The Heavens Reciprocated! (pt. II) By Bob Charles.

Noticing our presence however, her gaze became more intense and her face began to twist. As I fixed my two little eyes up toward her face and toward the heavens as well, I could notice the heavens’ face mimicking mama’s face. I could behold the clouds gathering as mama’s face got more and more heavy. As the first teardrop from mama’s eye dropped right on my face – it was instantly followed by the heaven’s. The coincidence of the whole event was beginning to make sense to me and my two siblings, driving rain of tears down our eyes as we held more tightly to mama’s gown.
At this time, mama has fully convinced herself of the heaven’s cooperation as she falls to her knees taking hold of us while her eyes were still fixed at the heavens. She gave way to bitter-weeping. As expected by now-the heavens cried along. Neither she nor we minded the downpour as we all wept bitterly. Mama cried and cried, so hard that her chest began to block. She tried to cough, and the heavens replied with thunders. The more she coughed, the more it thundered and the more I and my siblings cried. Placing her left hand on her chest - mama began consoling herself. At this point, the heavens started to withdraw its waters. Mama stood up and started to clean her eyes as the heavens started to brighten up once more. She looked so fulfilled and satisfied. To her, it was one encounter of a lifetime; it was everything she needed in order to rebuild her faith and moral. It refortified her for the task of catering for five young progenies. As we trekked the almost 120 minutes journey back home, I was busy replaying the recordings and trying to put more meaning to the motion pictures that flashed through my head.
Today, mama has gone the way of her ancestors leaving her progenies behind. But looking at her picture – I can’t help but reminisce on the events of long time ago at the open fields. No matter how many times I run the recordings of those events – one thing stands out of all the action taken by mama that bright morning. The heavens reciprocated!
Adieu mama.


By Bob Charles

Queen of the Niger

QUEEN OF THE NIGER

Like a freshly blossomed flower
Rose, Jasmine... Lilies-even
Effusing scents of caramel and vanilla
Petals- soft, succulent and tender
Blossoming with so much gusto and glee
In the midst of thorn bushes and weed.

Outstanding- no! Standing out
Above all others in the evergreen plains,
and soft green hills
Buried in myth,
and shrouded in mystery
Only, but a few-
A sapient, may be even clairvoyant few
have had the rare honour of
only, but a glimpse
of this beauty and rare breed

An endangered specie,
So beautiful, she could give sight to the blind,
strength to the weak
and peace to the weary
To behold her awesome presence,
her enchanting essence
and overwhelming effulgence
is indeed a BLESSING.

-Deffwill

The Heavens Reciprocated! (Pt. I) By Bob Charles

It's a bright summer sky over the farming fields of West-East Africa. Mama suddenly stopped working, stood stationary, and then slowly lifted her face towards the bright beautiful morning heavens. Her action caught my attention, as I sat down under an Oil-bean tree and watched her every move. I was only eight years old, neither the first nor the last of her five children left with her by her husband to cater for all by herself and without a job. It will take yet another eight years before I myself would begin to understand only the surface of what has already happened. Mama gazed intently right into the heavens as if she was starting to see the one whom all religions of the world claim to worship but has failed to behold his physical face. I quickly grasped the turn of events, and the stimuli they sent into my brains activated a tiny camcorder seated in there which started recording motion pictures and sounds that has only become indelible.
About sixty seconds has passed by, mama is still motionless and her head has not tilted an inch. Suddenly, she gave the heavens a very soft smile. That smile was so full of meaning that the heavens accelerated its brightness. It was as if the skies above understood all the unspoken words. That smile also preceded a sudden fall of her countenance. Even my young and naïve mind could quickly write the drama unfolded thus far between mama and the heavens -
Mama: hello God, are you there?
God: oh yes, as always!
Mama: it's truly not a happy day for me today...
As I watched with keen interest, I noticed that her fallen countenance also preceded an immediate fall on the heaven's countenance as well. It looked as if the bright nine a.m. weather jumped three hours backwards. I and my two older siblings were beginning to be terrified. We instinctively pulled ourselves together in a queue and matched slowly towards her, then we surrounded her each one of us grabbing a tiny part of her long sleeveless gown. She stood her ground, her posture- unchanged!

Wake-Up Call

Wake Up Call

Like a thorn in my flesh
Constantly bugging
Never letting me sleep
Day in, day out
At the exact hour, as sure as the sun, SHE comes
She's never late, she never fails.

When she comes,
She comes along with all her hullabaloo and tantrums
Shaking and screaming
Throwing fits with fury
She's never late, she never fails.

Some times I hear her in my dreams
She persists till I wake
Frowning and cursing, I get up
Grumbling, mumbling and stumbling
through my morning routine
She's never late, she never fails.

Come the very next morning
All over-again
At exactly the same hour, she starts!...
She's never late, she never fails...
My good ol' alarm clock.

The African Woman

The African Woman

Beautiful brown skin Nubian
You! is the queen of my universe
Brown skin, brown eyes,
with shape like an Arabian goddess
Raise your head up high,
you queen of the Nubian
Straight out of the Garden of Eden
Your glow, radiance and effulgence,
in my world takes pre-eminence
Even before your awesome presence, is beheld
Like the glowing light that precedes the arrival of the morning sun
Outstanding, robust and firm
Even Venus cannot contend

-Deffwill

A BIRTHDAY EULOGY

A BIRTHDAY EULOGY
On this day like yesterday, many years before today, you came our way
Some taught you lost your way, like a celestial body that went astray
You found yourself in the world and chose to stay
The entire earth your bay, if you choose…to do as you may
For as your bed, you make
So too you must lay
Against all odds, you stayed
To fulfill your destiny come what may
Bringing joy, peace, happiness and love
To all that came your way
Infecting and inspiring them all with your charm and gay
This is to you, on your very own day
Wishing you the happiest of birthdays
This day and for always
-Deffwill