See those hustlers of this busy street
This is a small colony of confused minds

See that boy running down the street
His heart can only wander and dream

That bus driver yelling like a mad man
All he ask for is a chance to truly be a man at home

What of that man in suit wearing a sad look
His certificate has betrayed him

But he is not the only one frustrated these days
The woman hawking roasted corn by the roadside
She has PhD  too

The clatters of failure must thunder
But life is never meant to stand still

The street is always full of death and darkness
But those who dare to fight
Will always find a way to win

Through the ruins of life some treasure are retrieved
In sadness strength may be found

The wind should not set the sail of our soul
We are the captains of our fates

Those  who chooses to always have a say
In the matter of destiny
Will carve out for themselves better fortunes
Nothing can stop a man who discovers his true self

© Olatuja Oloyede

Of all things I know so tempting
Love is the greatest
A treasure so confused
A gift so misleading
A haven pregnant with hell
It beckons and burns
Yet we call it blessing

Of all feelings so unknown
Love is the darkest
It fills the soul with excitement this moment
It's gone like a free bird the next
With fountains of bitter tears behind
Yet we fancy it sweet

Is love not that feeling only a god can feel
Those who drink this liquor from the cup of angels
Are usually drunk, then mad and finally lost
This is that whirlwind of experience
That changes the life of the youth
And the course of humanity forever

It's a wavering truth
It's the subtle lie
It is everything you think
It is nothing to me

© Olatuja Oloyede

Stand still and listen
Today we celebrate the birth of royalty
A noble soul is walking the earth
Her footprints are unwashed on the shores of time
God has sent a goddess to us
And we tremble at the sight of her

I've known a poet and lyricist
Sweet tenderness personified
The womb that cocooned my life at birth
The hands that tended my cradled head
The first to cry when I'm hurt
The last to give up when I'm lost
The one you call my mother
The one I call my dear treasure

She's plus one today
What more can I say
Of those sacrifices I can't repay
From the days I moulded with clay
To the days I'm strong enough to make the hay
Come what may
Let the health and wealth stay
Long life, peace and prosperity for you I pray

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY

© OLATUJA OLOYEDE
(I WAS CHRISTENED PEN PANTHER LATELY BY A GANG OF POETS)

A monster from the shadows
Haunting me from my dark days
I once negotiate with demons
But I didn't exchange my soul
For the treasures of hell

My soul is lurking the shores of flames
Wandering in chains
I'm lost in my pains

This night, I will have a say in my fate
Darkness... our pact is done
Death... Our treaty is over
I'm fading on this winding road
That which leads everywhere leads nowhere

Gain my crown of hypocrisy
Bastard days have betrayed me
Wandering nights have broken me...
Let me be true to God this once
If happiness my lost soul may know
If peace my fretful heart may find

© Olatuja Oloyede

Some things will never change
Like the strips on the zebra skin

Some tears will never dry
Like the rivers running into the sea

Some people never dies
Like the golden names on the history slates

Some prayers are never answered
Like those of the royal roses grassing the desert plans

Life has limit within its stretches
It won't always tilt the good way

Love life's unfolding with thanks
And accept people for who they are

The yesterday is gone forever
Tomorrow is always unknown
So live today
Live now

A little worry
That's what a peaceful life needs

© OLATUJA OLOYEDE

Life's voyage has led me thus far
This terrain of silence was never my home

My soul is marooned on the island of sin
I was never born this way

God you know all my life
I've craved for the perfection of angels
I've coveted the innocence of a child

I've desired the cloaks of the monks
And prayed for the testimonies of the saints

Where this tide is taking me
Where this path is leading me
How far and how long I still have to go
I do not know

Should I succumb to the beast within?
Should I keep fighting with my frail punches?

I'm at the hinterlands of this darkness
Yet I see a beckon of light
Urging me to get up each time I fall
I'm never lost beyond redemption still

© Olatuja Oloyede

Children of the old brutal witches
Sons of the idle homeless thieves
Have mastered the sorcery of their gods
The ancient bandit's creed
Now they loot our dreams

Common slaves of ungrateful histories
Have risen in ranks by sacred conspiracies
Killing all that stood their way
Until the throne is burdened beneath their bosoms
And the crowns saging above their heads

They won't stop at that
This race of monsters stops at nothing
They will steal from the thieves
Strip the rags of the powerless poor
They will kill until death is dead
And we will only do what we have always done
Watching in silence!

© Olatuja Oloyede

*HAPPY EASTER*