A servant's plea

I’m a cup. Earthly desires
stain me like the liquored lips of a drunk,
like a man in the hold of his mistress.
I’ve the breath of a lost one–
no place amongst the clean cups
meant for a king.

See me as your goblet
adorned with fine gold.
Pour in the sweat of your heart.
Let it overflow and reflect
your will.This is how I want to be:
principled and with wisdom.

I’m a cup. Of no strength can I boast.
Don’t let the enemy drink from me.
Enough of his venom that eats my inner ending.
Don’t let him shape me for his own,
so I will forget you, my Maker.

By Uzoma Okoroafor (Nigeria)

picture source: http://85degrees.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/a-handmaids-plea/

Letter to my love

Dear the one who inherited my soul

I am writing this letter standing before a crowd
expressing from a heart that has no bottom what my love is about
hoping you would place that smile that you've always shared when I’m around
a smile better than that of Monalisa
that makes me fly off to everywhere without a visa

Though I wonder how long it will take them to get the long and short
of how long it’s been my heart longing to be next to you
how with every single beat my heart beats for you



But long as it’s before long before they get along
I will bear with this distance though it’s long
continue to go down on my knees every dawn 
pleading with time not to take too long
in order to stop plunging far deep in the mist of loneliness

I have seen millions of all kinds
never did I come across one of your kind
indeed you were extremely hard to find
though I had always seen you in my mind

It was like you were playing hide and seek
it was you every time I fell sick, lovesick
how I wished one day I could hold you tide and squeeze
I know it sounds cliche but it’s true “Birds of the same feathers flock together”
now that we are together
I want to give you the truth of how much I can love you better
Jesus will show you the way, for I to walk you through thick and thin
I’ll be there to give you everything

I will treasure your spirit and your heart most 
for they serve as fundamental definition of our growth
no-matter the distance
our souls will never forget to wake-up every sunrise 
from the heart-warming bed-sheets of the heavens to intimately connect

I’ll not keep you close to my heart but closed in my heart
you will not run in my mind yet you will run my mind
if you ever find yourself homeless then leave me with a curse
because in the coldest hours of the night I vow to be your mansion
to be there to rescue you in every situation
I am bound to make pillows long for your tears
to give you joy every time and comprehend your fears
in my life you are always wanted, like you have committed crime
when I find you, I’ll laugh with you like I will never see you in a life time
then love you so well when God still honored me with time 

'Cause I am bound to keep your heart fortified
to be certain that you always satisfied
I am only here to kiss away your pains
to keep blood running in your veins

I’d rather kill out of will, than to see you drop tears
If you do, then I want to be locked up in jail for life
I’d rather be broke than see you with a broken heart
If it breaks, then I want to be buried alive
I do not only wanna make you my bride but my loyal wife
I do not only wanna make everything right but also you future bright
If I don’t, then I pray to god to forfeit my life

Because every day
I wanna wake with a smile 
right beside you on your right 
just to encourage you to live alright 
but discourage not leave my sight.

By Sello Alpheus Chokoe (South Africa)

picture source: tumblr.com

For the love of engineering, poetry and you..

If I could differentiate my feelings
I would come up with an equation to the
Highest order
The function of my happiness is your love
You are my polynomial function
In this mathematical love

When I hold you close
Feeling your warmth coming to me
I experience the thermodynamic rush
As heat transfer between us
Pulls our hearts close
Like the strength of a magnetic field
Only this time the units are not teslas
The unit is love

I will integrate joy with respect to love
Limits from now 'til I die
I want to be the equation
With real roots

My love for you endures strain
It has a modulus of elasticity I cannot tell
But for all I know
Subject it to torsion
Forces that try and pull me away from you
I will stand the test of time


You are the centre of my love,
Much like the centre of mass,
You make me have stability

I'm attracted to you
As a magnet to a metal
Its just something I have no control over
I just love you
With all there is of me.


By Pardon Gwara (Zimbabwe)

picture source: http://www.jamesloveless.com

Letter to the object of my affection...

Dear Lover,
You might not know this,
But we are in love.
You are mine,and mine only.
In my own little world.
In my bedroom that I have adorned,
with pictures of you and memorabilia.
All in your name.
A shrine,
dedicated to you,the love of my life.

Dear Lover,
You might not know this,
But you are married to me.
Out of love I did you this favour:
Bought this sixty carat gold ring,
Centered with a sapphire diamond,
And on your behalf:
Proposed to myself.And I said yes!
I placed it on my finger,
And boy did it look stunning on me.
You extravagant boy!
How dare you spoil me so!

Dear Lover,
You might not know this,
But you made passionate love to me.
Yes.Yes You did.
On our wedding night and on the floor.
It was on a monsoon night.
Sheer pleasure and delight.
Love making guided by candlelight
Till the cock's hen was cackling at dawn.
Your menthol-fragrant lips,
Tasted like waters from God's own valley.
And all of you plunged deep in me,
I felt numb and more in love.

Dear Lover,
You might not know this,
But I'll be pregnant and with child.
It will be your breed I'll brood
And the most beautiful of all.
These child-bearing hips,
await the conception and arrival,
Of bouncing babies I'll make you,
Of the progeny that will bring us joy,
And blessings and happiness.
They'll have their father's good looks,
Great health,brains and brawn too!

Dear Lover,
You might not know this,
But you're mine for the keeping forever.
In my grasp and in my heart.
Where we can never grow apart.
You are mine dear lover yes you are!

By Alex Nyasha Dube (Zimbabwe)

picture source: http://www.facebook.com/AfroFutures/photos_stream

Why the Anarchy...

• 
  For my life I fear
  As my eyes fill with tears
  My hostels gassed
  Coz I want lowered gas
  
  When calmly I speak
  It just feels weak
  Driven to suffer pain
  By the riding Father with the reins
  
  I stand back
  And foresee plenty of lack
  Who will survive this, I wonder
  And oft I'm left to ponder
  
  Already, many have nothing to eat
  Out there wallowing in poverty
  It's not enough to sit and meet
  While stuff goes wrong in society
  
  Harsh, is the life of the vast majority
  Plush, is your present abode
  Whence, you worsen their present reality
  This horse, that to your victory you rode
  
  What shepherd searches the best spot
  To hide himself from the cold
  Leaving his sheep in the bitter rain
  Leaving them out in rough terrain
  
  Of bleating about the bush we tire
  For its all we ever do
  So we set the bush on fire
  So he knows we're in trouble too
  
  There goes my present dream
  Hehehe... remitted to the future 
  By today's society's cream
  It would be funny if it wasn't torture
  
  Things always on the increase
  What happened to the promise of the decrease?
  Why this jibber-jabber, Convolution 
  When you promised us revolution?
  
  Nay,
  Simz you've lost your way
  Hey,
  You need a reminder today
  Sigh,
  What hopes you've crushed
  My,
  All that initial joy dashed
  
  Damn
  The new broom sweeps just like its predecessor 
  Leaving behind the same old dirt
  The new wineskin is a gong'a 
  Copiously leaking out to our regret
  
  All in all
  There is much left to do
  Hope you've been reminded to do your job
  Now we can return to ours too.
  
   
  
  By Mweemba Mupelwa Sichilima (Zambia)
  
  #Thoughts on Black Friday, an NGO Student body(ies) Campaign against a decision by govt to remove subsidies on key commodities in the country.
  
  

A Cognitive Triad...

• 
  If this were ever to be our last stroll,
  then I would prefer it to be taken in the sun
  so the corrosive hands of time will not wash it
  
  Then when we take a painful look at the skies,
  shall we be reminded of the prints of love
  
  If this were ever to be my last stare at life,
  I would want to smell again that perfume
  that hugged your body
  and sing Nunc Dimittis ( in italics) that I met you
  
  If i ever get to heaven before you,
  I will etch your name on a stone,
  hoping the Lord picks it for a star
  Then when it shines bright in the sunless skies,
  know that
  I will be watching over you
  
  
  By Kwabena Agyare (Ghana)
  
  
  Photo sources: Afrofuture

Your Untold Story.

• 
  

  Leaves have withered away
  for harmattan
  and the sun is hot coals
  in your heart
  as you walk the path of shadows
  and the unknown.
  
  I have seen your eagle
  wings
  from afar
  and so long a time I have
  wondered
  who you are.
  
  I sense you are one who
  grows with the winds
  and tell stories of
  thin weak strings.
  
  I sense your fears too.
  They overflow as rivers,
  they tell of your gallantry,
  they tell your untold story.
  
  By Benedicta Ewurama Akyere Saah (Ghana)
  
  
  Photosource- Afrofutures