Message from a Painting - Oluwatosin Olabode

Oluwatosin Olabode is a Speaker, blogger and writer. Simplicity and Humility are his core values. He's a Christian,  an idealist, a futurist and considers himself a shy guy. Oluwatosi Olabode was one of the five lucky winners of the 'A date with poetry' competition.

Message from a Painting 

I thought I was thinking
Then I realized
My feelings weren't what I was feeling
Because I felt the thought
Didn't think I could feel
The expression I had seen.

She was a painting- stable...
The things she said in her silence
Were beyond the understanding of words spoken
The gentleness on her face was speaking
Yes, talking to me

‘Understand the hurt
And the pain I face
When people can't look
Beyond my face
And see the true me'.
Only when you look deeper
Deeper indeed
Will the expression be understood

I saw pains
As she looks at me
It was explained
In the gentleness of her face
In the silence of her lips

It was more like she wanted to say more
But the words could not come together
The expression on her face said so
In that simple but complex moment

It was like this
Exactly as she said it:
‘Wait... don't tell me
I'm almost here...
The words are about to come out'

The honesty of her spirit
The purity of her spirit
Could be seen at that very first glance
But she was just a painting
So she needed me to talk

Her point being
‘Don't just stare at me,
Understand me'

Untitled By Rachel Msendoo Kaase

Msendoo Rachel Kaase is a young writer from Benue state. She was one of the five lucky winners of the 'A date with poetry' competition.

I grew up slow, she grew up way too fast.
She got the Queen Amina role to play,
And I had enough “Yes my Queen” statements to say.
I tried not being jealous,
Putting my mind on being academically zealous.

She wore make-up and dated guys who did regular press ups.
I had of these none,
I secretly knew I was going to turn up a nun,
But this didn't come to pass
I watch myself turn into a simple, ordinary lass,
While she was a belle dinning with the Upper Class.

I was at her bedside after the operation
I don’t want to call it abortion,
Well I just did, she uprooted the seed.
For some days she was depressed
I wanted her to stay that way but nah after days,
She had her depression suppressed.

Back to her carefree life she went,
Soon she returned home again with a gent
She called him her Heaven-sent.
It was no wonder when they exchanged marriage vows
Sweetly said and received loud “wows!”
Off to Spain they traveled, sending pics to me to marvel.

I soon became an aunt.
This triggered my husband hunt, I returned hurt.
And she was there in my state, I was wondering what she was doing here
Her hands clasped on mine,
Her eyes looked into mine,
And her eyes said to mine, “in this entire world, there is no heart for me like thine.”

The day I would have lost my mother - Jennifer Dafwat.

Note: To download the audio recording of this poem delivered beautifully by the magnificent Jennifer Dafwat... http://picosong.com/2saR

The day I would have lost my mother
Began as all others
Unseeming, uneventful
Except for those prayers whispered
For all I know
For those I love
All so naive about the rest water the day held
But on all it poured
Extinguishing lives
Drenching wills,
softening hearts
Hardening others
This ode too long to tell

The feeling hit me
Like spikes to the heart
As life from blood flowed
Epitomes of costly arrays
Flayed off carcasses
Off beauties and tans
Making all so sweet
So revolting.

The day I would have
Had me saying I haven't
Thought of worn out spirits
Snatched all too soon
In moments faster than batting eyelids
Placed lids over pots we'll never drink off
Eyelids bat
Opening only to the nocturnal
Activities we of this flesh will for now
not partake in
Pain listless
A blankness in my head and heart
I know not what to call.

Days after
The carnage is still a lingering taste
on everything we touch
Everything we open ourselves to
Everywhere we set our feet for
Streets once alive with cat calls
Sellers wooing buyers
Buyers courting sellers
"Wanting to" buyers
Passing by
Biased or prejudiced
From it all
Sprang the pit fall
That pitched all
Against forces that take much…

Standing at this autumnal column
Looking at what lies ahead
Seeing more of what laid past
Brazen streets now ashen
Inactivity
Thoughts,
dead ghosts,
Now living the activities of this city center
Once a place of constant movements
Twice hit with fatal blows
Somewhere in my mind; I try to picture
If men and women
Will give to buying and
Selling of wares
On streets that are
Streets that were?

When I would have lost my mother

Happened one Monday
Somewhere between afternoon and mid-evening
Disrupting midday Pukam of the Mangus
Calling Ngas from her Forri
Jarawas from their Tere
Berom from plates of Gwote
Challa from mouth watery bubal
Tarok from enjoying Amora
As Plateau caved in
Making space for graves
That sounding of the afternoon gong
that tells of doom
Calling all
To a matter to dire
To wait
As we turned to the twist of fate
That called our loved ones to early beds
Beds hard and cold
The harsh reality of mortal beings.

A DATE WITH POETRY

A DATE WITH POETRY VOL 1

COMES UP THIS SATURDAY 7TH MARCH 2015

FEATURING:        Decipher-  JOGAMA award winning Poet

                         Anchorman- Runner up 2012 ALS National Poetry Slam 

                         Grandsun, Rudolph, Leon, DNA and all COAL Ambassadors. 

Also for the first time, four new poets who scale through COAL's online competition shares the stage with COAL Ambassadors.

MUSIC:           Seken

                          Gold 

                          Mfon

 

                   

VENUE: 

Vintage Art Gallery, Jos.

TIME: 3pm

TICKETS: FREE

BE ON TIME

COAL-   PRESERVING LITERATURE