Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
4.5k · Mar 2016
Welcome to Monday
Chijioke Nnamani Mar 2016
Whistle sounds, alarm beeps
Battle drums, my heart beats
Rising sun, crowing ****
It is here, riddle me

Silent bath, floating thoughts
Towel dry, connected dots
Tucked in shirt, shiny shoes
One quick prayer, banished blues

Speeding cars, crowded trains
Changing lights, fast paced lanes
Blaring horns, jamming doors
Quiet rides, bone-face walks

Smell the air, raise your chin
**** in chair, eye on screen
A sip of coffee and you know you'll win
Welcome to Monday, you can get through
976 · Apr 2016
Freedom is Like Us
Chijioke Nnamani Apr 2016
Freedom is like peeing when you’re pressed
Or blowing your nose
Like dancing reckless to good music
Or a floating balloon in strong wind

Freedom is like you and I
Laughing as we walk slowly
Hand in hand under the rain
With bare feet and without care

Freedom is like us
All of us
Letting go of opinions
And daring to do
What makes our hearts beat faster
Not du-dum, du-dum but
Free-dom, free-dom
Chijioke Nnamani Jul 2016
People are looking at your shoes

Heels, sandals, flats with a moose

Boots, converse, whatever you choose


People are looking at your shoes

If x is one and y is two

My shoe is me and your shoe is you

Laces, bows, straps or buckles

It could leave me wowed or staring with chuckles


People are looking at your shoes

Heels for status

Laces for class

Boots for the rugged

Buckles for sass

Shoes tell a story of the places we've tread

If we are hungry or if we're well fed

Shoes paint a picture of how we view life

One fun adventure or if we need a knife


People are looking at your shoes

But hey,

I say walk bare footed by the sea and be free, be free to be you

Because people are people and you are you
Inspired by a new pair of shoes ;)
934 · Mar 2016
The Good Kind of Empty
Chijioke Nnamani Mar 2016
Maybe it's not always bad to feel empty.
Maybe it just means you've given your love away and poured your heart out.
Maybe we should all be empty, of all our dreams, our hopes, our wanting.
Maybe when we find our one thing to pour our all in
Then we'll be glad we can be empty.

Or at least begin to be.
906 · Mar 2016
Don't have a reason
Chijioke Nnamani Mar 2016
Having a reason all the time is boring
Like dancing only when there's music
Or crying out of sorrow
Or singing because you're happy
Boring.

Lie on the street
Look up and count the stars
Sit in the rain and laugh
Sing
Cry

Forget about the why
Don't have a reason
611 · Aug 2016
This is how you fly
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2016
This is how you fly
You look for a high plane
Not because you can't lift off the ground
But because you need wind to help
And there's good wind on the hill

This is how you fly
You stretch out your hands sideways
Not because you need it that way
But because it makes flight easier
And you need this to be easy

This is how you fly
You jump without fear
Not because you can't jump scared
But because fear is really heavy
And you need to travel light

This is how you fly
You lift yourself higher
Not because you can't fly low
But because you'll bump into things
And you want this to be smooth

This is how you fly
You smile and enjoy it
Not because you can't be bothered
But because you'll feel happy
And flight is better when you are
597 · Mar 2016
Stay Mind Stay
Chijioke Nnamani Mar 2016
You travelled everywhere and now you're back.

Like a child
Reckless.
Careless.
Wanting everything.
But this time you must sit.

I can't ground you
But I can guard you
Renew you
Train you
In the way you should go

And when fear comes
Or envy
Or worry
Or lust
You won't depart.
Not this time.
Stay mind stay
508 · Aug 2017
Who Needs
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2017
Who needs approval
When you’ve got identity

Who needs peace
When you have truth

Who needs possessions
When you have prosperity

Lust
When you have love

Understanding
When you have trust

Good looks
When you’ve got self worth

The jeans
When you’ve got the genes

Who needs understanding
When you’ve got perspective

Comparison
When you’ve got purpose

Sleep
When you’ve got rest

Who needs to be seen
When you can be felt

Rewards
When you can have respect

Who needs more likes
When you can have more love

Guilt
When you have forgiveness

Who needs to overthink
When you can just do it

Who needs to Choose
When you can have it all

Who needs their thing
When you’ve got your thing

Who needs fear
When you’ve got a plan
430 · Apr 2016
Pieces
Chijioke Nnamani Apr 2016
Pieces were all I had
But they were enough
They were enough to start a fire
They were enough to build a wall
They were enough to tell a story
They were enough to begin
And that's all I needed
405 · Aug 2017
Stars
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2017
Tonight I saw two stars kissing way up in the sky
And I wandered if when the stars looked down here, we glowed too
whether one star said to another “that’s mine” or
“make a wish” or “lets see how many of them we can count”
381 · Apr 2016
Imagine
Chijioke Nnamani Apr 2016
It was cold
And it was quiet
And it was dark
But I was okay
Because when I closed my eyes
There was light
And there were trees
And there was music
And I stayed there instead
314 · Aug 2017
Journey
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2017
I leave one city behind like a terrible past
Hunted by its pleasant memories
I pursue new adventures in another
Moving from shape to shape on the atlas
Life was meant for journey
296 · Aug 2017
Times with you
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2017
My life is a book.
My times with you are dog-eared.
I won't miss my place.
A haiku
285 · Aug 2017
Hundred sorries
Chijioke Nnamani Aug 2017
I try to catch my words
mid-air towards you
But I miss
They hit, they scar, they wound
So I send new words
But healing takes more than a hundred sorries
229 · Apr 2017
Alone With The Mirror
Chijioke Nnamani Apr 2017
Alone with the mirror,
You stare into your eyes;
You look better than you thought;
Then you suddenly don’t;
You sigh.

Alone with the mirror,
You shine your teeth and stick out your tongue,
Run through your hair and push up your *****;
You try a few dances you saw on TV,
But you kind of ****.

Alone with the mirror,
You wish the eye bags weren’t there—
Your face would have been just perfect.
So you pout in a way that hides them;
Then you take selfies.

Alone with the mirror,
You practice what you’ll say tonight:
“You’re great and I like you but not just like that.”
With a smile you say, “Can we still be friends?”
You know this sounds terrible so you practice five other ways to say it.

Alone with the mirror,
You realize you are who you are,
And there’s not much you can do
But embrace it.
first published by Brittle Paper.

— The End —