THE GRIPS OF GRACE

THE GRIPS OF GRACE

In the grips of grace; I now find my self
Lost in the vanity of my own pursuits
Living life; a balancing act on the fulcrum of my own strengths
Bubbling in the bliss of life’s ultimate pleasures
Filled with the lustful ridden pie of self deception
A little here, a little there
A damned dance with rhythms I warmly embraced

Till the walls came crumbling;
And I tumbling down
Walls I never knew existed
Pushed Into a cesspool of misery
I fell under the weight of my own strong feet
I shouted at the noisy silence
Held my breath; closed my eyes
I struggled with futile shadows
Till I could do no more
Then I surrendered;
To suffering, defeat; my failing; my fears; my weakness! NO

To HIM
He has been there; silently waiting and prodding
To warm his way in;
I remember him once; some time ago
We were once friends
But I turned my back on him
Yet still; He gathered me into his grip
The grip of grace; lovingly and unreservedly,
Undeservedly beyond my faults and failing
Into the grips of his grace

AYORINDE AKINWALE
1/08/2011

WHAT I SEEK...

I seek for truth that endures, ones that I can live by
I seek love; absolute, forever and unconditional
I seek a mission; noble and meaningful that I can live for
I seek a passion, deep, intense and consuming
I seek knowledge; it is power; yes I also admit to show off a bit
I seek God; living, one, and true, to worship forever
I seek purpose; to understand what and why of my existence
I seek inner peace; to ward off the mass confusion and turmoil in and around me
I seek to capture words; it is the basis of everything
I seek faith; in God, my possibilities and people, it is the energy of life
I seek hope; for today and the future; in the midst of pain, disappointment, evil
I seek her, my helpmate; together we are complete
I seek friends; the rare sort, true and faithful ones
I seek heaven; a place of true rest and eternal bliss
I seek lasting prosperity, material, spiritual, social; it beats poverty any day
I seek...

For MJ!

The news of his death hit me with mixed feelings.
First I thought it was a joke
He’s been the butt of many in recent times
Then I laughed
Then again I thought "how exactly did he die"
I pictured his thin frame on his lush bed
All white skin with no trace of a black spot
Peacefully (or not) slipping into the other world
What will he do when he gets there?
Will he do that astounding dance?
Will anyone recognize him?
I think Seun would...
He passed on last week
And I know he loved MJ
Maybe he'll ask for his autograph

- Toyin

A tragic ending to a troubled soul!!!!
Though I believe there is more to death or so I want to believe
before his death he was on the path to reclaim some of the lost glory

I was a big fan in my early childhood
When my aunties then had his songs booming from the stereo
Into my head till it clung like glue
Those years when everything new fascinated one
Wearing my little brother skin tight jumping trousers
Imagining I had my own glossy black shoes
I would try out my comical version of the moon walk
My varied and distorted version of the waist trust
It use to send my aunties sprawling with laughter
Those were his days of glory
He had reached the very top of success
Literally worshipped
To fall apart, like that, from a god to less than a man
To fall to such a state of ridicule.

yet it cannot be taken from him

he added colour to earth

it can be said of him a man walked through here

it reminds us of something true and at times taken for granted

success and life can be fleeting

like shakespear said 'the world is a stage

all men have their entry and exit'

so did he!

selah

-Ayo

A day in a speed boat

yes, i guess i have not been taking this blogging business as seriously as i should. i will try to give the time it deserves. this little piece came whe i was going with the company boat from the apapa office to the island.

A day in a speed boat

It sits with a restless calm at the office’s Apapa jetty
Swaying excitedly to the winds music,
In its bruised looking blue and white armour
With a look of one that had seen some battle
We step in, as it invites us warmly into its open cervix
Casting off its restraints it bursts impatiently into the open sea
Its waves parts behind us like its in hot pursuit
The twin engine spit out water mockingly
At times in unwilling acknowledgement to the seas fury it slows down
At other times it bounces up greedily like it’s also willing to take on the skies
With clenched teeth, sweaty palms, our eyes dart at the slightest prod
We are sitted tensely like pawns in a dicey game between machine and nature
Bursting past we see a few relics of nature subdue its fellow kind
From a distance we sight the shore line of the Ikoyi boat club
Relief overtakes the air of silent uneasiness
As the boats the settles into its harbour its bobs up and down
A slight display of arrogance in its victory over the seas
We clamber out of the boat, thankful!

Ayorinde Akinwale

LOVE FOR A SEASON

Love in Due Season (chapter one) Contd
As Kofi sits sedately in midst of the laughter and coarse joking of his friends at their usual evening hangout, present yet thoughts afar off. He reminisces dreamily and with clarity of those times they spent together. Timeless moments! When, he could not get enough of her. Countless nights when instead of boarding commercials bikes, they did rather just walk together hand in hand to preserve the moments through the town with the mud houses clustered together conspiratorially, past the teaching hospital; with the occasional stops at the blacked faced mesuya; always with a lavish smile inviting us to purchase his wares, past the bridge where the meruwas gather with their jerry cans and wheel barrow, chattering away in hausa about the days activities, past the local secondary Schools, Through the dusty and undulating road trail. Till we get to the baobab tree by the stream! Our baobab tree that loomed over us like some sort of guardian, leaves swaying approvingly.
For Kofi she was different! He was drawn magnetically to her. Her clear set eyes, her intelligence, natural wildness and restlessness unlike most ladies that were so caught up with the seriousness of trying to fulfil the demands of their stereotype roles, she was ready to fly. They both shared a love for words and she inspired the poet in him
In her eyes I see loves comely glow
In her voice I hear its sweet note
In her touch I feel it nudge at my hearts sacred
places…
Oshare !!!!! To him she was fire at the same time water, heaven at the same time earth. Yet there was this vulnerability he could sense about her. At times he was scared he wondered whether she was going to be as fleeting as most good things that happened to him. Uncertain about whether to fling himself completely into this or to restrain himself. But more often than not when he was with her, he felt delirious and numb with exctitement as a child that had won a million naira not knowing what the next step should be, that how he felt during their evening strolls.
Kofi left his friends at their hangout; he wasn’t in the mood for the noise. As he walked back home alone his mind drifted to the night of the first kiss at the baobab tree. How can he forget……
Akinwale Babatunde ayorinde

THE MANNERS OF LOVE

Behold what manner of love …1john 3:1

As I set off to work early in the morning my ears drums are inundated with love songs after love songs being churned out by the local radio station another obvious reminder that today is St Valentine’s day; a special day when we are meant to demonstrate love. At first my intention was to write and compile a series of love poems- I mean the type we usually have between a man and woman, when they consumed by an inexplicable attraction to each other. But really what’s all the fuss associated with Valentine’s or lover days. Why should there be just one day set aside to celebrate love; when we choose to send messages or in our own peculiar way show love to our loved ones or to the disadvantaged. Why don’t we just make everyday a Valentine’s Day of some sort, the world would be a much saner place to live.

In our age and time the predominant way and manner it is celebrated vividly reflects what we and society conceive Love to be and what it means to us. From my schooling days till now the course of a typical valentine’s day is so predictable. Starts with the guy wowing the lady with lavish gifts, usually a teddy bear and chocolates are included in the package and maybe an outing somewhere to complement it, and at times it usually climaxes with some brief intimate exchange (to the guy at this point he has scored a winning, for the lady with the cake, other gifts and stories of a splendid outings she becomes the envy of her peers) but really nothing has changed since then has it. I am not really too conversant with the Saint Valentine person, but there is nothing really saintly about it is celebrated today

But really is there more to it, is it enduring and perfect as we make to be, can it be said to be forever. The philos love; refers to love based on friendship, There is the eros love; the type displayed between a man and woman, completely swayed by some kind of drawing and longing for each other, which is over glamorized in most books, magazines and movies we come in contact with. There is the filial love; this is the type of love is based on family affiliation. But are these dimensions of love perfect and forever. Guess not or else we wouldn’t be having stuff like break-ups, heartbreaks, divorce, sibling rivalry, bosom friends turning to enemies.

Some of my favourite references to love are found in the Holy Writ, especially in I Cor 13, it describes the character and colour of love it speaks of a pure unfeigned love that reassures, that has a divine essence to it, a humbling love that is unconditional, meaning that it does not look for suitable conditions but displays it light with the same fervour, irrespective of circumstance, favourable or favourable, returned or not. G.K Chesterton once said ‘love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all’. It does not offer from leftovers, but delves into it very best (God gave his own son) and it is best displayed through actions. it ends in the most profound way by placing three very desirable virtues ( faith, hope, love) side by side and reaches the unanimous conclusion that Love is the greatest- Agape Love. Truly as John said ‘What manner of love is this…

I really do not have an appropriate ending, but in this season and spirit of today it is important to remember what really love at its best is all about and can be like; not a day but an everyday, not just emotions but actions, not just a fleeting thought or state but an attitude

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
Ayo Akinwale

WHISPERS IN THE WIND

whispers of the wind...
in the dark starry night
my lover beckons me
with lips that dripped desire
I close my eyes to beholda portrait of love, like a dream so real
lost listlessly in the ambience of your embrace
why wait forever?
why die with the thought that i would neverhold you in my arms
the fortune-tellers say we re not to be
my heart says otherwise
could there be a better soothsayer than this love I feel

in whose arms my heart was nestled
this love that enchanted my heart
this love that intoxicated my senses
now i am like a blind man
wandering by the sea
a heavy wind is blowing my way
does it portend well
or does it gust with gloom
The trees bows ominously welcoming it arrival
The leaves shudder with apprehension
The moon stares; an unwilling audience
Tell me what you bring from my beloved?

Echoes of a love once lost
The rhythm in my broken heart
Just like this angry sea
All tales of our love gone sour
Or so it seems
my heart gently whispers in the madding turmoil
even the raging seas must calm
my precious love once gone can be found
And lost rhythms regained
Time mends the most broken places
Therefore I will wait

By Ayo Akinwale and Toyin Odewunmi