If I should tell you ‘Bout all that’s not gold,
I won’t be speaking of the dangles on my mother’s neck,
The stud on my sisters’ ear or the rock between her finger.

I rather walk you through society and how we paint it
How we lose sight of reality and view just the glam
How we concentrate on what’s flashy…
and how we don’t see cute to see the ugly, rather view the paint in Awe
and see the pain in ‘gust.
I will tell you how we channel our focus on the big weddings and lose the sight of the bigger picture.

So, if I’m to talk about all that glitters that is not gold, do know these:
I’d be telling you of the painful truth you chose to ignore,
The scandals that come with the big weddings,
The agony masked in smiles, the pain of each like button
How each comment burns like fire.
Would let you in on my mother’s secret,
How her dangles are not real, she also removes her spackling watch before the end of each occasion.
I’d tell you how my sister’s earrings fade daily and insomnia she gets from the rock on her finger.

I will tell you how reality is far from society, and leaves you to face the agony.
So, when you think about a sparkling gold, think about the last trend and those who end with it.
Think about earth and how we rotate with it,
Please think about reality.

To the lady I have been...
Audacious Daring and Loving.
To the Fighter deep within.
my love through the moon and back.

My love! as you celebrate your Silver Jubilee be audacious, meticulous and spontaneous live life and let love lead.
Give your insecurities time to breathe. You are young and endearing, loving and goal getting.

Enjoy your youthful age, for my dear there is nothing you'd have done different. you're beautiful just the way you are.
Beautifully fascinating, endearing, ravishing and enchanting.

The best version of you is yet to come so live and learn through the process.
Trust God that things happen for a reason, and the best part of the journey is not the destination but the process.
To you my lovely self you are the most self-aware just don't get self-absorbed you are most loving yet dangerous. But if it comes down to a choice let love lead.

And if at a point you get to celebrate a golden jubilee, I pray you're surrounded with love as you must have loved, I pray you have cake even though they might be vendored or baked.
I also pray and you must have lived while you exist and give him back to those that had given and more so to those who haven't.

Dear future self I haven't met you yet, but I want you to be nice to this 25-year old me don't make me suffer too much.
My darling future self don't be much indecisive and don't be perfidy.
I implore you to be kind and love the best version of yourself. don't crack to the pressure, you don't always have to like the measures, but at then look at the end pleasure.
Just follow the process leave the moment it may be hard, but remember Blacks don't crack!

My Loving self remember I love you nothing beats that. you are loved by me and no you're not a pariah you'd have to get that out of your head.

To my ten-year-old self I now know better,
My 15 year-old rebel, I guarantee you I think deeper.
To the 20 I now see clearly and to you my 25. Darling please be nice and make sure that my 30 we'll get it right.

What is poetry
Is that even a question
Poetry!
Marvellous words design in lines
Transform into verses
It gave birth to sonnet
It comes in lyric
Of beautiful rhyme
Serving as rhythm in melody

Poetry, as old as man
Formed  from the Mediaeval times
Down Neoclassical
My dear, it's Romance
Coming from Elizabethan era
Formed a modern movement
Something so beautiful
Beautiful to a fault, it's called poetry

Ask my fathers what poetry means.
To Thomas Watts it's a way of love
Butter Yaests  paths way for activism
Grace gives strength to recommendation
Ojiade fights corruption
Pope graces  Cesar
Osadibe makes appeal
And it a way of life in lines

What is poetry, you ask?
It is a way of redemption
Scribbled down, it's description
A map of direction
Given as recommendation
To a vast way of calculation

Ask a chemist, and he says what on earth is not chemistry
A physician says life is based on assumption
Psychology say man is nature
ichthyologists sees the beautiful aquaculture
A teacher sees the best methodology
Historian gives tells great mythology
Which gives ride to sociology
Yet poetry is nature.  

Bellah

Africa my Africa
The giant rock on the river bank
Yes! Africa the lover of her nations
The giant of all continent

Africa the lover of culture
In Africa, culture communicates…
beauty and love.
Have you seen our wrappers?
The magnitude of her colours is so adhering
See the beauty of our caravan
The movement from place to place,
Yes we're gipsies!

The momentum of our brotherhood
And love in our diversity
Africa the lover of all tribes
And giver of livestocks
Mama, the best in humanity and culture

Let's talk about art...
Have a look at our vast nature
That my dear is art itself
The beautiful seas of green
The alluring spirits of the canvas
The beauty in the artist pen
Bringing out the best images in art, beauty and culture
When you talk about culture and heritage,
I call for your hearing...
Africa
Mother that won't give up her brotherhood
You speak about peace and love?
I'll tell you about Africa… which after many wars, still keeps her children
She's a plate that dish out love and affection in her own language not minding your understanding
Yes we're Africans. And we know humanity, love and culture.
I don't know what part of the world you are from.
But here in Africa, we speak in culture and style.

Bellah.

To the ones who were taken!
The ones that left for greener pasture!
For those that eloped…
Insearch of love and comfort.
To the ones whose country was at war!
Had to leave not because of the fun.
To you all who have not seen your relatives in decades!
To you all I hail thy!

Your country may be in disarray
You may had been trafficked
Maybe even by mistake.
Yet a new home you had to find
To you, I hail thee!

To the anchor babies, the ones who got bullied…
for what they are not responsible for.
You are my star!
You shine so bright they find it hard not to pick from you. 'Not on you'.
For the great brains that have to live with little, for lacking a Green Card!
You are bigger than what they thought of you.
Your turn to succeed would come. Please don't give up.

Her mother's daughter
The one that was told of great opportunities.
She left with big dreams! Only to see the cruelty of the world she knows nothing of.
In your is the odyssey. Your strength is unmatched!

For our ansestors that were taken and made slaves.
Called "Colored" because of their beautiful skin
Our dashing Milani beauty!
Oh! Your flawless skin under the ray of the sun or its coolness with every cold breeze.
A Resistor!
My ancestral goddess. You found a home amidst all odds.
To you! I hail thy!
And to you is this day celebrated.
Happy International Migrant day!