GONE WITH THE WIND

Gone with the wind
Like it was but a dream
The struggles and the strain
The puzzles and the pain

Like a victim of mindtricks
It seems as if they never were
As frantic as a psychotic
Living in an imagined fear

But it all happened just like yesterday
Now not more than mere memories
All the troubled thoughts
The wearisome work
The bewildered mind
The tiring smile

Pains and gains are trapped in moments
'Tis but a little while they last
Appreciate the good; be patient with all that befalls you
For its period is decreed to lapse

FGC IK '05

The matter in my skull remains pregnant
Ladened with memories
Memories of those years gone past yet so significant
The yesteryears we all remember like we can still touch, feel and see

Gladly remembered with much nostalgia
Inspired by thy names and words
I broke my water
Shall I then not give birth to a few words?

For we were lads and lasses
Led most of our lives in our distinct classes
Our haven; our home
With our friends we sought solace and asylum

By no small measure
Brothers and sisters we became
And in leisure
Friends we remained

Inspection water in the jungle
I still remember
Seeking freedom from skippos
School bags became mobile lockers

What a bond we shared
A bond like no other
For our fates were sharpened by each other
By our dears and those we feared

Why should I leave our dining out
When with pure joy and gaiety we'd shout
'Mimi rere mi do' at the sound of the siren
With all roads leading to the dining?

Our impending separation only dawned on me
As we wrote our final exams
Slumbooks we'd fill
Hoping to keep our memories warm

Like divergent rays from a light-bulb
Hot and hurt as we separated
We spread across the world
I hope-in one way or the other-your path you've illuminated

shakir

From the Memoirs of an Intern:Dichotomy

My shadow darkens its red floors again
With a subtle smile; a deserved decor to my face
Time has passed but so little change
My head held up high;like a peacock's hanging in space

With a new pair of eyeglasses to see through
'tseems like living the same life but anew
The same castle, I keep walking through
Yet my world looks so different; so new

Of our erstwhile clamoured rights
Looking suprisingly wrong
Those acts we were so quick to justify
Fast precipitating out as inappropriate ones

But I grew up on this sugarcane field
So much stress; too much toil
With little or no compensatory yield
Our sweats flooded the soil

Has my skin been bleached to white?
A red whip in my hand for my fellow negro
Shall I take solace? Being cruel to be kind?
Or dare to be another Django?

WORDS

Words are cool
Words can soothe
Words can heal
Words can kill

Words have got
Many men their wives
Words have cost
Many men their lives

Words have driven the meek to war
Words have sheathed bloodthirsty swords
With words we teach
With words we preach

Of words
We continually learn
Of its fruits
We shall always earn

We ought to always make
Our every word kind
Consequences of what we say
We should always mind

Shakir

GARMENTS

From the first tasleem exchanged
To the qabuul-an end to being estranged
Lies the rewarding journey
Of how erstwhile strangers
Came to be more than bare buddies
A love tale
To be kept in your chest of light-hearted memories
Never to grow stale

For the other you've become as garments
To offer alluring adornment
With loving warmth and safety
A source of pride and beauty
Let the historians add to the annals of history
As the poets pen in their poetry
That you held hands today
What a momentous May.


 In honor of a dear friend (Pharm Ibrahim Adebayo) & his heartthrob as they tied the knot on 28th May, 2016.

Amor gignit amorem

From that first glance
That kindled a wish
And sent shivers down your spine
To the echoes of those two words
That fulfilled it
And has all gathered at an auspicious clime
Lies the labyrinthine quest
To win her heart; your treasure chest

Known to few
Are the dragons you slew
Known to some
Are the days you braved the storm
Known to more
Is you've become her knight in shining armor
And known to all
Is today you walk down the aisle with your love

To love and be loved
Comes with joy
To have and to hold
Calms the soul
Amor gignit amorem
When your heart falls victim
Of love's tender ploy
What would you have the poor thing do?

Shakir.
This piece is dedicated to a colleague and friend, a man of honor (Pharm Elvis Anyaibe) as he prepared to take a stroll down the aisle.