life always.

Don't take it from me!

Oh! What's my being without your being to feel?

Tell me!

pg. 34

Every deadness in me awakes at the sight of your being to feel life.

Don't take it from me!

Of your being alive I come into; into the man I am to be loved by a lively being as you.

Your closeness is life.

pg. 35

YOU ARE THE ONE I ADORE Nutan Sarawagi

you are the one I adore my heart speaks to you as I talk in a whisper beyond the one you speak to my heart

to my heart, you whisper my love‘s shortcomings but my heart doesn't want to believe in anything in my love for you it lies so strong beating to the beat of your heart as it plays along

in a love so strong breaking all boundaries of love as it can knowing no end in its love to love it loves you more than you can ever return

in its love, it jumps all hindrances of love taking love to new soaring heights in its love

as it flies high in a love so high, as though taken new wings, beyond a world so high where no one can touch anyone except you in a love so true; so true

as it sets you to love‘s rhythm in its own space in which to fly as high with you at its own pace

breaking new grounds in a love so true

pg. 36

always finding its love in you to find its love in its love for you

YOU

pg. 37

AS WE ALL LIVE ALONE Nutan Sarawagi

I lie in my wait for you thoughts, big and small, come of you to retrace my steps as I live without you but hope of you

but now my mind doesn't even think of me as I live in my desires; in my hopes, in my longings; of you

will you ever come?

I wonder why you cut me off from your chains as I lie in them tied to myself I again wonder why come and cut off my chains as you have chained me for life in shackles which I never had to my life

pg. 38

now that I break forever free

I fly

I never wanted to belong that was my tryst with life

but I now lie clipped clipped my wings clipped for life

tie me to a stake and burn me up my desires of you, in flames go up burn me up in my fear of my desires for you as I go thinking of you to fly with me as you burn with me in my desires of you as they burn with me take me to another world where you and I will live thinking of you with no desire left thinking of you of my own

I never ever will attempt to fly away again pg. 39

waiting for you to take me away from myself thinking of you in my thoughts of me alone

I have now learnt to fly alone alone faraway as I fly to a land I seek where everyone desires but we all live alone

pg. 40

WHERE ARE YOU? Nutan Sarawagi

I don't know where to find you, my friend

Missing you as no one can is all I can do now, my friend you were mine once upon a time but now it‘s hard to go back in time to find that time when you loved me

A time spent together, never in it to be mine

To be with you was my dream come true

You broke it before I could realise it in you

And now you lie shattered in images to pick up in memories of dreams lost in you

Once again broken

Smiling now just thinking of you

pg. 41

DAWN OF TOMORROW Dominic Nwobodo

The seething sun eats our heads

As the moon conceive a new bud.

My soul took a sharp poetic flight to

Pregnant March

Full of sharp daggers of expectations.

Farmers basked in moons

In the belly of night,

To unearth earth's golds.

Green birds dine with green birds,

Fluttering beyond night's eyes,

Frightening clouds grind anger

Heart is a piece of winds

Torn from paternal bosom.

Tighten ribs

For fresh banquet

Unleashing the dawn of tomorrow.

pg. 42

AN ODE OF LOVE Izundu Christopher Nwokocha

Ooh, dear love

Friend of the pure-hearted

Companion of the courageous

Envy of the jealous

Your reign is but a glorious one

Your presence lightens the dark walls my heart

Your aura could be compared to an unending fragrance of goodwill

People get inspired through you

Religious faiths are built upon you

Men have survived and died because of you

You are both dangerous and good

You are a necessary evil

You are our purpose

In your weakness we are strong

I indeed wish you could last for eternity

So we could be forever embraced by your curse and blessing

They say nothing lasts forever

But your impact would always remain

Strong

pg. 43

I am but worthy to be your captain

In this moving ship of affection

Farewell, love

For your time would come

Just like day chased by night

But your words live in us

To last a lifetime

pg. 44

A SHADOW OF MYSELF Izundu Christopher Nwokocha

A shadow I appear

A milk spilled on the ground of dismay

Echoes are all I hear

From the ears of lost dreams, I am left to stay

The walls of my heart crack open

Revealing the truth once hidden but now seen

Weak my vessels are

My bones have lost its bravery

Now I am entrapped in slavery.

Lonely I ride again

On the road that leads to a solitude land

Passenger seat filled with a companion

That is but a ghost seen.

I fight hard to make it work

But all I get are errors of my ways.

An empty shell I appear to be

Gun wounds no longer hurt the flesh of my affection felt.

I can say it‘s part of my fault

I can say I believed so much in this reality

But one thing is sure

pg. 45

My heart bleeds each that I try to heal myself

Of this love that hurts each passing day.

I am a shadow of myself

A bravery now lost

A laughter embraced by darkness

A joy embraced by painful laughter

Sometimes, all appear dark when you embrace light.

All is lightened up by the darkness of the heart.

Life is just a race

Won on the flesh of freedom gained

Or lost on the fields of affection lost.

pg. 46

MOROUNTODUN Mhiza Flows

Wobi omoge, I watched you sitting close in the heavenly father's garden

Who decked your heart with a cup full of love

And whispered to his earth, ―whose will this gold be?‖

There I stood up in humble appreciation of a celestial figure

Arewa, I dare not compare your pulchritude to Okin's

For your beauty glisters luminously like amororo

Making your uniqueness like eye orin

Who caught the world's attention with her lips

Alayo mi, the chants of Oloburo is not like any other bird

Also, the raiment of lekeleke is as pure as snow

I've found the heavenly sent sweetness

Because didun didun laa bale oyin – who‘ll forever be the sweetening god

Fifehanmi; ife oloyin I perceived through your grin

For some eons I was lost like an almanac out of date

Your appearance brings joy to me

And healing through your captivating grin I see

Orekelewa, the length of river Nile could be nigh in growing with you

And talking of sweet tales under igi odan at night could be heaven‘s best

Let me be the shoulder to rest upon

For it's better than the bony ones

pg. 47

Ore mi, let me chant your name in beautiful rhymes Let me be the drunk seer under the tree Talking of heaven‘s sweetness in a glory filled figure For here I've found the blessed celestial creature, YEJIDE

Molade, I took it upon myself to sing like eye orin tonight A catching up lovely string played solely behind I flowed alongside the heaven of Isawuru And found you better like the golden wool

Yejide, There's delicacy oozing from your isaasun Stamping my beatific deeds like a good hunt Whispering soft voices with my lovely tunes And resounding to it in beautiful hits

Amoke, Midnight meditation's best, doing it like Owiwi Talking of different voices sounding mystic Spreading the stage northward to invite heaven‘s Chants of joy like of the apostles

Mobolade, My father is a rock and I'm a lion pie Stand beside this hill and I never will be flicked away Because my arm's like of heaven in the real Making the stay a good living in ease

pg. 48

FOOTNOTES

Yejide - a Yoruba female name

Molade - a Yoruba female name

Amoke - a Yoruba female name

Owiwi - a typical bird that cries at night

Mobolade – a name

Morenikeji - a Yoruba female name meaning ‗I have found a partner‘

Wobi Omoge - give attention, beautiful lady

Ajoke - a Yoruba female name

Morountodun - I've found a sweet thing

Igi odan - bayan tree

Ife mi - my love

Alayo mi - my happiness

Arewa - the beautiful one

Okin - peacock

Oloburo - a typical form of bird

Lekeleke - cattle egret

Didun didun laa Bale oyin - sweetness is always found in honey

Fifehanmi – show me love

Ife oloyin - a sweet love

Orekelewa - a charming beautiful lady

Ore mi - my friend

pg. 49

EMOTIONS UNSEATED Mbah/Spirit-borne

So, I sat on this chair, laden with negative emotions which blinded my vision, leaving me bereft of my resolutions.

Like the silver lining in the sky, you heralded my mind, positive thoughts couldn't get by.

So, they called me depressed; yes because I found more peace with the noise in my head.

They called me unhappy, because I chose the excitement in a bottle than in the snare shine of their dentition.

They called me loner and bitter, because I cherished the sweetness in making myself better.

They called me insecure, angry, domineering, over possessive, stupid, foolish, not good enough,

pg. 50

not man enough, not rich enough, not smart enough, not fair enough, not tall enough, not spiritual enough, not articulate enough, not elegant enough;

Not this enough, not that enough.

At first, I never believed any of that, but your words continually kept me warm in my thoughts

I absorbed all your words.

You dictated my every move: words, thoughts, actions, scripted by you.

But not anymore, I rise from where you've held me down.

I rise from the bad words you've called me that made me drown.

I set positivity in motion and I unseat every negative emotion.

pg. 51

HOME (Height of My Expectations) Mbah / Spirit -borne

Through the rusty aeons, superseding times and numbers mountains high and oceans deep making a herculean mockery of

Bromine and Chlorine affinity.

I take a petty sojourn out from you milliseconds I feel abashed

But you have seen all my frailties and ascertained all my susceptibility, yet each time, you massage these words, ―you're strong than this,‖ into my ego.

At the wake of dawn, my heart is broken my lips are heavy to speak to you

But you look beyond my childish act that irks tilting my head toward the east you blew me the first kiss.

These little foxes I let stroll my heart boulevard have set my heart on fire, though not for thee.

Like an emotionally battered gypsy with a broken compass, I wandered.

Yet again, you pulled me close in your embrace

pg. 52

whispered your sweet words into my ear and charted my course like I never strayed.

So, I burned my bridges that my weakness may not go unscathed.

As I lay hold of your arms, your words burrowed deep in my heart now I am getting stronger even beyond the height of my expectations; that is why your presence is HOME to me.

pg. 53

LET ME REST AT YOUR DOOR Funkekeme Akposeye

I don't want to close my eyes, still I have to sleep,

I wish I could buy you the world, not just cheap dreams

In a hundred sweet verses, I hope my love you will keep for everybody gets caught up in air; lonely sometimes

the clouds have changed color, do not kick me outside for I would have built you a mansion in the lovely Eden only if I knew the place, but still let me in you reside if I find fuller knowledge, I promise I will drop this pen

and sanctify your thoughts with a much keener sight a mighty storm is brewing and I'm lost in the universe please let me lay my head on your heart just for tonight my spirit is tired, soul is hungry, body's dying of thirst

only your love can give me purpose like a biro and book and it will only be on your advice that I will journey still let me drink your offerings to the earth like a calm brook please do not hesitate to be, I'm getting weak, feeling ill

I do not want to think about damp loneliness anymore but I'm mused with anxious breaths of your love divine thoughts sweet to recite and sweeter to sing, of my war

Oh! I have no home, do save me from wicked winter's tine

pg. 54

the well of sanguine waters, in my bowels have I stored that maybe you could teach me to be mirthful like you surrounded by holy springs, seeking what I can't afford let me rest at your door, the azure‘s changed from blue.

pg. 55

EBICOMBERE’S SONG Funkekeme Akposeye

Yesterday, I was a forgotten lonely soul

But today I am far from an empty shadow.

Yesterday, I was only a dark gaping hole

But today I'm the standing tree in the meadow

Oh, my goodness, alas my sweetest love!

Ebicombere with the big brown white eyes,

Oh, my darling one sent from up above

Ebicombere with the sweetest of thighs

With this song I say hello, I say goodnight

Washing you clean with my happy tears

With this song I say thank God, I loved right

Washing you clean everyday with prayers

I do not know what makes up a flower,

This flowers that blow from the north

And I do not know what is in an hour

This flickering flames burning the earth

But when the world is moved by the wind,

Every single thing seems to be crying

And when the trees too speak their mind

They too just seem to be sighing, wishing

pg. 56

Oh, my goodness, alas my beautiful star!

You will always be my darling sweetheart,

And it does not matter if we're near or afar

You'll always be kept in the depths of my heart.

pg. 57

a postcard Chinedu Caleb

this is how to remember our laughter

on the s

g like a taste of Julie mango, erecting

a cathedral in our hearts as Solomon's temple we are swinging p o e t r y & you lean on me as

the Cross on Simon of Cyrene to Golgotha b l u e you, a songbird singing, which is the shape of our laughter

& in our eyes a colourful butterfly, rising as a city with lovely songs of the morning birds at dawn

& now I am thinking of you like blue

pg. 58

rain brings you to my heart (for the lost moments) Chinedu Caleb

it is raining & my mind is a

cathedral of memories with your love,

Queen Hadassah is in the inner garden,

blue window in the wall,

I hold out the golden scepter like

a pack of St. Moritz with Alpha Blondy's

Sweet Fanta Diallo serenading

in the backdrop like the day we sit at our desk solving actuarial math as God's mystery

& you lean against the wall like a guitar, waiting

I read my bible like beer in sips for

a new creation or epiphany as a boat on a smooth sail, smoking ice

& your body guides our hearts to this cathedral &

I read your eyes in sketches

Bob Kaya is playing & I begin my devotional worship

like post-modernism

pg. 59

CITY OF LOVE Owolabi Awwal Olanrewaju

Shall we go on a journey? Just me and you To a faraway island— An island called forever Surrounded by water The water of love

Let's get lost In each other's arms You in the day And I at night And take turns to watch As we fall asleep at the helm of comfort

I'll kiss away your sorrows And you'll kiss away my fears You'll become my hobby And I'll become your hubby Just me and you, lost in the realm of togetherness

Like the wall clock, We shall stick together You, the short hand And I, the long one And love, the battery that keeps us ticking...

pg. 60

SUMMATION OF ETERNITY John Festus

Love is the licking yellow tongue

Burning in the thick of the night

A warmth for those left in the cold

And the lone, a call to draw near

Love is the wind freely blowing

Across the arid land of the soul

And goes where it most pleases

Awaken the soul left to slumber

Love is the colour of rainbow

Itched on the expanse of sky

A seal upon the heart of men

Keeping camp in this hall of fate

Love is a sharp cutting blade

Yet, the yearning of the great

The secret whispers of the small

And the mother tongue of the kids

Love is the never-ending stream

From the beginning of creation

Much deeper than the ocean

It is the summation of eternity

pg. 61

IF YOU LET ME Gift Daniels

If you let me

I will love for both of us.

Hinged is your heart in barricades

Always on the defensive

Built in metal, your senses stand sage

I seek not to bring down your walls of defense

Just the thought that tell you, you need always to fend me

If you let me

I'll make you see you can trust me enough to defend these walls alongside you

Stand in the gap when you can't

Against all fiery dart hoping to impale your jelly heart

And when there is a crack, my skills will come in handy

I work with tissue and femur

If you let me

I could reach for your soul

Make it my sole aim to be your safe house

If only you could trust me enough to let me in

pg. 62

SEDUCTION Hamza Adejoh

Your voice is cinnamon

Your lips, enchanting

Within your mouth is sweet wine

Come to my vine

Intoxicate me with kisses

Let your wine spring forth

Let it blur my senses

Blur my intuition as the room

Your breasts tilt to me

Your nipples standing to dance with my tongue

Come closer

Let us dance the sacred steps

Let me plough your sweetness

Let me hum through

Like a tireless engine

Before the mid-day sun

Come closer

I will make a river between your thighs

pg. 63

CONJUGAL Nwankwo Christian

Again, I promise you steadfastness on this day as we vouch and vow

My heart burns of love and attests never to wither

You are the one who made my life sweet and meaningful

It gladdens my heart that I will bring you under my roof as wife

And too good I feel that this is no longer a wish but reality

How beautiful it sounds that the one I love is the one I wed

I had long ago given you my heart, but henceforth, receive equally my blessings

May the shower of my love never run dry on you in all season

Your presence will always summon the joy I never deserve nor ever know

And it shall be well with you for ever coming my way and becoming my destiny

As you ever think it good to marry me, your heart shall never go out of rivers of joy

pg. 64

FERVOR Nwankwo Christian

Your presence summons my faded joy

Alive I come when you are nigh

No sweet taste better than your lips

You, perfect symbol of eclipse of the sun

Your cuddle tosses out worries and refills worn out sweetness

You are a fame I have prayed to reach

Stay with me let‘s play and rest here

Paradise is anywhere you are

For where ever you are holds seas of joy

Heaven opens its window and colors the cloud

Dawn resembles Hillcrest and sunset

A bracket of rainbow colours

The day has run in the Hemisphere

The night is a mile from here

Our emotions strongly link

Motionless we become when for each other we think

But a force we are when together

pg. 65

OBIBEST Mhizta Flow

Long ago, I died in pain

In the arms of a careless lover

Then I fell in love again

And exchanged the heart for another

She held my heart so strong

I can't even explain the bond

Each feeling we together shared

Like electrons strongly paired

The sun kept shinning

Time kept flying

Wave struck amid contours and potholes

Our heads got smashed on the poles

Fire razed, sparkling and hurting

Every joint was cracking and rioting

Friction got our love cup broken up

And each willingly gave up

Then I remembered how I died before

And I promised never again in love to fall

pg. 66

MY QUEEN Ndubuisu S. Josiah

Come down to me, the mender of my soul, come!

Resurrect my shattered bones and renew my fallen feathers.

The Dove in our garden cook you afresh in my mind and the early morning dew brings back your fragrance.

My Queen, emptiness has ceased your faithful serf.

The heart where you are a goddess is wintered.

My Queen,

You're a lake filled with tuna, rainfall to barren lands, a moaning song to the brave; life subsists in your tongue.

pg. 67

Come back, my Queen, to the temple where you give supple love, to the hut of my heart.

Come, and abode forever!

pg. 68

HAVE YOU SEEN HER? Ndubuisu S. Josiah

The moon showers the sun gushes the green leaves flag joy the rivers of blessings saturate my being today

But my garden is unkept the fruits have no attendant lifter of rotten apples cracks my heart...

Have you seen her? the healer balm of my brokenness the cool water to thirsty scourging souls, I seek!

My love and comforter my yoke of life and stay I miss my life resident in the rivers of your thighs

You're not optical illusions neither are you a mirage you're my love the blood in my veins

pg. 69

Oh, a child I am before you

I am the melting ice chocolate under your lips let me melt and die there in heaven, I will swear it‘s my choice

Have you seen her? my ember opium of madness is hidden in the sea shores of quantum sands

Oh, many seek her

Hear my plea feel my pains peel no further my skin change this excruciating to rippling happiness

I stand lonely waiting like a bride waiting for her groom and now that you are here! let's shut the door against mockery standbys.

pg. 70

DON’T BE LATE Membis Okorie Chukwukamma

A bee can‘t make a cup of honey

So, I want you right here, right now

Come let‘s fill up all of our emotion

And bring down the stars we cherish

I‘m cold, come burn down my snow

Please, come right now before I perish

Don‘t be late, don‘t be late, my dear

Come on, baby, come in your gear

Come right here, I‘m waiting for you

Don‘t be late, come in a second or few

I have nicely perfumed the bedroom

Come perceive the enticing fragrance

It‘s lonely right here, I‘m waiting for you

Don‘t be late like the refreshing dew

I need your arms right in my arms

And your lips trapped by my lips,

pg. 71

I need you right here, close to me, Close enough till I hear your breath I need those fingers all over my skin Your head on my chest and shoulder I need your romance not innocence I need my hands all over your body And your back right against my bed

Don‘t be late, it‘s almost midnight Don‘t be late, kiss me before I faint Hug me before I go to bed tonight So, if it be my last it would be blissful

Oh! My love, I‘m calling like I‘m dying Please, tell me you are on the way coming

Don‘t be late, just knock on my door I‘ve got the keys long waiting for you

Don‘t be late, come right here, now! Don‘t let this feeling fade into time

No excuses, let‘s have a perfect time Don‘t be late, please don‘t be late

It‘s right on my neck, I‘ve got just you Do trigger my sensation once again

Don‘t be late, come right here, my dear Come be with me till I‘m lost in sleep pg. 72

LOVE CONNECTION Billie Dee Smith Pirela

A wise man once told me that if you can't forget someone, it's because your journey with such a person hasn‘t reached its full potential. I never fully comprehended his logic until the day your ray of sunshine took the dark cloud hanging over me, and replaced it with the most beautiful rainbow one‘s eyes could ever encounter. Even with the beauty you brought me, I have never revealed the truth that lived in my heart for you.

Some would say it was due to my insecurities. But I'd like to say that it was due to my uncertainty that I could give you the love you deserve. I knew in my soul that an Angel of your magnitude should receive ALL that you deserve not some.

I always knew I wanted YOU to be the one to show me what love TRULY is. But unfortunately, I was always unsure if my love could fulfill all the needs that I knew you desire in a woman. I spent countless hours daydreaming of you, wishing I had the courage to stand before you and let you know that I'm not a perfect woman; but that I would daily strive to be the woman with whom you never can picture yourself without. I can't tell you the countless hours you've consumed my every thought, wondering what it would feel like to rest easily in your embrace. Even the thoughts of what it would feel like to have your lips touch my most intimate places cause me indescribable chills.

I've done everything I can possibly think of to replace these constant thoughts of you. Yet, nothing subsides them. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that I need to step to the edge and reveal the truth to you. Even if the price is you telling me you don't share the same emotions I've been secretly holding for you.

So, here I stand before you, asking if you'd be willing to open up to me and give me the opportunity to show you the love I hold for you and you alone. I can't promise you anything besides this love for you that pulses with every beat of my heart.

I'll do everything possible in my power to be the woman that you are forever proud of. NEVER will I forsake you.

So, tell me; what do you say? Can we make a love connection?

pg. 73

I AM A TRADITIONAL SAINT Okoroafor Onyekachi

I am a traditional saint

I do not love, neither do I hate

I am a traditional holy man

I do not love evil, neither do I hate good things

Chukwu Okike Abiama is my God

I do not worship idle and anything made by man

They called me a traditional saint

Because I do not kill neither do I envy

Because jealousy is not in my blood

I read my holy way of life through signs

I do not know how to read and write

But I am a living Saint

I am a traditional Saint

Call me that if you wish

But do not make mockery of this holy title

I am a Saint, speaking against injustice and hatred

I am a traditional Saint

You know me, though I don't know you too well

You have that grace in you to be a Saint too

Speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but it

pg. 74

I am a traditional saint

I believe in one supreme Chukwu Okike

Maker of heaven and earth

I believe in freedom and peace

Justice and transparency

All this make me a traditional saint.

pg. 75

NOTE TO YOU Arepo Savior Blessing

―If only for a moment

I could swoop you away,

I'd plan an entire night

Easing the stress of the day.

Fresh cut roses in a vase

And candle lit dinner

My mind races with thoughts and you're a winner.

Delve into this ecstasy

For my love's not a mirage

After your lovely dinner

I'd give you a massage.

Take the load off your feet

And let my fingers flow

Let's just sail away

To wherever this may go.

I want to see you chill

And clear out your head

pg. 76

Relaxing with no worries

As the best lies ahead.

With a cluster of grapes

And a bottle of red wine

A hint of soft music

For you to unwind.

Releasing your tension

I like to see you smiling and the layers of fun

Are just now compiling.

A late walk on the beach

Unforgettable memories on sand

I'd be your noble servant

Every wish at your command

If you need to get away

Come spend an evening with me

Our actions would write a book of the greatest love story...‖

pg. 77

SONG FOR IZEUMA Pius Romans Chukwudi

delight I feel no more the pricking and piercing of the arrogant arrow forlornness darts at me you're the sunbeam in my midnight the why of my smile-rise only the rhapsodies from your heart quenches my aching soul oh, floodlight! illumining felicity and calm in my flesh's darkroom let your radiant smiles wash me with hyssop from worries we are a conjunction of tangible dreams held by love's alluring beams for a snail cannot walk without its shell for a tree with no branch cannot bear fruits together let's rise like smoke from mama's hearth and besiege our fears for bettering times

pg. 78

GORGEOUSLY FLY Raphael Adedoke

You are gorgeously fly

Your elegance is incomparable

Your aroma is perceived by all

You are a perfect creature of the most High

The envy of all species

That smile on your face is contagious

Looking at you makes smiles craw all over faces

I see right through your gazelle eyes

I adore your nature and mortal physique

Your silky soft hair depicts your class

A class of beauty and elegance

You are GORGEOUSLY FLY

That is what you are.

pg. 79

LOVE ABYSS Jay Njirimanh

Sent from above with elixir of love

Glistening my fragile heart with your smile

Pierce my heart with sweet serenade

Hypnotize my mind with infinite feelings

Make me chuckle like an infant free from the sins of this world

Gaze into my eyes, drive me through fantasy

Propel me to a world I've never been

Paint the contours on my stomach with prints of love

Excite my mimosa heart with your tender touch

Let my tongue caress your body

Like the water cruising on the sea bed rock

As I unfold the sweet bud between your honey pot

My hands switch lanes on your hillock

Our bodies clogged together like bird's feathers in winter

Whilst the sweet bud pours the honey

Leaving us lost in the endless love abyss.

pg. 80

OLD SCHOOL LOVE Raphael Adedoke

Back in the days we loved like no other Our love was purely undiluted and unshakable We overlooked each other‘s flaws and forgave unconditionally We shared all we had together And would go out of our comfort to shoulder ourselves

We are always glued together like lovebirds in their nests We wooed each other like nightingales sing to a canary We spent quality time to play memorable games together Our love is renewed daily like a snake that sheds its skin

Our love is the old school love, we loved passionately I took her out to the local restaurants to eat Amala and Ewedu soup She took me out to the market place on adventures To see how women bond together as they buy and sell foodstuffs Yes, our love is old school but we loved it like that

We sneaked out from the back door of our houses at night To meet one another Deep in the woods was our love paradise Where we expressed our profound love for each other

We were always content with what we had Happiness and peace of mind was our priceless possession Our love may be old school to you but back then it was good. Old school love was what we did Wish it is practiced by this new world too

pg. 81

I SAW GOD CRY Raphael Adedoke

Sitting on His majestic throne

With cherubim and seraphim surrounding him

He looked beneath the earth and beheld the injustice,

Rave and crave for power.

Valiant and vile men with pumped up biceps and triceps

Bullying and torturing the feeble nerves and bones

I saw God cry

The heavens and the earth skipped and flipped

The thunder and lightning flashed in split seconds

God peeped from the skies silver lining

He beheld the devious devices men manufactured

And the evil they schemed

The clouds converged and sucked in the atmosphere‘s vapour

And unleashes them on the earth

Like a flood to flush and cleanse earth‘s filth

The angels sounded loud the trumpets in response to God‘s thunderous tears

The whole world trembled in tremor, knowing they have erred

I saw God cry

pg. 82

ADAUGO Kingdom Nta

Where do I go if the sun in your rosy eyes does not pay homage to my virgin muse?

I have told tears to wait

I have ordered the rain to hold on

I have spoken to the searing sun to go to the west to rest

You are the song

I have learnt to sing the one that invokes freedom to the boats that capsized in emotional captivity you are laughter the daughter of an eagle with wings proficient in unravelling the hidden stars from the moon‘s vegetation

pg. 83

I want to be the only onye ije armed with the password to your elegant elastic tube where life is refreshed, routed, molded, nurtured and birthed who gives a squirrel palm fruit that has not been roasted in fire? where have you seen fire cross a stream to kill a toad?

Little wonder why I nicknamed you Ndidi for if love is a sickness patience remains the remedy

Today, I remember Kambili who once gave me life but abandoned me in an eclipse when I needed her most, forgetting that no matter the height of the eagle in the sky, it will always come down to look for food

Adaugo, it matters not the species of brooms you have seen let me be the new broom

pg. 84

that will sweep all debris from the corridors of your soul for if the sun claims superiority over the moon let it shine at night for eyes to see!

onye ije - traveller

pg. 85

OYI Kingdom Nta

Oyi,

I was searching for the brightest of sapphires when the awesomeness of your physique almost took my breath away like a fish at the mercy of an irresistible bait

I gave in

on your visage looms a page that tells tales of priests who burnt heavenly incense but ended up earthly incensed by the template that leads to your temple

your buxom accessories harbours a cage that swallows every rage and tells why age is nothing, but a string of protruding numbers on stage

pg. 86

your tits processed in bits spill the antidote that quenches the potency of the Pandora‘s box

Oyi,

I have forgotten not the spark that erupted on the first day while savouring the morning dew that escaped from your lips travelling down your hips it was the scene of a huge straw retracting from a gourd of palm wine after rounds of intensive deposit

Oyi, the rainbow colours of our love is even it is trapped in a wind of strangeness the unusual eighth colour is an unknown bride whose blue skies are devoid of wrinkles

it is the egg of a memory that bleeds before slipping

pg. 87

it is the architect of a love poem with a laughable flashback

it is like a straying kite that found rest only to long for a home

Oyi, a man that has tasted the sun, the moon, the stars would someday crave for the sky

true love is not the fire that burns it is the heap of ashes that gather at sunset

Oyi, tomorrow chokes in a pipe smoke forever might never be ours the same bird that flies in the sky abandons it at the generosity of the rain.

pg. 88

THE BEST MATE Ernest Enoh Eyong

Dearest, if I were the one who arranged the alphabet,

I would have put ―you‖ and ―I‖ together

Your luscious lips are the horizon where the sun rises and your tender arms bespeaks of paradise.

Your presence is the glamour which turns the dust of my life into a golden haze.

Those white eyes fill my soul with felicity and palpitates my heart when they stare into the windows of my soul.

Stars, I saw while in the middle of a French kiss and spelt a secret message with the tip of my tongue against yours and the prostituting wind with trembling lips invited me to a feast of romance in the corridor of your heart.

I fell in love with you the way you fall asleep, slowly, then all at once.

Your smiles outstretched my heart

pg. 89

and reminded me of a tale of lovers under the crescent moonlit night giggling under the mango tree.

You're made of decency with a heart so decorum that drips little by little purging passions pure until I'm drowned in unadulterated emotions while we loved fleshes at opposite doors.

I saw life a saddened longing cloak in a happy garment at the end

Now I believe in true love as we shared pains and gathered pleasure

Your body is a star in the galaxy and I'll forever worship your ostentatious figure.

I love you till the sun grows cold and the moon grows old.

pg. 90

BORN TO LOVE YOU Ernest Enoh Eyong

When the fatigued clouds in celerity, walk against the sky's refrain, and in fastidious frowns, wails, and her voice quakes the earth tumultuously like broken cymbals, know that I was born to die if your kiss I lose.

When the night embraces the weary day and hearts torn forcefully apart from bosoms, to the downpour of bitter tears, ejaculated from proliferated eyes, know then that your lips are meant for mine and I will die if given elsewhere.

When you allow distance to drown our love, killing it in the process and understanding becomes infrequent and arduous, know then that your love for me is weaved in dwindling baskets of oblivion and this digs artistic graves for me.

pg. 91

LOVING YOU IS DIVINE Aghadaghebalu Clement Ese

Moving away from you is never my wish; I could set all those portraits ablaze And throw those physical things that keep pushing me back from you away.

But those memories of you Are things I cannot delete.

I wish I could fumigate my heart Or format you from my heart To cleanse anything attached So, I could be free from your love, Yet I see no reason to live without you.

You're my only addiction And your language of love is my diction. Many perceive our love to be a fiction And I know it‘s beyond their imagination. This is heaven‘s arranged fusion.

Your bride price I will pay, I pray death never take us apart. For you, I will meet all it will take To make your majesty more populous than Bombay. Our bond will never decay.

pg. 92

COLD NIGHT Aghadaghebalu Clement Ese and Cynthia Gentile

The walls of my room have refused to grant me access

Into her chamber.

I am here frozen,

My blanket is like a rag soaked on water.

Take me to your safe home, darling,

Provide me a warm nest in your arms,

Let me hide under your shadow,

Wrap your arms around me, and let this cold varnish.

Sweetness...

Hurry leave come here into the warmth of my Castle

Remove your clothes let my servants bathe you in soothing bath

pg. 93

Come to my bed refresh my sheets with your glorious deliciousness

Spoon with me gathering greatest blessings of heat ever experienced

We turn to each other the universe is aglow our love set ablaze...

Yes! Come here.

pg. 94

REFLECTIONS Frank Ebom.

My love,

This poem is not an affectation, but a deep expression of my affection.

Each time I think of you,

I am more convinced to remain with you.

In a time when love is material, my love is the truest of true.

Hold it not to ruin!

I have boldly inscribed your name on my heart, the memory of you dominate my heart.

And though we are far apart, in my memory, you will never be out of sight.

Love thrives on trust; I am open to you in total truth.

Your love thrills my heart, your love fulfils my dream.

To my arms, you belong. To your charms I am a fool.

My love is the pen and your heart my book.

Just like twins, let us pair, and here when problems draw near, away we sail somewhere.

pg. 95

You make me dream; you are my gleam.

When trouble looms and I am struggling your face shines like the moon and I am laughing.

In this feeling I am interested.

For this love, I have invested.

I love you desperately and for your glow, my heart will bloom.

To infinity and beyond, may your beauty recur.

pg. 96

IN THE CLOSETS OF YOUR EYES Elisha Kichime Philibus

In the closets of your eyes

There I see

The treasured rubies of your

Untainted confines;

Where no rust-lure affinity

Taints her unblemished purity

Of the heavenly vows

We had both sworn to tender.

Hail I bow

The secrecy of your oath

In this submissive sacrifice

That Cupid himself had to bow.

For on bended knees

I am out of my closet

To my heart‘s ablution of the vow

Which no Eve dares rob.

Come and be rewarded

Oh, you selfless servant

Of a soul‘s servitude

To sing some sonorous souls to my soul...

pg. 97

As we consummate this fusion

Before the eyes

Of Cupid's envy

That is there to be seen.

pg. 98

WHEN I'M YOUR THOUGHTS Mr. Nate

With a snail walk I creep in

And Encrypt your soul like an App Deciphered only by a latent code

Occupy acres in your heart like the zest of stars With feeble twinkles on alert

Even if the tower of Babel falls again like droplets of rain before your face, Still, Its agony would hold no weight Just because I'm safe

Moments drive by with the speed of light But My scenes in your head catwalks like a model in her show time

Like the ageless bond Between enzymes and saliva, Our emotions commune, Transcending time; Even with neither bread nor wine

pg. 99

To the eyes of the world,

With invisible crayons,

You colour my Black White

Like the effortless cling of the sun to the sky

Our minds stay glued

With a reckless grip beyond heights

The hands of the clock never walk swift

But always regresses like water ripples on shift

No stone is buried with a blind eye

As even a grain of sand

Carves a mark

Only the smoke the world exhales

Paints the lungs black

Even when I own an ashtray

The venoms I spit echoes as mild serenade of sweet lullabies Tickling your cold spines to giggle in bliss

And Painting you a portrait of an island of ecstasy As your mind dines on the visualized table of perceived fantasy

In your desert of thoughts I stand as the living Oasis pg. 100

Irrigating every arid spot

Dark hollows in my world

Appear as reservoirs that spit out crude gold

Sketching out flawless portraits out of my flawed frame

Just when I‘m your thoughts.

pg. 101

I SHALL WAIT FOR YOU Aamir Abdullah

When the sun will dissolve into a tear drop

And the stars melt

Into lustrous droplets

When an emptiness will be thrown towards the skies

From the hollow hearts

To fill the vacuums

When I shall succeed

To put the fire out

Ablaze into my head

I shall wait for you to appear

From the dust of my blood

After my flesh be fully consumed

And my spirit be breathed

Into your statuesque body

Will you be the extension of my existence?

I shall wait for you to occur

With your entirety

Beyond me, within my being.

pg. 102

I THINK OF YOU Aamir Abdullah

Cover the distance

Inch by inch

From one breath to another

Move with each beat of your heart

If you want to touch the molten core

Within the fire of my tears

Come on, don't rush

Drink the fizz, sip by sip

Can a sparrow‘s beak

Hold the universe in its entirety?

But grain by grain

She can shift the moons

My heart is the land of lost suns

You can cross the wild roars

Face the chaos

To come to embrace me

If you learn the art to ride the wings of breeze

And fly into a mesmeric trance

Even, when I spin

Beyond the cosmic clock

And a black hole

pg. 103

Attracts my dust

To its endless labyrinth

I think of you

As you think of me

Sitting by the fire

Ignited by your roasted heart

pg. 104

QUICKIE Martin Ijir

Squeeze this honey on my lips as the sun sets and the moon raises my torso and muscle in this play this dinner date breaks the hymen like glasses

I stare at her as a drunken moon portrait

I found you as one to share a sunset with as the tongue rolled, it ends the long traffic into smoothie of milked crazy night

I crawled in between your breast, deep inside you this quickie heals my soul

pg. 105

OUR LOVE - EVER TRUE Salman Fawaz Adewale

Your love soaks in the depth of my heart

Ever since the journey of this love start

You're the perfect one that gives me the best

In the abode of my heart, your love will forever rest.

O my Love! You are my only world

The very masterpiece of the Mighty Lord

Love is kind, let's take its nectar for living

In our union, love should be the giving.

In my world of love, you and I, I see

What a splendid story our love forever will be!

We alone own this passionate treasure

For our love is beyond any measure.

The wonders of this love become the symphony you sing

Whenever you say, ―darling, you're my King‖

Nothing can beat the heat of this passion

In the map of love, we together fashion.

pg. 106

A DROP OF LOVE IS THE HOPE WE NEED Kingdom Inyang

Our love is a snake

And a shadow alike

It changes its skin

To shine in the noon

Our love is raped

And the blood is spilled

For the dawn is gone

And the night is born

―I love you too‖

Litters our mouths

And mayhem like flu

Reviles our earth

Our epic is lost

And locusts have infested our neglected moonlight seats

Where the wit-heads of Ukana kingdom had always sat to tell tales

To fragile arms and budded breasts

Tales about Ikom and Iman

The two lovebirds

Folklores about ethos and myths

Virtue and value

pg. 107

Now the moonlight is on Wasting away For no rhythm is drummed For Iyamma, the drunk, to sway

Our throbbing waists to skillful drumming Have gone wild and uneasy to tame Muscled arms have grown fierce Killing for free

It‘s a pity that Akpan is butchered Like Udo‘s game for show For he had lend his echo against the slaughtered Widow

Who will stop this spree of blood? For our palm wine is mixed with red By bibbers dressed in suits With tongues coat with salts

Who will do us mama‘s love? Herself not in it Love tender like dove Her sweat all in it Oh! Our fight is dust Our struggle is rust Shred your swords Let‘s balm our worlds

pg. 108

And save our necks

From stinging pecks

Of titans‘ bees

A drop of love is the hope we need

To end this shit.

pg. 109

DO YOU KNOW? Bijoy Bhakat

Do you know?

Do you perceive?

Do you observe?

Do you realise?

What do you mean to me?

What do you mean to my heartbeat?

What do you mean to my life?

What do you mean to my breath?

If you don‘t know

Then

Try to see

And try to notice.

What does the night mean to the moon?

What does the rain mean to the monsoon?

What does the heartbeat mean to the heart?

What does the culture mean to the art?

What does the wave mean to the sea?

What does the flower mean to the bee?

pg. 110

What does the star mean to the sky?

What does the colour mean to the butterfly?

What does the blood mean to the veins?

What does the path mean to the lane?

What does the snow mean to the mountain?

What does the waterfall mean to the fountain?

What does the Summer mean to the dove?

What does the life mean to your love?

Only then can you feel

Only then can you sense

Without you I get puzzled

Without you I get perplexed

Without you, my life is nothing

Without you, my life is in mess.

pg. 111

LOVE Benedixio's Diaries

I am the same sweet thing

That hurt you thrice before,

I again call

For your fragile soul.

I am the same unexplainable feeling

That sweet tingling sensation

That cracked your tender lips

With a beam of a smile

And sent your beautiful eyes

Into blushing for a while

I am that glow of a fire

That passionately inflamed

Your desire

To freely dive

And give in to wonders

Of wondrous wonder world

I am that sweetened elixir

You greedily kissed

With a guzzle

With deep celerity

That left you happily squiffed

All through the night

pg. 112

Sober up, moon eyed See it‘s me Your very old pal That colourfully blossomed And gracefully dwelled In the cores of your heart Before it became canker

It‘s the same old me that made your heart brimful Of peace and undying joy, Remember it was I you embraced that moment When the chirping birds And the whistling winds Played our faithful claque

Oh, dear love Taste me once more For it was I that magically tore Through your stubbornness And made you believe There was a golden pot At every rainbow‘s feet

Oh, dear love Please, recapture the beautiful views It was I that by far Shone brighter than starry, Finer than a cluster of stars.

pg. 113

DEAR MARY! Chi Go Kie.

Dear Mary,

Greetings from a heart now owned by pain

I think more; I have migraine

How was your night, hope it was tranquil?

Couldn't sleep, thoughts of you were many

Our magic was killed. Why? I don't know

Today I pick my courage to pen this dirge

Our love was heading for marriage

Until it hit traffic; held in labyrinth

Our feet had moved on myriad steps

Dear Mary,

We were so in love we didn't heed warning

Our hearts were in flame, burning

I blame thee not, my words were weak

Your heart was open and I couldn't haggle

My vision blurry, yours teary as we failed Cupid

Days gone when we acted stupid on street paths

We cuddle and made others jealous

Dear Mary,

I am sorry I couldn't fulfil destiny

My heart is under scrutiny

Once lovebirds, now enemies pg. 114

It's now clear, the emotions were all mirth

We built our love into Greek mythology

I am ashamed to face the audience,

For the atmosphere announces thy absence

How do you breathe; how do you rest?

Betrayal is losing your trust!

Dear Mary,

Can I ever find another?

I sit in tears and ponder

Your beauty still lingers

Your magic wand was your charm

I still can't come to terms

You are no longer mine to cherish

I wish you luck in your studies of love

Bleed not for me, please stay steady

When you are done studying, I'll be ready

That's if you are still free

pg. 115

ZULIKARATU Kamarudeen

You are benign like the Blue Nile

That it once seemed impossible to leave

You are one of whom a look is not enough

And a million aperitifs breed a million hunger

You turn a man‘s feet to mahogany

They grow roots far dug

You turn a man's eyes to antennas

They search for you blinking red and green, like tallies for signals

And in a man‘s heart you breed riots

Only you can quell but will never do

For at your every plea the riot becomes a full-scale mother of war

Nay! No oil can fuel a furnace than your voice, a longing

And your breath a self-submission

At your beckon, men become automatons

Ready to jump the Rubicon

And pitch their tent at waterless Waterloo

Forgetting that life is not a one-way traffic

Leading only to you.

pg. 116

PROMISE Kamarudeen

I will be your iron mail When the arrows of life strike Like showers of rain

I will be your canopy In the heat of the noon And your camel bounding On the waterless desert dunes

Tressing the thorny cacti Aiming their venom At your gemstone skin

I will be your rudders Your lifebuoy In the tempest of life

You will see me Before and behind Like benevolent air

Whenever you want me Whenever you need me Especially when callous fate Blow those tricks No one knows how to parry

pg. 117

I will catch them

On my hard-baked skin

I will become a saint for you

Professing love

Which all vagaries of life

Cannot burn out.

pg. 118

I MISS YOU Sullivan De Poet

I miss your heaven in this place,

I miss your raindrops in my forest too,

I miss the traces of your kiss on my face

And all I do now is to sit here in a cushion of solitude and coo.

I miss your oceans and waterfall,

I miss the aura of your disturbance.

Now I feel empty in a crowded hall,

With each of my step turning me around, in an irregular turbulence.

I miss your scent and your smell,

I miss your voice and the beautiful echoes of your laughter.

I can't deny wanting to see my phone beep at the arrival of your mail,

Because I miss you here always and hereafter.

I miss playing with you in the creek of your cuddles,

I miss lying next to you.

My bed now seems larger than before the birth of these hurdles.

My night now rocks the sorrowful opera with every of me craving to see you.

I miss you!

I miss all we use to do.

I want you!

I want to repeat those days we had and all we use to do.

pg. 119

YOU AND ME Bijoy Bhakat

We are one

We are the same

Two souls with two names.

But

Actually

Me and you

You and me

Are like the river

And the sea

Me and you

You and me

Are like the flower

And the bee

Me and you

You and me

Are like the nest

And the tree

pg. 120

Me and you

You and me

Are like life

And destiny

Me and you

You and me

Are like the star

And the blue canopy

pg. 121

REGRETS Bijoy Bhakat

When you were there with me

That time I was not with you

Now I want to get you back

When you are out of view

When you were there with me

That time I was not with you

Now I look for you every moment

Like the dawn looks for the dew

When you were there with me

That time I was not with you

Now I would like to review my relation

I would like to renew

When you were there with me

That time I was not with you

Now I would like to fall;

To fall flat in love with you

When you were there with me

That time I was not with you

Now I would like to be with you again

I would like to be with you anew

pg. 122

IMMUTABLE Bijoy Bhakat

It seems

Difficult and tiresome

Hard and troublesome

To convey

To state

To express

To narrate

My feelings

My emotions

My love

My passion

For her

And

For getting

For sensing

For perceiving

For realizing

pg. 123

Her care

Her attention

Her warmth

Her devotion

Her touch

Her attachment

Her approach

Her adjustment

pg. 124

TOGETHER Bijoy Bhakat

Living together

Going together

Walking together

Moving together

Like the river and the sea

Like the flower and the bee

Like the pen and the page

Like the life and the age

pg. 125

LET YOUR EYES SPEAK Bijoy Bhakat

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Throughout the decade and years

Months and weeks

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Let it fix with my eyes

Let it fix, let it fix

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Let it not seek my permission

Let it not seek, let it not seek

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Let it make me weak

Make me weak, make me weak

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Let your love click in my heart

Let your love click

pg. 126

Let your eyes speak, dear

Let your eyes speak

Let my heart get a flick

Get a flick, get a flick

pg. 127

AS I GIVE Bijoy Bhakat

I have given my heart

I have given my soul

You have become my destiny

You have become my goal

That‘s why I can

Feel and realize

Sense and visualize

Ascertain and perceive

Notice and conceive

Your love

Your dream

Your desire

Your thinking

Your whisper

Your call

Your rise

Your fall

pg. 128

Your cry

Your laughter

Your page

Your chapter

Like the moon feels the night

Like the lamp feels the light

The tide feels the river

The sky feels the star

Without uttering anything

Silently and mutely

Wordlessly and voicelessly

pg. 129

FRIENDSHIP Bijoy Bhakat

I believe in friendship

I believe in friends

As friendship lasts long

Family lasts till the end.

I believe in friendship

I believe in friends

Because friendship is a blessing

It is god-send

I believe in friendship

I believe in friends

As without friendship life becomes dull

Without friendship beauty of life gets absent

I believe in friendship

I believe in friends

As friendship is like the sun ray

Which goes straight and never gets bend

I believe in friendship

I believe in friends

As during the crisis friends extend help

And lend helping hands

pg. 130

ADMIRATION Bijoy Bhakat

I would like to announce I would like to say I would like to tell I would like to convey

That

She is my destiny She is my bet I can wait for her lifelong I can wait, I can wait

She is my life She is my goal She comes to my mind every time She comes to my soul

She is my rainbow She is my rain Her pleasure is my pleasure Her pain is my pain

She is my South, North East and West. She is not good, not better But the best, but very the best

pg. 131

She is my first love

She is my last

I keep flying in her sky

Which is wise, which is vast

pg. 132

BE THERE WITH ME Bijoy Bhakat

Be there with me

Be there, be there

Where nobody will be to share my pain

To share, to share

Be there with me

Be there, be there

Where nobody will be to care for me

To care, to care

Be there with me

Be there, be there

Where nobody will be to stare at me

To stare, to stare

Be there with me

Be there, be there

Where nobody will be to bear with me

To bear, to bear

Be there with me

Be there, be there

Where nobody will be to pair up me

To pair, to pair

pg. 133

WE NEED Bijoy Bhakat

We need nature

We need oceans

We need rivers

We need Spring

We need Summer

We need birds

We need flowers

We need East

We need West

We need caves

We need nests

We need young

We need old

We need heat

We need cold

We need him

We need her

We need clouds

We need stars

pg. 134

We need friends

We need neighbours

We need brothers

We need sisters

We need Winter

We need rain

We need peacock

We need peahen

We need tree

We need air

We need devotion

We need care

We need day

We need night

We need brightness

We need light

We need peace

We need love

We need mist

We need dove

pg. 135

THE MAIN POINT Bijoy Bhakat

The main factor The main point

Which is

Sufficient And Important

That

I love you I like you

That‘s why

I need you I cry for you I want you I try for you

Every time Every moment Every little while Every second

pg. 136

The star cries for the night

The lamp cries for the light

The dew cries for the dawn

The grass cries for the lawn

The heart cries for love

The nest cries for the dove

Incessantly and permanently

Unceasingly and continually

pg. 137

INQUIRIES Bijoy Bhakat

My heart always

Asks and searches

Inquires and researches

About her

About her charm

About her beauty

About her warmth

How can I say?

What is she?

How is she?

Where is she?

Why is she?

How can I explain?

How can I express?

She is special

She is different

She is exquisite

She is elegant

pg. 138

She is unique She is priceless She is invaluable She is matchless

She is ride She is moon She is butterfly She is cocoon

Which

Not only

I feel I realize I understand I visualize

But

My heartbeat My soul My lips My mole

My breath My pulse My heart And its broken walls

pg. 139

REMEMBRANCE Bijoy Bhakat

Papa,

Twenty-one years ago, on this day

You left forever, you left

Remembering you, I wept day and night

I wept, wept and wept

Twenty-one years ago, on this day

You left forever, you left

The golden memories of love and affection

You have kept for me, you have kept

Twenty-one years ago, on this day

You left forever, you left

With the passing of times

Your memories have neither been faded nor swept

Twenty-one years ago, on this day

You left forever, you left

As you were the ocean of love for me

I could not measure your fathomless depth

Joy and pleasure

Hope and desire

pg. 140

Whatever you gave me

That can never be robbed

The sun will set everyday

But you will never, you will never

You will shine in my sky

Forever, forever

I pay my homage and respect to you

I pay, I pay

I need your blessings, need your guidance

And

Please show me the way, show me the way

pg. 141

WHAT LOVE IS Bijoy Bhakat

Love is unparalleled

Love is unique

Love is always strong

Love can never be weak

Love can never be matched

Love can never be scratched

Love can never be bought

Love can never be caught

Love can never be fun

Love can never be undone

Love can never be stopped

Love can never be robbed

Love can never be touched

Love can only be watched

Love can never be dented

Love can only be painted

pg. 142

Love can only be felt

With love, love can be dealt

Love can only be compared with love

Love can only be shared with love

pg. 143

TAKE ME THERE Bijoy Bhakat

Oh, my dear Take me away from here Over there Where there is no violence No war No jealousy For grabbing of power

No caste No creed No hatred No greed

No noise No furor No clash No uproar

Take me there

Where

There is laughter There is smile There is Amazon There is Nile

pg. 144

There is sun

There is moon

There is Winter

There is Monsoon

There is love

There is harmony

There is peace

There is symphony

pg. 145

OUR LIKENESS Bijoy Bhakat

Your world

May be different

From

My world

My horizon

My territory

My region

My empire

My kingdom

My wish

My wisdom

But still

There is some attachment

There is some connection

There is some relation

Between

pg. 146

You and me

Your desire and my desire

Your universe and my universe

Your hemisphere and my hemisphere

From

The ancient time

Not from the yesteryear

Being away from you

Being far, being far

You may call it love

May call it passion

May call it illusion

May call it delusion

But

It was there

It is there

And it will be there

For long

Forever

It will never die

Never, never

pg. 147

REQUESTS Bijoy Bhakat

Let the heart seek, love

Let the heart seek

Let the eyes speak, dear

Let the eyes speak

Let the heart go for amity

Let the heart go

Like the cloud go for rain

And the rainbow

Let the soul long for peace

Let the soul long

Let me sing the song of unity

Let me sing the song

Let the eyes look for dream

Let the eyes look

Let me thoroughly read your mind

Like the poetry book

pg. 148

SENSUAL CONFESSION Bijoy Bhakat

You are special

You are one

You are unique

Like none

You are twilight

You are moon

Are like the first shower

Of the Monsoon

That‘s why

If anything

Stimulates me

Or actuates me

Excites me

Or incites me

Compels me

Or impels me

It‘s you

pg. 149

Your love

Your passion

Your feelings

Your emotions

Your touch

Your care

Your smile

Your tear

Your defeat

Your win

Your every single thing

pg. 150

HUMANITY Bijoy Bhakat

Humanity is my caste

Humanity is my creed

Humanity is my necessity

Humanity is my need

Humanity is my religion

Humanity is my race

Humanity is my foundation

Humanity is my base

Humanity is my faith

Humanity is my conviction

Humanity is my trust

Humanity is my notion

Humanity is my freedom

Humanity is my dream

Humanity is my horizon

Humanity is my wing

Humanity is my love

Humanity is my symphony

Humanity is my heartbeat

Humanity is my destiny

pg. 151

Humanity is my prayer

Humanity is my worship

Humanity is my amity

Humanity is my friendship

Humanity is my caste

Humanity is my creed

In my heart, oh dear

I sow its seed

pg. 152

BITTER TRUTH Bijoy Bhakat

Oh, my sweet heart Oh, my bosom friend Oh, my dear Please, listen to me Please, hear

As long as life will be there There will be ups and downs There will be rise and fall There will be pleasure and pain Whether you like it or not

There will be smile and tear There will be courage and fear There will be entry and exit There will be wisdom and wit

So, Don‘t be afraid Don‘t get upset Be joyful Be delightful.

Just face it Just accept it

pg. 153

Calmly and coolly

Happily and fully

pg. 154

EXPOSITION Bijoy Bhakat

She is unique

She is one

There is none

Just like her

She is here

She is there

She is everywhere

She stays

She lives

She remains

She exists

In my heart

In my soul

In my song

My rock and roll

In my love

In my passion

In my feelings

In emotions

pg. 155

In my rise

In my fall

In my thinking

One and all

In the day

At night

In the shadow

In light

Like the bird is in the nest

Like the setting sun is in the West

Like the nectar is in the flower

Like the wave is in the river

Like the rainbow is in the sky

Like beauty is with the butterfly

pg. 156

DESIRES Bijoy Bhakat

I love to flow with the river

I love to flow with the sea

I love to play with the butterfly

I love to play with the bee

I wish to sing with the Spring

I wish to sing with the Summer

I wish to dance with the Autumn

I wish to dance with the Winter

I want to hug the beautiful dawn

I want to hug the bright noon

I want to embrace the floating cloud

I want to embrace the dazzling moon

I like to worship the rising sun

I like to worship the evening star

I like to worship the rainforest

I like to worship the Mother Nature

pg. 157

UNSEEN Bijoy Bhakat

Oh, dear!

It is hard To believe and realise To understand and visualise That You are not Here or there Or anywhere

Be it on this earth In the sphere In this globe In this hemisphere

Nowhere Not anywhere

Now you are there Only in my dream In my thinking

In my verse In my prose Like the fragrance In the rose

pg. 158

Totally unseen

Totally invisible

Unnoticed

And unseeable

pg. 159

HERE Bijoy Bhakat

Oh, dear! Though you are not with me At the moment

You are here You are very much here

In my prose In my dream In my verse In my thinking

Throughout the night Throughout the day In my horizon In my bay

In my smile In my tear In my courage In my fear

In my good days In my worst In my memories In my past

pg. 160

In the yesteryear

In the olden time

In the golden time

In the light

With the shadow

In the desert

In the meadow

Wholly and solely

Totally and fully

pg. 161

LET’S SAVE Bijoy Bhakat

Let‘s save the rainforest

Let‘s save the earth

It‘s more meaningful

It‘s more than worthy

Let‘s save the sky

And let‘s save the moon

They are our blessings

They are boons, they are boons

Let‘s save the flower

And let‘s save the mist

For them we survive

For them we exist

Let‘s save the fountains

And let‘s save the river

As they are our best friends

Forever, forever

pg. 162

ALLOW THE BIRDS Bijoy Bhakat

Allow the birds

To spread, widen,

Open and broaden

Their wings in the infinite sky

Which is blue and bright

Shining with sunlight

They need to glide and fly

High, high and high

Their passion and emotion

Their destiny and destination

Their hearts and souls

Their target and goal

Are nothing but sky

Only to fly

Fly, fly and fly

pg. 163

LOVE ME MORE Bijoy Bhakat

Love me more

You are my heart

You are my core

Love me more

Like the waves

Love the shore

Love me more

I adore you

You adore, you adore

Love me more

Like the couple

Love the dancefloor

Hold me tight

Hold me more

Like the sky holds the stars

Plenty and galore

pg. 164

Shake me more

Like the earthquake

Shakes the door

Love me more

Whatever is stored in your mind

Whatever is stored, whatever is stored

pg. 165

EMBRACE LIFE Bijoy Bhakat

As life is

Matchless and peerless

Rare and beyond compare

Incomparable and inimitable

So,

Accept it as it is

Hug it and kiss it

Don‘t let it go

Don‘t miss it

Impress it

Embrace it

Fight for it

Face it

All the time

Every second

Continuously

And every moment

pg. 166

MY DESIRE Bijoy Bhakat

I don‘t like anything I don‘t desire anything I don‘t want anything I don‘t aspire for anything

Other than the presence of your joy And your peace

The fulfilment of your will And your wish

The glow on your face The freedom in your life

As long as you live As long as you survive

And anytime And every time You become happy You become fine

Like the flower Like the spring Like the seagull And its wing

pg. 167

Like the rainbow

Like the sky

Like the bee

And the butterfly

pg. 168

2020 Bijoy Bhakat

2020 is a new decade

2020 is a new year

2020 is not for violence

2020 is not for war

2020 is not for bloodbath

2020 is not for massacre

2020 is for peace

2020 is for harmony

2020 is for love

2020 is for symphony

2020 is for mankind

2020 is for humanity

2020 is for trust

2020 is for honesty

2020 is for amity

2020 is for friendship

2020 is for unity

2020 is for fellowship

pg. 169

2020 is for greetings

2020 is for admire

2020 is for new hope

2020 is for desire

2020 is a new decade

2020 is a new year

pg. 170

CHARGES Bijoy Bhakat

As it‘s our planet

As it‘s our nature

As it‘s our guide

As it‘s our teacher

It‘s our duty

To save the earth

To save nature

To clean the environment

To clean the atmosphere

Let‘s not go for the war

Let‘s go for the peace

Let‘s not go for the violence

Let‘s go for the bliss

Let‘s not go for the bloodbath

Let‘s go for the harmony

Let‘s not go for the destruction

Let‘s go for the symphony

pg. 171

Let‘s not go for the bloodshed

Let‘s go for humanity

Let‘s not go for the devastation

Let‘s go for the serenity

pg. 172

PRAY FOR AUSTRALIA Bijoy Bhakat

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

As it burns

Billions of animals have been killed

Thousands of people are missing

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

As it burns

It‘s a time of sorrow

It‘s a time for mourning

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

As it burns

As the joy is missing there

Happiness is missing

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

As it burns

The wildfire has engulfed the wildlife

And has engulfed the Winter and Spring

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

As it burns

The bushfire has created havoc

Which nobody has ever seen

pg. 173

Oh God, at this time of crisis

We need your blessing

Pray for Australia, pray for Australia

pg. 174

SONG OF LOVE Bijoy Bhakat

We sing the song of love, dear

Not the song of war

As we are united for peace and harmony

Not for the violence and disaster

We sing the song of love, dear

Not the song of war

We always go for the clean environment

And for the Mother Nature

We sing the song of love, dear

Not the song of war

We show support for the non-living things

And for the living creatures

We sing the song of love, dear

Not the song of war

We are in favour of amity and honesty

Not in favour of anything unfair

We sing the song of love, dear

Not the song of war

We always look for the vibrant Spring

For the bees and the flowers

pg. 175

NARRATION Bijoy Bhakat

Let me narrate Through my song Through my hymn Through my verse Through my rhyme

That I have fallen in love With you With your smile With your approach With your style

With your beauty With your fragrance With your simplicity With your presence

Like the snow falls in love with the fountain Like the cloud falls in love with the mountain

Like the dew falls in love with the night Like the moon falls in love with the light

Like the heart falls in love with the soul Like the lips fall in love with the mole

pg. 176

Slowly and gradually

Intensely and deeply

pg. 177

MAGIC OF LIFE Bijoy Bhakat

Don‘t miss the enjoyment of the magic of life It‘s a benediction It‘s a blessing; it‘s a bliss

The enjoyment of the magic of life Is like honey Like wine Like nectar Like cloud nine

Enjoy anything Enjoy everything

Enjoy every second Enjoy every moment

Enjoy every breathe Enjoy the heartbeat

Enjoy the cosmos Enjoy the earth Enjoy the galaxies Enjoy the universe

pg. 178

Enjoy the rise of life

And its fall

All the promises

Big and small

The success of the life

And the failure

Its attraction

Charm and allure

The magic of life

The magic of love

The serenity of the noon

And the warmth of the dove

pg. 179

SOLUTION AND ANSWER Bijoy Bhakat

Violence is not the solution

Violence is not the answer

War is not the solution

War is not the answer

Bloodbath is not the solution

Bloodbath is not the answer

Rather

Love is the solution

Love is the answer

Peace is the solution

Its reach is too far

Harmony is the solution

Harmony is the answer

Friendship is the solution

Friendship is the answer

pg. 180

Mankind is the solution

Mankind is the answer

Humanity is the solution

Humanity is the answer

As its reach is enormous

Its reach is too far

pg. 181

INSEPARABLE Bijoy Bhakat

You and me

Me and you

Are special and unique

Not even like few

You and me

Are indivisible

And ineliminable

Like the flower and the fragrance

Like the arteries and the veins

Like the wave and the river

Like the moon and the star

Like the tide and the sea

Like honey and the bee

Like the pleasure and the sorrow

Like today and tomorrow

Like the lips and the mole

Like the heart and the soul

pg. 182

Like the day and the light

Like darkness and the night

Life love and faith

Like life and death

pg. 183

LIFE Bijoy Bhakat

Life is nothing But a journey A cruise A voyage A drive

So, enjoy it Complete it Experience it Relish it

Hug it Kiss it Greet it Wish it

Love it Embrace it Like it Decorate it

Grab it Clasp it Hold it Grasp it

pg. 184

Don‘t waste it

Don‘t let it go

Show your respect

Bow, bow, bow

Till the last breath

Till the end

As life is your buddy

It is your best friend

pg. 185

ONE DAY Bijoy Bhakat

One day

I would like to win you

Get you

Catch you

Net you

Sing with you

Meet with you

Dance with you

Sit with you

Whisper with you

And share with you

My pleasure and plight

Day and night

Love and passion

Attachment and emotion

Smile and tear

Courage and fear

Like the sun shares the light with the moon

The cloud shares the rain with the Monsoon

pg. 186

Love shares the pain with the heart

Nature shares the beauty with the Mother Earth

pg. 187

LIFE Bijoy Bhakat

Life chalks out its own plan

Not minding whether you want or not

Life is a bet, life is a challenge

Life is a treasure hunt

Life chalks out its own plan

Not minding whether you want or not

It performs its own trick

It performs its own stunt

Life chalks out its own plan

Not minding whether you want or not

Sometimes it smiles, sometimes it whispers

Sometimes it grunts

pg. 188

OH, MOTHER NATURE! Bijoy Bhakat

Oh, Nature! Oh, Mother Nature!

We love you We like you

Accept our respect and homage Our adulation and praise

Our love and admiration Regard and commendation

As you have given us everything Everything means everything And what we say, we mean

Without you, oh Mother It would not have been possible For us to survive and live To stay and exist On this earth Which is not only elegant and beautiful Exquisite and delightful

But also, charming and awesome Pretty and winsome

pg. 189

TIME Bijoy Bhakat

TIME can neither be purchased Nor be sold So, don‘t try to mold TIME Don‘t try to mold

Don‘t try to fold anything Don‘t try to fold TIME will unfold everything TIME will unfold

The verdict of the TIME One must endorse One must uphold

Be firm Be bold Hold the breath Hold, hold

Exert one-fold Exert two-fold Exert three-fold Exert four-fold

pg. 190

Beat the heat

Beat the cold

Win the silver

Win the gold

pg. 191

WELCOME 2020 Bijoy Bhakat

Welcome, 2020 Welcome, oh New Year Accept our homage Accept our prayer

Welcome, 2020 Welcome, oh New Year Please take care of the Mother Earth Take care of the Nature

Please be there with us In our ups and downs Rise and fall Please, let us hear Your clarion call

Be there with us in the day And the in night In the dark And in the light

We pledge We promise We undertake We wish

pg. 192

To live together

With love and peace

With joy and bliss

With friendship and harmony

With hymn and symphony

pg. 193

GOODBYE 2019 Bijoy Bhakat

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Two-thousand and nineteen

I was there for you all along

You were there for mine

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Two-thousand and nineteen

Every time you will be there

In my thinking

You will be there in my artery

In my vein, in my poetry

In my pen

In my heart, in my heartbeat

In my pulse, in my breath

As long as I am here

I shall live, I shall exist

I shall survive

You were there with me

In my rise, in my fall

In my hymn, in my carol

pg. 194

Every moment

And every time

With my life

With my lifeline

Like the fragrance with the flower

Like the minutes with the hour

Like the pleasure with the pain

Like the rainbow with the rain

pg. 195

ADMIRATION Bijoy Bhakat

I love anything I love everything

I like anything I like everything

Under the sun Under the sky The heart of the rainbow The wings of the butterfly

The glow of the moon The tide of the river The lightning of the cloud The light of the star

The softness of the grass The hue of the dew The beauty of the horizon And its view

The silence of the night The greens of the forest The whisper of the fountain The warmth of the nest

pg. 196

NOT HERE Bijoy Bhakat

I don‘t know the reason

I can‘t explain

Why are you not with me?

Why are you not, my love?

Though river, sea and mountain

Flower, bee and fountain are here

You are not

Everything is here

Everything is there

But you are missing here

You are missing here

You are not here

Spring, winter, summer

Moon, sky and star

Cloud, rain and forest

Bird, butterfly and nest

pg. 197

Everything exists

Everything subsists

But you are absent here

You are absent, dear

You are not here

pg. 198

REGARDLESS Bijoy Bhakat

My heart

Senses and feels

Your love

Your passion

Your attachment

Your emotion

Every time

Everywhere

Going far

And coming near

Not taking into account

Whether you

Love me or like me

Know me or realise me

Leave me or take me

Accept me or reject me

Totally or partially

Half or fully

False or truly

Apparently or honestly

pg. 199

LIFELY ADMONITION Bijoy Bhakat

Life is not an event

An occurrence

An episode

An experience

Life is divine and destiny

Concinnity and symphony

A saga and a lore

A myth and a folklore

So, make it worthwhile and meaningful

Soulful and graceful

Like the bright sunshine

Like the endless sky

Like the lively spring

Like the colourful butterfly

Like the snowy mountain

Like the blue sea

Like the wide horizon

Like the honeybee

pg. 200

Like the youthful tide

Like the Milky Way

Like the dancing waterfall

Like the matchless bay

pg. 201

MY STANCE Bijoy Bhakat