Jesus never complained**
Should we?

What I thought was love
Was really just head knowledge
Love is way deeper!
•
Such grace, undeserved!
Too obscure for mere mortals
God's agape LOVE!
•
Unconditional!
Loving me beyond my will-
And without merit!
•
Loving me dearly,
He instilled His love in me
Letting me love Him...*


© Raphael Uzor

Poetry's a spirit
Once she takes over
You'll need deliverance!

"They got...
Sick and tired
Of being...
Sick and tired!"

Why does sleep haunt me
Only when I want to pray,
**Then and ONLY then!?!

You gave me two
Yes! Your two *******!
And I suckled at will
Till my teeth got in the way
Parting me
From your protective *****
Against infant wills!

Patiently, you led me
Through my first tears
Through my first smiles
Through my first steps
Through my first words
Teaching me by example
To love, respect and trust!

No words can convey
The values you've bestowed
The sacrifices you've made
The pain you've endured
Your love, can no woman mimic
And though boys have become men
To you, a child I'll remain!*


© Raphael Uzor

Love is like lungs
Needing to breathe in...
And out...

Accidents,
Disasters,
Wars,
Death...

Why blame it all on God?

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand

Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize your neighborhood

And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down

Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years

And grisly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver

For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller*


© Michael Jackson

If we...
Can't die for life,
Should we be alive?*

10w

It rains heavily...
Roofs leaking, water seeping

Bless'd against my will...
As the tropical storms rage

Causing chaotic...
Rattled windows, doors and gates

All over the house...
Creating theatrical effects

As lightning flashes...
And thunder follows behind

Children play outside...
Trivializing the weather

A good one for sleep...
Except for the leaking roofs

New holes emerging...
Brings to mind a nursery rhyme,

"Rain, rain go away,
Come again another day"

Back then reasons were...
"Little children want to play"

I can't help but sigh!
With the aftermath in view...

Soaked beds, sheets and drapes...
Smelly rugs for days to come

Wrecked roofs and ceilings...
Flooded streets mixed with sewage.

Showers of blessings indeed!


© Raphael Uzor

I've learned in poetry,
Not every piece...
Is a masterpiece*!

Its an addiction...

When you relish every word
And see beauty in written lines,
Seeing them romance each other
While everyone see paragraphs.

Its an addiction...

When you idolize pens like brush
And adore papers like canvas,
When you see things in 4D
In a three dimensional world!

Its an addiction...

When you see colorful shades of gray
While everyone sees blacks and whites,
When you see words come alive
And embark on every poetic voyage.

Its an addiction...

When everything is beautiful
Be it tragic, happy or vague,
As long it's expressed in words
In a seamless, caressing way!

Its an addiction...

When you peek into Hellopoetry
When you know you should be working,
When you see poetry in everything
And must hurry to write and share.

It's an addiction...*

When you read these lines of mine
And proceed to click ♥
Yes! I am deeply addicted!
And no! I do not need a shrink!


© Raphael Uzor

Of all kinds of blades;
Razors, swords, daggers and knives
*Sharp tongues cut deepest!

He lets me get broke...
Just to make me richer
He lets me get weak...
Just to make me stronger
He lets me look foolish...
Just to express His wisdom.

He crushes mighty-warlord Goliaths
With a shepherd boy, a sling and a stone!
He frightens entire Syrian armies
With four lepers, no RPGs, no riffles!
He teaches kings "Humility For Dummies"
By making ***** out of Nebuchadnezzars.

I ponder some of the things He does
Terrible! But I find them amusing
And while I chuckle at His wondrous works
I'm reminded that He loves me dearly
And He added a touch of humor to the bible
To express His lovely smile on my unworthy face!*


© Raphael Uzor

"Don't!"
I reached...
"Hot!!"
I touched...
...fire became less attractive!!!

We wake...
        Early!
We work...
        Hard!
We return...
        Tired!

                            Everyday.

Images flash,
Like paparazzi lights
As my mind wanders
Drifting places I dare to be

Places beautiful, places erratic
Creating patterns on my wall
Mosaic features adorning my ceiling
Breathtaking visions- unprecedented!

Embracing freedom from light's eyes
I visualize hideous adventures
Straying in continual nostalgia
Forever lost in this universe.

Lost, until the flick of a switch...

And the lights intrude
Shattering darkness in a zillion pieces
Blinding, but oblivious of recent affairs
Leaving my secrets where they belong
In the safe of memory.

It's a dark world
This is Las Vegas!
What happens here stays here!


© Raphael Uzor

The endless stream flows...
Into rivers, seas, oceans...
And returns again...

I sit and I think
Seeking a poetic opening
Daring to write my masterpiece

I haven't written in a while
At least, nothing worthy of a "Like"
Such poetic redundancy!

I read lines from other poets
Brilliant! Wonderful!! Astonishing!!!
How inspiring, how sweet!

So now must I write
And retain my rightful place
Among the nobles- called Poets!

Life was good- mundane!
Then came poetry- exciting!!
And now it's dwindling- Oh no!!!

Putting pen to paper
I scribble for hours, still nothing
I'm losing it, I freeze at the thought.

I'm sorry to disappoint you
But this is not a poem
For I sought it, but didn't find it.

For poetry is like a chick
Elusive when sought
Flirtatious when shunned.

So, must I wait
Not seeking to find her
But surrendering, for her invasion.


© Raphael Uzor

She wins...
She always does

After a long busy stay
From missing her all day
I go home to her
And she's there, she's always there,
Patient, soothing and tender
Luring me to bed...
As I fight her charms,
Trying to stay up; workaholic impulse raging!

I win...
For a moment or so

Daring to focus
For a couple more hours
Desperate not to give in
At least not without a fight.
She peeks out from our bedroom
Sneaking up from behind,
As I snooze momentarily
But I can't win this fight, there's no use trying!

Accepting defeat, I embrace her
Letting her caress me

She entraps me all night
I'm lost, against my will
I know I'll wake up guilty,
Wishing I could send her away
But I'm stuck with her for life
And she takes so much of my time
Time I could use for work
But no, she won't let go; not when I always yield!

And no, she's not my wife
She's not even my girlfriend
Not some girl from across the street
Just a nobody, named Sleep!


© Raphael Uzor

We blame our fathers
We call them traitors
We wish they had fought
We analyze and criticize!

But; while we slept…

Our villages were attacked
Our houses were ransacked
Our lives… shattered!

Under our noses
Our heroes fell,
Like petals of roses.

While we made merry…

Our women were *****
Our girls were enslaved
Our maidens… depraved!

Under our watch
Our cattle were looted
Our farms were torched.

While we fraternized…

Our children were slaughtered
Our youths were murdered
Our species… endangered!

How long shall we segregate?
While they usurp our heritage.
How long, till our place in history
Becomes a “Once upon…” story?

© Raphael Uzor

I saw her once in passing
Once only!
But once was enough
For I never stopped seeing her
She was everywhere
She was everyone

All day, all night
My heart gave her no rest
Tirelessly and aimlessly
She roamed through my mind

For days and weeks and months
Our paths never crossed again
I was grieved!
I should have made my move then

But how could I?
How do I approach such beauty?
With what would I catch her fancy?
Why should such perfection, regard me?

Would I ever see her again?
Was she gone forever?
The thoughts made me nauseous,
Made me sweat and shiver all at once.

Time passed
And she faded with it
She was gone forever.
I will never see her again
I dwell on more concrete thoughts now
As I leave the office, famished.

Entering a cafe
I spot a familiar figure by the bar
All fatigue and hunger flee-
She's the one!

I approach her,
As the DJ plays something soft
I forge on,
Fighting my greatest fear.

With a husky voice that barely made it out,
"Hello", I whisper
She turns, facing me squarely
Eyes so lovely, piercing my being.
Eternity must have passed, cos she awoke me
"Yes?" She blurted
I gawk for a moment, then I stutter,
"I, I **** at pick-up lines, but can I have this dance?"
She smiles!
Revealing perfectly crafted, white teeth (unlike mine)
Increasing my already rapid heartbeat
As she offers her left hand,
And I take it in my right
And lead her to the dance floor,
Praying for God's mercy and grace.

I awake again- from my trance
As the music fades
Determined, I stop right behind her
And as I dare to open my mouth...
A muscular dude snatches her from the side
Turning, she hugs him and they kiss.

I swallow hard!
Wanting to be him.
Unsure of what to do next, I sit by her
The bartender salutes me
"Coffee?"
"Nah" I mutter, as I stand to leave; feeling stupid.

I take one more look at her, probably my last
As she giggles lovingly
In the arms of another
Oblivious of my existence

My heart burns
As the DJ plays a familiar tune-
James Blunt's You are Beautiful
I leave the cafe
Sad as ever, as reality dawns
No use dreaming further
She's in love with another
She will never be mine
She's gone for life!

© Raphael Uzor