Take me to the world of poetry
Where the syllables are colourful as flowers
The rhyme flows like a river
The message sheds light like the Sun
The metaphorical expressions send shivers down my spine

As I journey through the stanzas,
I wanna smell the sweet fragrance of its words
Dive into its lake of deep emotions
Ride through its different terrains and styles
Enwrap me in its poetic layers
Take me to the world of poetry
I was told I will never want to leave

Gone are the days
When Mother Nature was a close neighbor
And a loved one
But we've forced her out to build roads, rails and whatnot

Did we dominate to contaminate?
She meant no evil, can't we reciprocate?

I used to look at her from my windows
And appreciate her beauty
Now, I have to take time off
To find her and hope that she's intact.

Growing up as a lil' kid,
I had no father figure to look up to
He wasn't dead, he wasn't just there
I watched my mama hustle like she was 2 in 1
Looking at me now, I hope she can boldly say she's won
And I'm just getting started mum
I've got my hands on the ladder, moving northwards

As a kid, I missed out on all the cartoons
(No Tom & Jerry, No Lion King)
I was always on the street with older dudes listening to Biggie and Pac
I guess that's where I found my love for rap
I was told that I once rapped to 2pac in my sleep

I have huge love and respect for my mum
A single mother that played dual roles
She deprived herself a lot of things
in order to provide for her son
No parties, no friends, no expensive clothing or jewellery
Her son was/is her most precious jewel

School fees were uneasy to pay but she paid
One hurdle after the other but she scaled them all
Oh boy, what a brave & go-get-it woman!
She instilled in me the go-get-it mindset
No one can take her place in my heart

But I still have big respect for my dad
Even though he's back, he still watches from afar
He's a provider, adviser from arm's length
But I guess half presence is better than nada

Isn't it sad that there're countless
similar scenarios all around the globe
Mothers shouldn't be fathering kids
Absent fathers delay societal progress
There are cases of runaway mothers
So no party is exempt

Kudos to all the parents around the world
that are playing their parts
May you excel in raising your kids to excel
And at the end, may you reap the fruits of your earnest labour.

There is a beast in social media
that keeps asking for more
More, more, more, it yells
Drawing blood out of me
Writing my brain out
To the last pint of blood in my vein
But still, the beast won't back off
This creative juice of mine needs to replenish
So, no blood for you today!

Picture the heart as a tree
With its fruits proceeding out of the mouth
It's root deep into your being
Nourished by the information you take in

You can predict the nature of a tree
By its fruits
When consumed, do they soothe?
Or is it the direct opposite?

Mediocrity is a comfortable prison
With gates not of metal but complacency
Where the prisoner is also the guard
And the keys to escape are in his/her pocket
But (S)he will rather stay

I love the snowflakes as they descend from the sky
Oh, what a blessing from above
Pure, white, shiny and beautiful
Watching you fall is just astonishing

You have covered the land with your purity
I'm looking out the window, admiring your beauty
See how amazing you look on the trees
See all the houses with white roofs

A few lessons I have learnt from you
A number of people don't like your coldness
That's a reminder for me not to keep a cold attitude
The floors and roads become slippery
Tells me that it's important to thread life slowly and carefully
You come clean but we turn your beauty to something messy
Which means intentions could be misunderstood and mistreated

There are things you do that I'm not too pleased with
When you are around, it gets dark quite early
At 6pm, I'm already feeling sleepy
How about the stress of cleaning my car's windshield

All in all, I can't imagine a year without you
Good things often have their own challenges too
So, I will embrace all the blessings that come with you
And deal with the seemingly unpleasant ones too!

Maybe God made the prints on our fingers unique
As a reminder that we have a unique mark to make on the world
While some would impact the world at large, like those who invented the internet or even the World Wide Web
Some would transform the world of a single person into something glorious, which can then create a ripple effect on others.
Regardless of the scale, ensure your hands do good
Touch as many as you can with kindness
Bless the world with the gifts that you were blessed with.

You always had me rise like evaporation
When you left, I fell heavily like precipitation
You caused a change in my temperature
With you, I was warm as the summer
Without you,I am colder than the winter
I can't wait to have you here like the next summer!

Pay attention to what or who
You give your resources (time & energy) to
Attention is an initial cost
And ongoing expense on all endeavours

Attention that is smartly paid
Has great return on investment
And attention not paid
Or paid on the wrong things
Returns a cost that could be unbearable.

Every morning, on my way to work
I see this "old" man (in his seventies)
Walking his beloved wife to the bus stop
Her bag in his right hand
The other hand interlocked in hers

I smile right behind them
as they take step after step
talking to each other
I could hear the tone of love
in their voice
I never hear the words
(not my business I guess)

Their eyes would meet frequently
as they talk and walk
With smile blooming on their faces
I never tried to overtake them
'cause it's such a beauty to behold
A proof to me that love never gets old

At the stop sign,
He carefully places the bag back
in her hand,
followed by a short hug
Before turning his back
to head for their home

It's such a wonderful sight and
It has never failed to
leave me in awe every single time.

Once beaten, twice shy
Broken wings can still fly
Some people won't just even try
I was knocked down but
with one arm, I took flight

Staggered in the air for a little while
Before gaining my balance
I almost believed their lies that
I won't make it beyond a few feet

A stitch in time saves nine
With the doubters, I didn't bother
wasting my own time

I straightway got on my grind
With a fully determined mind
I used their naysaying as gas
Now, I'm balanced above the clouds
Where they told me I will never reach

Now they are questioning me like,
how did you even do it?
I simply replied... By facing my fears
It definitely took blood and tears

But I couldn't back off
I'm grateful that my resilience is finally paying off
And I'm just getting started,
this is just the take off.

You can overcome the challenges...

C- courage, you have what it takes, just
H- harness the resources at hand
A- attitude, maintain a positive one but
L- learn through the process knowing you're
L- limitless, you can't be stopped
E- expect to win and
N- never give up, never give in
G- goal on your mind always my friend
E- ego, watch it, you can seek for help
S- SUCCESS is sure at the end!

A damsel sitted alone at the bar
When my eyes landed on her
I immediately lost my train of thoughts
I froze in the middle of my words
Mouth left ajar
Looking at God's finished work of art
What is an angel doing here on earth?
The question running through my mind
I put myself together to go have a word with her
Before I could get up on my feet
Her man approached her from behind
And planted a kiss on her cheek
For a second, I was cheesed to the bone
But I moved on and enjoyed my night

This is not a call to lower your defenses
But to know who the real enemy is
Fighting a fellow being is like beating the air
A mere waste of resources

The real enemy is not clothed in flesh
Nor powered by blood
So, before you find an enemy in another being
Remember, the enemy is not that which is seen.

Be not scared of evil
Rather, be respectful of good
Because darkness checks out
When light appears
Pure love casts out all fears
Give out exactly that which you desire
With love and unity,
We will all rise higher and higher!

Two statements that seem similar
But they induce opposite feelings
The first is, I am not good enough
And the second; I am not there, yet

The first one clips your wings down
stopping you from flapping and flying
It is demotivating and depressing
Do not use or believe it when used on you

The latter reminds you where you're headed
Like a kid that falls several times
before being able to walk smoothly
You will be there and even go beyond
So, crawl, walk, run and soar!

It takes a lot of strength
To speak about your weakness
Success is making steps
out of stumbling stones
A Victor is not the one that
never fails
But the one that never fail to rise
against all odds

I love wordplay
But I don't loosely play with words
Just like cars that
take people from point A to B
helping them achieve their goals
but also have claimed many lives
Just like guns used for hunting
and recreation
but also have ended many lives
Words are that powerful
If used irresponsibly,
they can cause a lot of havoc