(Bayero University, Kano Nigeria)

Beneath this veil, my very own fusty corner

A dark place, quiet and eerie.

My escape, I withdraw from prying eyes

I sit in my corner, I despise them from afar,

Their judgmental stare,

I will give them no satisfaction

They shall not gawk upon me and see.

My fear of failing,

My fear of fitting in.

My mumbling words

My cowed gaze

But wait a minute,

Who am I to judge them who judge me?

They, who call me what I am,

And now I blame for allowing me to be what I have become?

I am just like them, an old fashioned them

Our insecurities are one and the same.

It is eating me alive, I have become what I despise

It is time to

Breathe in the light,

Exhale the darkness from your soul

Embrace the liberty of being what you want and who you are

Do not oppress by what you have become.

Be humble and passionate, be fearless

And if you ever go back to that musty corner,

Let it be by choice, let it be my escape,

There is nothing wrong in solitude, but it should never be for fear

Do not be confined or contained or defined by it

You are free to be free.

Kids of the Night

I met a child, armed with a bright smile

I stopped and stared as his face lit mine,

He held out a bowl and I put something in

All of a sudden his peers rushed in..



Hungry and weary, dirty and broken

With their bowls they roam the streets, their eyes sunken

Swarm foreigners for alms and food

Shown no love; they never begged to be born

Left to fate to show them where to roam,




In rare moments you can catch a glimpse

Of the hunger, tiredness and resignation to life

It makes all my adulthood problems feel like a joke

To see kids beg for every single meal,



They grow old, they pick a trade

They become the victims of life and fate

To him who pays dictates their song

A life of crime, poverty and hate,



Still yet I’m marveled by a few,

Who despite all odds remain humble and true

Still holding that bright smile through the years

Feeling blessed yet with no place to rest…

Blurred Lines

When does loyalty become folly and wrong become right?

When does self-restraint become cowardice and enduring pain become strength?

When does forward become backwards and going up just as bad as going down?

When does love turn to hate and passion breed death?

Blurred lines, mixed boundaries

No real laws, no real position

In a world were context is discounted

The truth is always from an alternate reality

Who is to tell us where to go or I to do?

Who makes the rules, who governs my choices?

Are we an invention of society or truly my own self?

What do we perceive and what do I feel is real?

Death, Life. Loss and gain, hard to reconcile, we fake realities

We confuse what is with what isn’t, our hearts never let go

Are they gone when they depart this cruel reality?

Blurred Lines, Mixed boundaries, we ultimately decide what we believe.

Life has no rules, we create them as we move

Our ideologies are a paradigm that placates our fears

Our fears shift boundaries without respect for perspectives

Perspectives define these issues we strive so hard to conquer.

Why Children Cry?

Beaten, battered, afflicted and abused.
Today a child has to strive just like you
Lost its innocence, street smart and savvy
You've got more to fear from a child older than two.

Defiled by the one trust has been entrusted.
Clothes torn, confused about what they had done wrong
Ravished off their dignity and pride
We say they are young, on their innocence we ride

Spilled ice cream, after a fall, a bruised knee
Kids test their limits in varying degrees.
In blissful innocence, they let their emotions go
Each tear is a lesson learnt, a sign of growth

A playground spat, cheated and bullied
A few things that make them cry,
The parting of a loved, even for a second they cry,
they are not shy, they never want to be alone.

You wonder why the decadence of today’s youth.
It started from the tears you didn't wipe from yesterday’s child
Teach a child to love and trust, Build a child up today
Tomorrow you will have youth who you can live with and trust.

Why do you children cry? I’ve been asked,
For several reasons good or bad.
Let it be a remorse for a good lesson learnt
And not for regret for an evil you've beget

THAT MANY REASON

I hate you so much

But I remember all those times you made me laugh

So, hating you isn't a rush

And I decided to keep you once again

You make me cry

Most times, every night

But sometimes, most times I can't decide

I should erase you with all my might

I'll be alright

My first kiss was yours

You'd jump on that train to keep me from falling

You'd take it easy anytime I force

You'd run to me when I keep calling

That bully ate your fist

From that you broke your wrist

You'd look at me to say you are fine

It was my trouble, it was my fight

I always screamed in your ears

You contained the pain

I always stood by your side

Sunshine or rain

For that many reasons,

I won't let go

I'll be your lifeline

For that many reasons,

I'll keep my tears

I won't show my fears

For that many reason

GreyGray

Okunola O. Zain😑