Salman Rushdie

Intrepid gadfly;
the voice of dissent.
Multiple times stricken,
multiple times resolved.
Though he bleeds,
still the pen that chides never bleeds,
nor is it obliterated.
For three decades and four,
death he evaded,
still, multiple times stricken,
evasive he remains.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (19 August 2022)
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Marie-Rose de Beauharnais 1795

To what shall I liken thee?
An angel in realms above,
a mermaid in Oceans beneath,
a costly stone in the fiercest
contention sought for,
or even a costly diamond in the
earth's elusive epicentre buried?
Your beauty is a turning point
reference in your amazing book
of chronicles.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (13 May 2021)
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The Birth of Christ

Behold the lamb of God is born this day!
In a manger warm with beddings of hay.
Where beasts inhabit and drop their waste,
fit for none else but those of lowly caste.

Behold the infant Lord whose lowly birth
was marked by celestials in joy and mirth.
In an orchestra in the distant sky,
they played the first carol right there on high.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (20 December 2019)
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To a Butterfly

You raise your wings like an angelic insect,
sent with a goodwill message to deliver,
hovering around flowers gay with a gentle touch,
and the kiss of life of a kindhearted fairy.
You are truly blameless of anything scary,
bringing more life to nature without defect,
generously giving without desiring much
in return, unlike many a human deceiver.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (11 October 2008)
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The Fly

The Fly lurks around putrid matter
and delights in savouring human waste.
The dis-tasteful things we love to hate
satisfy his insatiable taste
for foul smelling things that are better
cast in the bin from our very sight.
He does not savour anything right,
he comes to dine without our request
for he is the most unpleasant guest
to find at the table when we feast.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (19 February 2007)
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Snake Rhymes

I did in my garden see a Snake.
Curled calmly around the gardener's rake.
Knowing that my dear life was at stake,
I beckoned in fright to my son Jake.
"Get the matchbox and fuel for God's sake.
Burn him or precious lives he might take.
Recall the curse that came in the wake
of man's sin for which God did forsake
him in a world he couldn't retake."
But swiftly the Snake made for the lake.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (18 June 2016)
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Fair Peacock

Flamboyantly clad,
Feathers arranged in an astonishing
array of colours,
distinctively seen,
brightest of all,
and uniquely adorned for
a century's wedlock in
a bird's haven.
That is I, the Peacock.
The angel with elegance that you
crave for.
An epitome of standards coveted by
models fair.
Endowed by nature with neither
mascara nor lipstick.
But having features elusive that
pageants in a lifetime ache for.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (19 March 2018)
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Life's Reality Quote

Poverty may not necessarily
laziness connote,
and riches may not
necessarily hard work
indicate.
The hand of providence
does its major role play,
as successes and failures
to each man is assigned.
Work resiliently before
the twilight of life,
extending the goodwill
of fortunes divinely
earned,
thus leaving indelible footmarks
on the paths of existence,
because one day,
die we all must,
and our deeds to future
generations will loudly

[...] Read more

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (27 August 2022)
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An Old Christmas Song

I heard an old old Christmas song
sung by grandma on Christmas eve.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of a virgin who did conceive.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of a Christ child who will relieve.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of glad tidings we shall receive.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of peace on earth we shall achieve.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of joyful people who did grieve.
I heard an old old Christmas song
of pain eternal we shall leave.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (15 December 2019)
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Bonaparte

He that trod upon subservient Europe
with the imperial guards' fighting prowess,
did himself and his heartthrob the empress,
entrench thrones jointly owned by their hookup.
He that caused guns to rage on Europe's plains
and cannons to thunder on Egypt's sands,
sent hussars and mamluks to distant flight.
He usurped crowns for his dear siblings' gains,
and enthroned loyalists to head vanquished lands.
But was banished for good from France's sight
after a stunning loss on Belgium's plains.

poem by Joseph C Ogbonna (5 May 2021)
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