DIGGING UP THE DREAMS

The sky was a wearied shepherd in the cave of gloom
The black thunderclouds were recalcitrant elephants
Raging furiously on the monumental mountain range
Protesting over the rumoured imminent resurrection
Of the conquering glory of the redeeming sharp sun rays

Lightning hurled the fragile time bomb across the sky
A crash, a bang and a roar crippled the lanky landlords
The mortally wounded walls groaned, cursed and crashed
Over the sharp floods that devoured the vast landmarks
Like famished dogs feasting on delicious thighbones

The downtrodden brooks roared like seven thunders
The numerical murmur of the galloping snowy waterfalls
Enriched the harmonious heartbeat of the kettle drum
The wailing waves were tired troops of travailing timbers
Herded hysterically towards the monolingual sawmill

The victorious sunrays are potent poets’ prime pen pals
Digging up the golden dreams buried in the cold rooms
Within the footfalls on the foot mats under the foot stools
The global altar smells of the genius’ refreshing midnight oil
The balmy eternal tempo of the watchful creative heart beats

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BELITTLE NOT THE LETTUCE

Belittle, belittle, belittle
Belittle not the water lettuce
Sitting upon her liquid throne
For fishes both great and small
Submit to her maritime authority

Belittle, belittle, belittle
Belittle not the lambs’ lettuce
Bleating in the massive garden
In her sparklingly enduring glory
Men, birds and butterflies rejoice

Belittle, belittle, belittle
Belittle not the sea lettuce
Standing on the roaring sea
From his aquatic power pack
The roaring sea recharges his organs

Belittle, belittle, belittle
Belittle not the lettuce bird
Humming in your fruits garden
Nutrients from abroad he imports
To impregnate your nutritious meal

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A WALK ALONG BADAGRY BEACH

The blazing sun was a double edged sword
Commissioned to counter the bloody waves
Loosed upon the genetically peaceful beach
Like a sheep amidst hunger wounded wolves

Coconut trees waving their fair handkerchiefs
Danced rhythmically to ease the high tension
Occasioned by the provocative bloody waves
Inflicting deep injuries on the peaceful beach

Numberless diplomatically enriched tourists
Committed their nationalities to mother earth
And in one accord subdued the tidal waves
With resounding commitment to global peace

The fruitful coconut trees laid weaved eggs
Like balls of rainfall descending from the sky
Maidens in green, white and green garments
Hatched the nuts into neatly dappled baskets

Eloquent historical sites succumbed to sight
The teary sites of historically immortal pains
The pains encapsulated in internal groaning
The roaring groaning of transtraded Africans

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THE WINDY LAUNDRESS

The clouds were heaps in laundry baskets
Wheeled along by a windy laundry woman
Her fury found expression in hand motions
Forced the waves into quicker ocean liners

Villagers in paper hats and peppery hearts
Like perishable ants are the perils of giants
Taproots bowed in compulsory submission
Rested their thick aerial wigs on the floods

The clouds like the ordained celestial choir
Rendered richly deafening acetic numbers
And wildest thundering brass and cymbals
Kept the frogs singing naked on the floors

The sharp floods excavated granny graves
To read the grandest genealogical memoir
With skulls dumped on the community hall
The laundry woman wheeled off comically.

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(c) Adeola Ikuomola