Rise from the Dust

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023Leave a comment

Love, I need you to rise from the dust.
You might not have the best words,
But I need you to speak
You wouldn’t move mountains with your thoughts.

Love, I need you to give that warmth
You might not be the best fit
But I need you to try
You wouldn’t feed with folded arms.

I need you to feel – again.
Feel the compassion that runs through My veins.
Since you are a child of me,
You’d see men as I do with the eyes of Mercy.

I need you to see – again.
Walk this path, it’s yours
Don’t forget who is always beside you,
Don’t forget who has always held your hands,
Don’t forget whose love has taught you,
Don’t forget whose words have kept you.

Love, I need you to be – again,
I need you to rise from the dust.

Jahzrhythm
© 2023

Words for My Father

June 19, 2022June 19, 2022Leave a comment

Baami,
For the times your words enveloped my fear,
Times your voice echoed courage into my soul,
And you became strength for my arms,
When the weight of the world became too heavy for me to bear,

Nna,
You built an image our lives could reflect on,
And carved words into pointers to guide us,
As we journeyed through the world,
You denied yourself of pleasures,
So we could afford the luxury we desired;
A price you’d pay as long as you had breath in your lungs,

How can I forget the touch of your rod,
A few lashes to straighten us when we went wrong,
How can I forget lessons enriched in respect, integrity and diligence,
Lessons drawn from the scenes of your life,
Lessons we could hold in the palms of our hands,
Lessons that moulded us into the men we are today!

Abba,
I choose to count my flowers while the sun still shines upon your face and the wind gently caresses you,
When the air in your lungs still warms up your chest,
And your heart still beats,
Today, I choose to celebrate you for being nothing short of a father!
Happy Father’s day Baami.

And to those Father who has gone beyond this world,
We choose to remember you and say you live on in hearts!

Olaoye Adeleye
(C) 2022

Mary’s Cross

February 7, 2021Leave a comment

Scandal has tingled the villagers’ ears
And engendered the gossip mother fears.
I find her, alone, dissolved in tears
From what she’s heard in the marketplace.

When I go for water, my ears start burning,
As I shop for fish, my feet start turning
To run, but I’m gradually learning
That their hisses can’t rob me of God’s grace.

They tell my father it’s a shame.
They tell my mother she’s to blame.
They whisper to others that I’m a stain
On the high reputation of this godly place.

A swollen belly can’t be hid
Nor the depths of disgrace into which I’ve slid.
Next, my marriage vows they’ll try to forbid
And work to see me exiled from this place.

In the angel’s words it was God I heard
He’s wiser than the scoldings of this world.
I’m told if I faithfully follow His word
I’ll hold the Creator of all time and space
In my arms.

Pamela Urfer
© 2021