He was a boy becoming a man
He was a boy with dreams
He was a boy who had life in him
He was a boy who had love to give.

He was a designer
He was a youth
He was a creative
He was the truth

Oke wanted to live
Oke wanted a good life for his mum
Oke wanted a good life for his brother
Oke wanted a good life for his lover

So much love to give
So many more memories to make
So many creatives to build
So much history he could have made
Oke was a man
A man who died a boy

A handsome boy, we will never know how handsome he would have been as a man.
Oke wanted to take over the world
He was designing his own life with everyone he loves by his side.

Now, where is Oke?
Where is his spirit?
Where is his creativity?
Where are his emotions?
Where is his smile?

He said "Nigeria won't end me"
One
Two
Three
Nigeria became the end of him.
Gone to the ground, never to be remembered by the world just by those who truly love him.

Where is Oke?

Bury him in Satin
Bury him with the winds
Let his flesh touch the sands and his spirit land in the lord's hands
Let his dreams die
Let his love die
Let his smile die
Let him rest

Where are you, Oke?
Let me come with you
Maybe then I would rest just like you
Let's meet for the first time amongst the sand
Let's shake hands and play in the dark

Where are you, Oke?
A Handsome boy never to be a man
Sleep well Okay? Oke.

When my mind began to cloud
I began thinking out loud.

Look the city is burning.
Can you see it?
This will not be
super flashy
or rise up like a phoenix.

Sleepless eyes
are set in red
aching dry
from crying
for the dead;

While shaking fist
chant and resist
the oppressiveness
that lit this ****
to begin with.

Violence
erupts,
but it was expected,
from seeing the shame
of those who claim
they should be respected
whilst acting like thugs.

It is an irony
that they don’t seem to see
begging for relief
from a similar anxiety
which they imposed
on those
who are just asking for
the grace of human decency.

The city settles
the chaos will resume shortly
and I watch brave warriors
struggle to catch
their tear gassed breathes.

Blow my **** avidly
Rooted on your knees
Use your head for once!
Take it whole as I force in
Adore feasting of my *****
Let it run down and thank me

I am sorry,
but do not
bother comforting me.

I am crying right now
but you will not read
this poem for many weeks
after this sadness
has passed.

These are not tears
of self-pity.
The water works
are because it hurts
to see others get hurt.

This isn’t a woe is me
small set of verses
for people to see.
This is saltwater anguish
as I watch others suffering.
This is outrage
at the outright inhuman displays
that these authoritarians play
as they spray mace
in a little child’s face
while her mother is
looking the other way.

This is a tongue held so often
that my own words
can no longer soften
this brutal reality.

This is my shame,
cause I claim
to be a good person
but I am not out on the street
with other protesters
cutting my teeth
letting cops bludgeoning me
with their nightsticks.

If you are black, they can,

shoot up your car,
come into your home
without probable cause,
beat you down,
****** you on the streets
while being recorded,
demonize you after the fact,
get away with it.

If you are black
and take a stand
you will be seen as the enemy
by at least half of your society,
even if your trying to
help your community.

You will be imprisoned unjustly,
and even after you’re free
they will try to prevent
or impede
your right to vote.

This is not a fake news reality
this is something that is
quite openly done.

Have you had enough of childish lies
and incompetent response?
Have you bathed in toxic manhood
until you long for nuance?
Are we going to save this planet?
Or will we all move somewhere else?

Will we turn our eyes toward justice
or become a failed police state?
I propose a national "makeover"
a new "US" to change our fate.
You adults will have to do this -
I only hope it's not too late.

he's begging to breathe
Crying please..
though he's now gone,
the echoes of his desperation
shed light on a dark situation
we're all going through waves
of constant uncertainties,
Yet one aspect is certain,
societies accepted ignorance
is finally falling away,
a martyr, someone's son, our fellow brother
I'm sorry for how you suffered,
these tears fall
yet now maybe we can build
and stand tall,
instead of living in our bubbles
comfortably ignoring the pain of another