New year new faith

Penspeak Communities across Nigeria have recently taken up Freestyle Fridays hosted by The Godzniel. This is a collection of poems from Penspeak Community UNIZIK freestyles in January 2025.

Our very own MC Wisdom set the Christendom ball rolling,

Ladies and gentlemen,
Listen up, I’ve got a message for the masses
To the ones who think they can hold me back, I’ve got a few words to amass

This is not another new year, new me
And to everything and everyone who dissed me
This year you better receive sense, so free me

I’ll rise above the noise, I’ll shine like the morning sun
On every stage, I will stand my ground, call me the chosen one

So, to whom it may concern, listen up and take heed
I’m the MC WISDOM not to be reckoned with, my voice is a thunder that comes with a lightning decree

I’ll speak my truth, I’ll stand my ground
I’ll be the change, I’ll turn things around

So, watch me rise, watch me soar
I’m untamed and unstoppable, so sit back and watch out for more “MC WISDOM”

Just as we were still in awe of this grace, Delight came and gave us;

SCREENSHOT OF FAITH

In a world that judges by value and birth,
To us…the dreamers and the doers,
What shall we say to these things?
In a world of scrolling, tapping and clicking,
Where moments pass like a flash, never quite stopping.
There is one thing we capture, though abstract even to the believer.

You know,
The Youth today are chasing dreams
Like flashes on a screen…
Flickering fast, chasing fast, but what does this mean?
One wrong step, one wrong foot…
And you are back to square one questioning your truth.
Faith, they say, is the light at the end of the tunnel.
But what if the tunnel’s a mirror, a reflection of your struggles?
Like a dog chasing its tail, we run around in circles,
Dreams dangle like carrots, but we can’t even find the hurdles.
Irony lives here, right here in our struggle to rise,
The higher we reach, the higher the price we pay.

We keep chasing this lady ‘success’ just as she waltzes away,
More like the sun which rises but still sets at the end of the day…
We live in a world where everything is loud,
Where the pressure to rise feels like breaking the crowd!
We post, we hustle, we strive for the spotlight,
Trying to make a name in a world full of wrongful rights.
We keep chasing followers, likes and applause,
But the real faith is not about these shallow laws.

A screenshot of Faith is the courage to start.
It’s trusting yourself when the world says ‘wait’ …
It’s finding your power even when the world system says it’s too late.
It’s not about the speed or how fast you fly
It is just the courage to leap even when you can’t touch the sky!
It will tell you to walk, and then vanish from your sight
Leaving you wondering, “Am I wrong or right?”
So trust me when I say this one can’t be saved to your gallery… it’s not a picture, it’s more than a name.
It is the belief that in time we all shall find our flame.

We wrap up our freestyles here. It’s always an honor to be part of this. See you next month.

Authors
MC WISDOM
DELIGHT SHEKELS

NIGHTMARE by Benjamin Skomorac

(Commentary by the Author Included)

With his mouth open with horror,
they run among
fragmented boulders of stones,
halfway between father and her,
little girls dressed in nothing,
terrified of strangers,
in the night while he forgets
toys somewhere;
as the father of the arrow,
which he throws straight into the sky
with a call for the innocence of suffering.

BOSNIAN TRANSLATENoćna mora

Otvorenim ustima od užasa,
Trče među
Rascjepkanim komadima kamenja,
Na pola puta između oca i nje,
Djevojčice obučene u ništa
Prestravljene od stranca,
U noći dok zaboravlja svoje
Igračke negdje;
Kao otac strijele,
Koje baca ravno u nebo
Uz doziv nevinosti stradanja.

COMMENTARY

The content of the lyrics of this poem hides many metaphors and hidden meanings. This means that the song Nightmare encourages thinking and searching for the deeper meaning of each word. Hidden motifs like “toys” or “arrows” paint the whole picture of trouble. Because of that, the song is called Nightmare. Father and daughter are the figures discussed here. The verses are sorted by pictures of distress. The song has a sad effect and a very important message for the whole world. Likewise, the verses mention innocence. So these people in the song are innocent and want justice for their people. In all this, the worst pictures are watched by children, watched by war, fighting and dying. These kids are dirty and hungry for the whole situation. Therefore, this is a message to the world that we need peace. We see tears and pain in the eyes of children. We are all sensitive to the baby crying that is painted in this song. Here we see salvation in a plea to God that can only help us deal with every problem. For the great God is always with us and always helps us in every trouble. That’s why we need to reach out to him and ask for help. Every believer knows that God always responds to our prayers. This song is a support and a strength for all the people in the world who are hungry and living a bad life! Emotions are stronger than any word!

Bosnian translation

Sadržaj stihova ove pesme krije mnoge metafore i skrivena značenja. To znači da pjesma Noćna mora potiče razmišljanje i traženje dubljeg značenja svake riječi. Skriveni motivi poput “igračaka” ili “strelica” slikaju čitavu sliku problema. Zbog toga se pjesma zove Nightmare. Otac i kćer su ovdje prikazane brojke. Stihovi su razvrstani po slikama nevolja. Pjesma ima tužni efekt i vrlo važnu poruku za cijeli svijet. Isto tako, stihovi spominju nevinost. Znači, ovi ljudi u pjesmi su nevin i žele pravdu za svoj narod. U svemu tome su najgore slike djeca, gledaju ih rat, borbe i umiranja. Ova djeca su prljava i gladna zbog cijele situacije. Stoga je ovo poruka svijetu da nam treba mir. U očima dece vidimo suze i bol. Svi smo osjetljivi na bebino plakanje koje je oslikano u ovoj pjesmi. Ovdje vidimo spasenje u molbi Bogu koja nam može samo pomoći da se riješimo svakog problema. Jer veliki Bog je uvijek s nama i uvijek nam pomaže u svakoj nevolji. Zato mu moramo pružiti ruku i zatražiti pomoć. Svaki vjernik zna da Bog uvijek odgovara na naše molitve. Ova pjesma je podrška i snaga za sve ljude na svijetu koji gladuju i žive loš život! Emocije su jače od bilo koje riječi!

by Benjamin Skomorac
(c) 2020

INTIMACY OF TRUTH

He asks why I shrink
My mind conjures letters into words
Envelopes but unable to post it
The inefficiency of the post office may misplace it
Misplace it with reactions from cross-purposes
For avoidable protocol of tracing words to letters I shrink

He says I should try him
But I know the end from the beginning
I am expected to be saintly
With perhaps a pardonable trace of sinfulness
Because he supposedly understands I’m human
I can’t determine which of my sinfulness he considers pardonable
So I don’t try him

I quiver at my imaginations
My mind is a roller coaster of horror
The gate of Hades
For his safety, there is no access
No actual intimacy
Let it be closed to family and friends
Entertaining guests will be at the veranda

The explosion of bodies in hot passion is still not intimacy without truth
He could recognize the members of my body in the dark;
Be familiar with the turns, corners
Nooks, crannies, depths and heights of my body
We could surf through a tsunami with goose pimples as evidence
And still not achieve intimacy

My hunger for intimacy deepens
I search and find the one able
To hear my filthy and wretched truth
The one who sees past my truth
And introduced his truth which is grace
Alas, I give up my keys and let him in
I let out fires I shamefully quenched
The intimacy of truth cannot be afforded by humans
But the one already paid

– ChyD
© 2019

Well done

You pray in formation
Beyoncé has to feature you in her next formation
Praises first, worship second
Forgive me Lord for I have sinned
Well done, ma

You give up on yourself
Because you keep running from Pillar to Post
Pillar of fornication
Post of prayer for forgiveness of sins
Your legs are weak
You imagine the lord must be tired of you
Tigers woods!
Well done, Sir!

You are told Jesus has forgiven you once and for all
But you argue you have to work out your salvation with fear and trembling
How is the walk going?
Are you trembling yet?
Wakajugbe!
Well done, ma!

You complicate simple English
And say there is more to believing than believing
That believing is not enough for eternal life if not backed up with works
Backup memory card!
Listen to yourself
Are you making any sense at all?
Well done, Sir!

You say Grace keeps one from sinning
Aunty stop sinning already
But you cannot
Is God’s grace not sufficient for you?
Now you say you have to strive to enter
You go wound oh
Well done, ma!

You call me heretic
That I preach a message from the pit of hell
A message that allows believers to lounge
Can we talk about this
Without you getting worked up and defensive?
Because I would like to see you without a York
Jackie!
Well done, Sir!

ChyD
© 2019