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NGOZI OLIVIA OSUOHA - POEMS

3/3/2019

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​NGOZI OLIVIA OSUOHA is a Nigerian poet/writer/thinker. A graduate of Estate Management with experience in Banking and Broadcasting. She has published over one hundred poems/articles in over ten countries. Her first two longest poems of 355 and 560 verses titled THE TRANSFORMATION TRAIN and LETTER TO MY UNBORN published in Kenya and Canada respectively are available on Amazon. She has also featured in over ten international anthologies/books/blogs. She is a passionate African ink.

​EIGHTEEN YEARS WITHOUT YOU

Elegant, tall and fair
Shapely, beautiful with hair,
Firm modest breasts
Moderate, succulent nest,
You were a seer, a prophetess.

Granny, you were our nanny
Farming was your passion,
You taught us planting and weeding
Got Mum to eat 'akpu'
Dad, you could not
Always prepared it for us,
Always picked 'okwe' for us
Always washed our clothes at 'iyi akwa'
Always fetched firewood,
You made miracles each noon
Before we returned from school,
You are incredibly unforgettable.

You were strong and young
Sound, like the gong,
Soft and proverbial
Loving and factual
Death blew it all.

Your 'first day' in hospital
The next day in the mortuary,
From Uzoma to Uzonna
The story ended in tragedy.

We miss you dearly
Like 'Nwakwa' and 'Ihuoma'
Your two little girls,
The aunts we never had:
The tributes we could not write.

Your one and only family
Ajuonuma, Grace, Uche, Mezie, Cham, Ngozi, Nkem and Ugoo.

Humbly Submitted:
THE PREAMBLE IN MEMORY OF LATE JENNY UKACHI OSUOHA, DIED ON (21/01/2000)

​YOU AND ME

​You and me
In this dry wilderness,
Dark and lonely
We would find love.

You and me
In this valley of hurt,
Thirsty and hungry
We would find love.

You and me
In this high mountain
Fearful and dreadful,
We would find love.

You and me
In this world of hate
Radical with race
Magical with face,
Tropical with pace,
Typical with ace
We would find love:
Upon our homeward way.

You and me
Breaking hell to tell
The story of our escape,
To a cruel world
Yes, we would find love
Just you and me.

PETALS OF LOVE

​Beautiful and fresh
Green and lively,
Scented ornaments
Fragrance of love,
You grow and grow
You blossom and blossom,
You boom beyond imaginations
You create unique awareness
And cherish your lover
As he does too,
When you are tampered
When you are pampered
When you are shattered
When you are tattered,
You still love
You regenerate and yield your increase,
I love you, dear petals
Because you never give up.

​LOVE GARDEN

​Come, follow me
Come, join me,
Come, give me your hand
Let me lead you.

Come, never say never
Follow me to the hills
And below the valleys,
Let me show you fountains
Fountains of love and peace.

Come, let me take you to the Riverside
You will see the oceans and streams,
There, there is cool and calm
Where serenity is vision,
Follow me to the love garden,
Let me spoil you more than you can take.

​IF YOU ARE NOT RICH

​If you are not rich
Nobody recognises you,
You would remain behind
And in the dark.

If you are not rich
Your talents waste on the street,
They may make you a vagabond
And a notorious pond,
If you are not rich
No one supports you.

If you are not rich
No titles for you,
In the church, in the society
They can only use you
Abuse, and misuse you too.

If you are not rich
You are a nonentity
If you are not rich
You do not have a choice,
Neither do you have a voice.

If you are not rich
No matter your intelligence
They can only tap and drink you,
Like palm wine, fresh and raw
When they are done tapping
They cut you down from the root.

​THE WINGS OF MONEY

​The wings of money
They spread length and width,
Breadth, height and depth.

The wings of money
They fly up and down,
Left, right and center.

The wings of money,
They fly beyond borders
They reach heaven and hell.

The wings of money
They connect all the corners,
The living, the dead and the unborn.

The wings of money
They wake the dead
And prolong the dying,
They fly the living.
And welcome the unborn.

The wings of money
The antennas of sense
The tentacles of space,
The oracles of gesture
The pinnacles of protection
The miracles of future
The spectacles of vision
The obstacles of objection.

The wings of money
Flying nooks and crannies
Buying books for nannies
Paying cooks for grannies.

The wings of money
The gods must be crazy
Because the rich also cry
Even if no one but you.

​THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

​There is a destiny that suffers
For another to linger,
There is a voice that echoes
For the other to be a singer.

There is a sacrifice to be made
For someone to be the head,
There is a fight to be lost
For the unborn to avoid a cost.

There is a game to be played
For victory to be assured,
There is a fame to be attained
For history to be featured.

There is a mirror to be broken
For a speaker to be loud,
There is an error to be corrected
For the people to be proud.

There is a choice to be picked
For the vision to be clearer,
There is a prayer to be answered
For tomorrow to be brighter.

The truth of the matter is:
What is written is written.

​MELODY

​There is a body
In all we study
But when we are moody
We sell the ruby.

The rose is for love
But the move
And the one who drove
Can chase the dove.

So let the melody
Be of rhapsody
For the muddy
Not to get our buddy.

​HARMONY

​The same money
That buys honey
Buys the donkey
That carries the monkey.

The bunch of plantain
Growing in the mountain
Can maintain
The plain
Of our fountain.

Let there be harmony
In our matrimony
For the world to have a melody.

Sing with me this song
Song of redemption,
Of melody and harmony.

​MY ANGEL

​You are so kind
And down to death,
You are so tolerant
And fair to me,
O my angel
I want to be like you
Please help me dear,
Let me grow more and more
And be an angel too,
Just like you.

​I AM

​I am that bird
That flies in the air
Spreading her wings
To perch on your window.

I am that dream
That wakes you at night
Making you to pray
For another day.

I am that rain
That falls on your roof
Keeping you cool
To sleep well at night.

I am that soothing breeze
That makes you sneeze,
For you to remember my kiss
And the peace I bring you.

I am that your love
The love that loves you real
To teach you real love.

​HERE FOR YOU

​My fragile heart is for you
And my pure love for you,
My peaceful heart searches
And my lovely soul yearns.

Lo, I am here
Whispering to your ears
Lo, I wait
Wondering if you care.

My poor frame is strong
And my beautiful mind prays
Lo, I am here
Wandering not to stray.

Dear love, my heart is real
Sweetheart, I am here for you
Would you let me in?
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