Heels on fire

 

Friendly winds 

Of many seasons

Blowing in tune 

With the passing times.

Begone by yourself

And raise the dust,

My head is buried

Am yet undone

For these are times

For men with wits.

The boys must wait,

Whose flighty heels

Won’t just stay put,

For a matching age

Of glorious tunes

To come in time. 

Flightless birds

Feed on fallen fruits,

Flighty ones will chip away

And feed on the tree,

You never learned to walk

And yet you now must run.

They learn to fall

When they learn to walk,

For few indeed 

Are those who did otherwise.

Lose your step,

You can manage your fall

For the fall of this sort

Is a new beginning,

But anything short

Will be a crash indeed.

Begone by yourself;

My time is yet due,

For my base is shaky 

And I, still a youth.

- Bempillar Awuapila

Echoes of the Drumbeat

 

We heard all ourselves

We need not be told,

The reminder is good

But would have been better 

If the good deeds lasted

You can savour them yourself

There is little left behind

Of little things meant for us

With good intentions they lasted

And like echoes of a drumbeat

Lasting longer and stronger;

We feel the beat our hearts are warmed 

Moments we’ll rather savour

Sounds now made 

But gone with the wind

And soon forgotten

But like the beautiful sound 

Of a drumbeat, the echo remains;

You need not trump

For good deeds speak for themselves.

- Bempillar Awuapila

Good People, Great Nation

 

Painted in colours undesirable, 

Portrayed in lights unforeseen 

Of characters in a crime novel

And scenes in horror movies;

Things long laid aside

Still sung about for many

That all there is within 

Is all but dubious.

Like a bird 

Caught in a giant web

And yet refusing to panic,

A people faced with questions 

And much to prove

Would strive like the bees

Never quitting their hive 

In the face of smoke and fire.

Moments abound;

The choices we make

And the things we do

Like smart mosquitoes

Dodging way from clapping hands

And dinning where they will.

Hearts pure and stained abound

All generations and nations

Would testify

Of lurking evil and falsehood

We all are guilty.

But like a spider on a trying day

We will keep climbing

Till our web is spun.

We can be better if we try,

There is nothing to prove

For guilty heads will always sneak a look

In fear of what comes next.

Nigeria!

Good People, Great Nation

Fast rising with the times;

Good to say, good to sing

Can we live it?

Yes we can, if we try;

Yes, Only if we try.

- Bempillar Awuapila

The Grand Chorus: Worlds apart

 

Tales fill the air

Of a wonderful bird,

Who would sing the world 

To sleep at night;

The strong and the mighty 

Would stop to dance

And all the world’s worries

Are laid aside.

Like a piece of rare gem 

Well sought after 

By Princes and Kings,

For that colourful bounce

So fair and rare;

A thing, men will kill for

And others ridden 

For a chance to be the boss.

Your nightly calls 

Would reach all ears,

The young and the old

Would feel the mood,

The strong and the mighty 

Will pause to listen

As the rich and poor 

Who were once worlds apart

Now dine together

In warm embrace.

On the chair’s edge

They’ll sit and cheer,

The song that goes on 

In the hearts of men,

Bridging the worlds once apart,

Bringing all hearts as one

Who now wait for that moment.

Teasing and laughing

As the tension may rise,

Forgetting all worries and malice;

The moment when all hearts

In unison would jump

And the entire globe would vibrate

At the grand chorus ‘A GOAL’.

- Bempillar Awuapila

Good men lie to be good

 

The truth hurts 

But good men are too good,

For peace’s sake 

A lie is told

Like the stars in the skies

Never betraying the moon;

Good men lie 

That all hearts may be warm

And all faces smile.

Attempting the impossible:

Taking all hurts 

And living in wants, 

Giving all there is

Even when its the last,

Smiling like the Bible says

Never minding their cares;

That more can be given to others

Yet never waiting 

To receive that smile

That says Thank You.

- Bempillar Awuapila

A Tree On The Hill: HRM Sir Emmanuel O. Elayo, The Osana of Keana

Powerful enough are the looks,

Powerful enough is the name:

That speaks of courage,

That speaks of sacrifice,

Honoured by state and country,

Crowned a King for who you are, 

Made so still for what they saw

And for all the inspiration you are.

Like a tree on the hill top,

Blown about by the winds

And yet still firmly rooted

And green as can ever be,

Warmed by the sun at noon

And cooled by the night dewy hours

Like a giant Ghana-must-go

Taking in all that comes,

ever untiring.

Age comes kicking but never bowed,

A hidden energy keeps surging

And with renewed valour he strides

Like a stallion spurred to win,  

Striving always for the best,

Receiving nods and insults

But like a rubbish heap,

Taking in all that comes

ever untiring.

His marks speak for themselves:

Of wonderful moments and friends,

Of the younger ones who seek and seek,

Of times he will beg for his subjects;

May God above, 

Who brought you this far

Continue to strengthen you

Every day by and by.

- Bempillar Awuapila

A Dance With God

 

You are mad at me 

But you can’t be mad,

You know me better

There is nothing I can say;

For all I lack 

Is why I have you,

Make of me a contrite heart

That I may be new in you;

For the penitent me 

Is like fresh June flowers,

Come dance with me 

That I may be whole.

What’s all these you say

In fragments of emotions,

Blowing like the gentle breeze 

On a hot sunny day

And then shattering all

With deadly storms

And tornadoes 

That comes like the finger

Of an angry Father, 

Menacingly pointing 

And threatening?

Come dance with me

That I may share these too.

What’s all these you say

In the lovely sounds 

Of the rocking trees

And rustling leaves,

The peaceful sounds of water

Tripping over stones

And the long distant howling of dogs

And the hooting of owls?

Come dance with me 

That I may hear you better.

What’s all these you say

In that innocence of a child,

The hearty cackle of laughter,

The sudden outburst of tears

Like a gust of air 

Blowing through a furnace 

Who would cry now

But with tears in his eyes still laugh?

Come dance with me

That we may be of like minds.

What’s all these you say

In these trees once green

That now whither with no fruits,

In these green vegetations 

All overtaken by deserts,

In these once fertile lands

That are now wastelands

Begging for restoration,

Of the melting ice

That floods the land?

Come dance with me

That I may heed this call.

- Bempillar Awuapila

A Pleasurable Torment

 

It was all by a passing glance,

The time and day far gone

But the memories never fading

And so I sought another glance

Of a face so fair and bright

And a voice so sweet and soothing.

In every other face I see her face,

In every other laughter I hear her voice,

All my figures at work call her name

And whispers of love the wind would carry;

I searched the streets and hoped in vain,

For a love so fair but long gone.

Though my heart lies in fear,

Another part of me loves the thrill.

I would turn my face away,

But my heart would seek

In the moon and the stars at night,

And my ears in the whistling gentle night breeze. 

I seek for one long gone,

I fight it, yet I still seek it;

I deny it, yet I still seek it.

It raises my fears but,

Something inside loves the thrill.

- Bempillar Awuapila

Thus says Jesus the Nazarene

 

He who must lead, 

Must himself be led;

For he is greatest of all,

Who is least by choice.

He is master of all,

Who is servant to all;

Who can be a fool for you

But for peace won’t fight back.

Abide in me for all your worth,

For what you seek will break your heart

But my peace and love can be yours;

Just take my hand that I might reach you.

Hear these words and harken to me,

For all you hear is from the father,

Abide in me and you will be the father’s;

Hear my voice that I might teach you.

I am the way, the truth, and the life;

He is lost who strays from my path,

For the road is narrow and journey tedious;

Follow my steps that I might lead you.

Love one another, you can’t be hurt,

For when its true it comes around.

Die for love, you can’t be dead;

I died for you and I am immortal again.

- Bempillar Awuapila

Nightmares

 

The clouds got moody,

The moon got scared and hid behind.

The dark night got darker

And all got hidden safe for the fireflies.

A billion over, by now doze

But I, in my lonely bed toss about.

The deal at dawn I must keep

But sleep eludes me by and by.

Things got scary from which I ran,

I tried to hide, still yet am found;

The cold hands reaching out,

Then I sprang up, but by myself

And safe in bed.

Moments passed by but my eyes still shone,

Getting heavy at times I couldn’t tell how

As I walk a path I can’t keep straight,

Spinning, I am thrown off then I woke

But safe in bed.

The night far gone but still I am weak,

It was still ticking when I heard the sound;

The car came speeding yet at me;

So I jumped to safety, 

Then I woke, but still in bed.

The snake’s not moving but them, I don’t trust

And then they were more and came at me,

I tried to run but on them I trod,

So I sprang to safety but still in bed.

The fault’s not mine but still I am chased,

My points not heard and so, I ran

They caught up with me, so I tried to fly;

I found I could but still, hands could reach

I wriggled and ran to freedom,

But still in bed.

ii

My bags are packed

And so I made for the door,

But a warning came through

“something terrible is about to happen”,

And my heart skipped a beat

With mine eyes darting back and forth;

Searching for answers

And offering a silent prayer,

I called out but no one was there;

It was so lonely, so dark.

A shadow sprang up

When the moonlight broke through

And my heart jumped about,

I slammed back the door

And turned lock the key,

It called to me, “pass me the broom”.

Could this be the terrible thing?

Am I helping, is this the right thing?

Then I woke but by myself

Sweating in the cold night.

iii

There is news of an invasion

But all must remain calm,

All must stay indoors,

We must not interfere.

My door bell rang

And a help answered it

Then the news said we shouldn’t.

Who is it, I called but none was there,

But I knew something bad,

Something terrible came in;

Something better left outside.

“Don’t answer the door”

But the news took its time

And now I am the host;

Then I woke.

The night got cooler and so I dozed,

For nightmares are worse with the heat.

The clock’s still ticking but it doesn’t matter now

‘cause I slept away and up with the dawn.

- Bempillar Awuapila