Olalekan Joseph Ajayi
Olalekan Joseph Ajayi Poems
My ink had dried up and my feather caked
But her voice bade me …write!
They named me after a dreamer
...
Your desires may be as strong as
The angry flood of the Niger
And your wealth as high as
The mountains of the Mambilla Plateau
...
My hands on her bosom
And eyes on the virgin statue
She made me swear
...
Beginning between sunrise and sunset
Let our old hearts again embrace peace
And odium cease from our eyeballs
Let us invite the spirits to bear us witness
...
You may call me the son of a slave
Because my forebears
Bore a Whiteman's name
But I know who I am
...
What father brought forth these little ones
Daily fending off dogs and flies as they
Cheerfully rummage waste from our yard?
...
(For Frank Uche Mowah)
Here lies he that untied our chords
Called home one November
...
Tears that mine eyes will not shed
Rain perpetually in my heart
And guilt, like the sun
Rises and sets daily within me
...
Staring at her on the couch
Her face illumed by the moon
I stand in awe of the Craftsman
Who made my virgin bride
...
Before the burning flares
We knew no boundaries
Now you erect barriers
Ours are hymns of peace
...
A thin flesh over sockets…
Lion-hearted soldier ants
Invoked the Lord of the wild
...
Knocks of crystals upon rusty pans
Snakes flurry through craggy scapes
Ungerminated seeds disentombed
Twisted hoses direct our blood-sweat
...
The kernel is split
Kola drowns the voice
Stifled limbs on drums
We do no' but spit
...
Where set night does wed
And insects chirp freedom songs
Amidst the glory of constellation;
Where February winds
...
We drifted like automatons
Towards chants of Aluta Continua
In the August drizzle
Like warriors in search of war
...
Long before strangers burrowed our earth
To suck out precious black liquid
And drowned the fishes in our waters
Our rivers were flooded with fishermen
...
In vain the clouds converge
And sweat beneath our skins remain
Buried tubers denied water
Verdant beings age and rivers die
...
The mango tree stands on our land
Shedding luscious fruits that
Belie the reign of hunger
And tears of waste that water the land
...
Tonight I enter the forest of words
The moon a lamp unto my naive feet
Like the prophets of old I bear no sword
Just calabash of ink and famished sheet
...
Olalekan Joseph Ajayi Biography
Olalekan Joseph Ajayi discovered his talents during his days at the then Edo State University (now Ambrose Alli University) , Ekpoma, Nigeria, under the tutelage of a certain Frank Uche Mowah (1954-1998) and a host of other dedicated lecturers. In those days of military rule in Nigeria, Mowah inspired Ajayi and his peers in the Honours Class of 1997 to search their literary souls for their own voices. He motivated Ajayi, and his contemporaries to defamiliarize language and preserve the beauty that the Masters of the Art had carved for poetry and indeed literature. At various times during his undergraduate days, Ajayi served as President, Poetry Club and Editor of the Enibokun literary journal. His poems and short stories have appeared in publications such as Enibokun journal, Ivie journal, The Observer and an anthology of poetry entitled Awakening the Troubadours edited by Taye Anavhe. The themes of his poems are diverse. He draws his inspiration from the world around him but admits the works of Pablo Neruda, Garcia Marquez and Olu Oguibe have influenced him a great deal. Based on the evident anger in his works at the time, his colleagues fondly called him Meshuggenah the Poet. Ajayi holds a Masters degree in International History and Diplomacy from the University of Benin and is an alumnus of the New York Film Academy, New York, where he studied scriptwriting. He has practised as a journalist and was the News Editor as well as a columnist with The Nigerian Observer. Olalekan Joseph Ajayi currently works for the Federal Government of Nigeria as a Researcher and Speech Writer. He believes in God and is married to Osasumwen Christabel Ajayi. Together, they are blessed with a daughter and a set of male twins.)
The Best Poem Of Olalekan Joseph Ajayi
Destiny
My ink had dried up and my feather caked
But her voice bade me …write!
They named me after a dreamer
The dreamer who foretold the future
Yet I knew not what awaited me in the land of Unity
The Fates blew me towards the Rock
The Rock harboured by the King and his men
Last season, I met Destiny…
My teacher instructed me to guide Destiny
Now Destiny has taken over my dreams
A Dreamer, all I see is Destiny
Yet, with my tongue I draw water from her eyes
I long to suck from her and to be part of her
Alas! The child in me unveils itself
I haven't known many maidens
A few only have seen my pride
I have fallen for Destiny
Destiny has my secrets in her heart
The secrets of the Prince
I long to possess Destiny
That our loins may fraternize
Destiny is my Muse
I have rediscovered my voice
The word flows in me:
I desire Destiny!
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4/18/2024 9:09:24 AM # 1.0.0.1119
