Where I come From

They say we are good people,
so friendly, lovely and accommodating,
yet their songs has deny us our senses,
that we fail to understand who we are.

They say our smiles flows with love
when they call us by name
or just passing through our clan that they prayed to become one of us.

They say we are great nation
with so many potentials, talent and resources,
yet poverty has become part of us,
that their song is somehow strange in our ears

Broken Enough

I hold no grudges
my hands are empty,
this smile is all i have left
but my tears is so hard to forget.

While you are busy writing down my faults,
my mind is celebrating my innocence,
beautiful tomorrow, lovely children, scent of abundance and unending laughters.
What more can i say,
your stunt won't change a thing,
I have been broken enough.

Copyright Abel Udoekene
(cuttings from where I come from, a poet diary)

My Life Is a Blessing

Some Lies they say may turn to be true, some whisper somehow could change a life, some people are light, yet don't shine, my life is a blessing, so let me be. Some people are praying for others to shine, some stories though real are out of this world, some people love just for nothing, my life is a blessing, so let me be. Sometimes, life maybe just so hard, sometimes things are not as expected, sometimes even in tears, we smile, my life is a blessing, so let me be. Copyright Abel Udoekene (cuttings from "everything will be fine...a poet diary, March 2013)

We Are good people

There is a difference between us and them, there is a story that link us to beauty, there is a reason we keep on shinning, we are who we are, we are good people. There is a life behind our good nature, there is a future that shines so bright, there is a person in every success story, we are who we are, we are good people. There is a hope so high above, there is a God that strengthen our weakness, there is a help we must not overlook, we are who we are, we are good people. copyright Abel Udoekene (cuttings from "EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE...a poet Diary, March 2013)

day after day

If I fail to live to your taste I'm just trying to follow my faith, to you, I am nothing but a child, so little, so blind. If I fail to follow your steps to me,there is nothing more to fake, I'm just trying to be me, I guess I have the right to be free. If you think I will be better being you you might as well think this too to me, there is no better word to say, than being me day after day.

what do they tell you about me?

I tried to explain my style, I sit up chatting and "gesting" I Walk up a few miles to radio my presence, everything is just fine my mind keep telling me, do you understand my slangs? what do they tell you about me? But my eyes is fix on my pen waiting for your answers, what is wrong with our people?

My Dear Nigeria

I wanted to write you a poem about our dreams, so that you could sing along as you grow older by the day. I wanted to post your greatness across our boundaries, so that people could appreciate your beauty and realise our values. I wanted to critise everything I could, thinking I Was not part of the blame, but as I start writing this letter, a voice from no where ask me this question " If no be Naija, where?

Explanations

If I could develop my own style and give it a name,
Or draw my lines just to suit my styles,
maybe you could liken me to be self centered,
just to fulfil your self ego.

If Love was only a word,
and we could say it without minding
the meaning, maybe the consequency will only be defined by us,
since we could twist the meaning to suit our own style.

If I was your only brother or your true friend,
and you love me just as you proclaim,
maybe by now, my voice will be on BBC, CNN or VOA.
Just to show the world that you have a brother like me.

Tell Goodluck

Some pains may never be forgotten
even when the wound is no longer fresh,
we pretend, We laugh, yet Joy is no where to be found.

Please tell Goodluck Jonathan,
if you see him passing through your window in his new private jet,
to subsidy his talks with actions,
to protect his pride with humility
and to zero his mind from hydrapology.

Tell him that,
Sometimes our basket cannot hold our tears though we cry,
Sometime we may be pregnant with tears, though we smile,
Sometimes our villages may be filled with broken promise, yet we hope.
But then, our hope may never be enough, though we believe.

Tell him softly as I say, no fumbling,
with a little seasoning, pepper, sweat,
as a price for unity,
but with tears to protect our integrity.

Please tell him,
to remember his beginning, though he may be shy
and to be a good man, no shaking,
as we plan to live together in style.

Freedom

Yes, we were right,
I dance, you dance,
then it call for question, interogation, manipulation and segregation,
but as we stood prepared to die,
so it's seem,
you reminded us of our tales,customs and tradition,
yes, everyone has a right to tell, smile, cry, live and die,
offcourse, that's the true meaning of life.

Mournful Melodies

I live most time like I never did,
I take a step, think my concience,
and the rest willing and hoping to live more.
Sometimes my thought can never be wrong,
but my conscience think differently,
more days for me is a miracle, a dream, a song and a story to tell.
For living is fun, dying I cannot tell,
yet some people who breath this same air
by choice or chance fall on another without any pity.
To me, we still breath this same air
despite all this hatred and corruption,
for if I live one more day after now,
my thought will never change,
living and loving you is all I want

You Can't Stop My Shine

You may think it's over,
and roll out drums to celebrate,
because I fail to respond when you strike,
but hear this,
it won't change the way I smile.

You may think I will never make it,
and set traps to stop my shine,
but like smokes, I'll rise slowly above your Imagination.

Though you shoot at me with your words,
poison me with your pride
and kill me with your hatred,
hear this, it won't change the way i smile.

Though you radio my failure everywhere,
spite at my back when I pass
and cut me down with your eyes,
it won't change a thing about me,
I am who I am,
you can't stop my shine.

Where is your love?

If you think life is imperfect,
and you plan to change it for better,
but you are a victim of your own ignorance,
then where is your Love?

If your action becomes a centre of destruction,
even when you are fighting for perfection,
and you claim you are doing the right thing,
then where is your love?

Arise Africa

....For Rhyme Africa.

It has come to a time so right,
that we must dance in tune so tight,
for our people to understand our rhythm so nice,
maybe they will sing along so fine.

I watch patiently as the night stood still for us,
I observe our plight, our pain and our Joy,
then I try to remix our old song " Arise ! Arise!! oh Africa"

i've been a child once,
yes, an African child,
i had dreamt of a new Africa, so nice, so fine, so tight and so right,
then I try to remix our old song "Arise! Arise!! Oh Africa"

Ours is a world to build,
A continent we must define, protect and develop,
Arise! a song of Love,
Arise! a peace we treasure,
Arise! Arise!! Oh Africa,
a future of Joy beckons.

A walk with my Lady

Though I walk so slow,
Looking for a way to flow,
she thinks am her blessings,
waiting for the right seasoning.

Though rain, sometimes may shower,
she has never forgotten our flower,
for us, we will grow older together,
in any kind of weather.

And now, when we walk across our street,
hand in hand like stars so sweet,
she thinks,our future brighten our face with smiles,
as we walk mile after miles

...For the Sleepers

It doesn't make sense crying alone,
when the goods are wavering allowing the worst to prevail,
sometimes our effort seem to be barren
leaving us to shiver in pains,
while the beast continue dancing
in their glowing ignorance.

It doesn't make sense dancing alone
in this market place,
as if our only values as a nation is die let celebrate,
sometimes we hear a distant call
"people are Boko haraming"
yet some beasts are busy dancing
without even thinking of the misfortune that has befallen its own children.

I stand at the bottom line
as a spectator,
watching the birds flys without any direction,
i hear the vulture speaks
all in the name of a dove,
singing hallelujah chorus
to pacify the dogs
leaving the little butterflies to die in silence.

Please,Let forget the pains of yesterday
and think of the Joy of tommorow,
let wake up and face this struggle together,
that the hallelujah chorus could be a song for every home.

Why I am me

I wanted to be another Chinua Achebe, living perfectly with my head high even when things fall aparts, so that I could become a man of the people.
I wanted to imitate the lines of Wole Soyinka so that one day,i could have a telephone conversation with my love, maybe telling her a story of a man that died.
I wanted to be known for my rhymes like Odia Ofeimum, or Osundare, maybe i could walk down the streets of uyo one day with people shouting my names.
I wanted to be Barack Obama, williams Shakespere, Nelson Mandela, So that pastor Goody Goody will one day do a song for me that i am a legend.
I wanted to be everything so that i could be celebrated as a man of your dreams.
Then I realise, if i'm not me, nobody would be me.. So I choose to be me that my children will remember my names even when things are no longer at ease.

Ndi eyen Akwa Ibom

Ndi eyen Akwa Ibom, that's my secret,
incase they never tell you,
learn to know,
yes, this is what makes me who I am.

Ndi eyen Akwa Ibom,
Nko asuk ayem,
maybe that is why you keep starring at me,
thinking i have gone mad with my expression.

Ndi eyen Akwa Ibom,
nothing can change that,
if you want to know more,
come here and find out for yourself.

The new deal (4 Emmanuel Jackson & Ossom Ubongabasi)

As the world tries to envy our style,
in this earthen soil so broad and slippery,
there is one song i want us to sing,
note after note,
words after words,
not in parenthesis nor fermented,
but as the faith we have in simple dreams,
that it's going to be better someday.

The song is not strange, neither is the lyrics,
it's the song that made us who we are, it's the song that cause the air to laugh in our direction, it's the song that made the sun to shine at our future,
it's the faith we have in simple dreams,
that it's going to be better someday.

Listen to it's lyrics as the night breaks the silence,
understand it's flow when the day interrupt our discussion.
Recall the way we used to smile even in pains and tears,
it's the faith we have in simple dreams, that it's going to be better someday.

So when you remember the song,
don't forget to email me the lyrics,
that i can warn our children of our hopes and dreams,
surely, it's going to be better someday

Boko haram

They have bomb the pot,
that is what I heard,
and they are advancing towards our house,
that is what they say.

What is Boko Haram?
I paused to asked,
but they stared at my face as novices,
thinking i will be afraid of their smile.

The light was as dark as now,
the rain was all over the place,
people cried it in their pales, buckets and plate,
but i was waiting to know the meaning of Boko Haram.

"yesterday was Borno" a man hissed,
"today Abuja" added another,
"tommorow maybe here" i added, they all grumble starring at my innocent face.

I am not saying this to make you cry or smile,
but that is the freedom we all fought for, the war that claim so many heros,
the struggle for survival and a fight against underdevelopment and poverty.

Our government must learn to crawl even in sleep, not waiting for storms or strikes,
before they act to protect our hard earn DEMOCRACY.