ERINLE

He was a mortal man clad in charms,

and who's mouth was the dwelling place of incantations.

The people of Ilobu invoked his spirit from their alarms,

for the Fulani had sentenced them to damnation. 

His musket commanded the soul of the antelope,

and his feet thumped hard against the ground like a mighty elephant.

Shrubs of his tilling protected the people like an envelope,

obeying Esu's orders to become a tegument.

Eledumare had given unto him a heavenly mandate,

and he dug his feet into the earth and became a river.

From the woes of ayé would he forever remain extricate,

like the dying petals his flesh began to wither.

He rises violently on the south of Offa,

sending exhortations to adversaries lest they be expelled down under.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

Humanity

"Humanity has been unkind to me. Therefore, it deserveth not my empathy."

                 - Adesina Aanuoluwapo John

WH

"Winter is the only serious contender hell has." 

            -Adesina Aanuoluwapo John

LUCENT ABYSS

Her beauty shone brighter than a million suns,

camouflaging the dark ugliness of her mind.

Hurtful words expelled like bullets of sentry guns,

before friends and foe am I severely maligned.

I welcomed her into my summer-warm embrace,

yet she set a bouquet of thorns in my bossom.

Her lips served as her spiked mace,

allowing her concealed nature to blossom.

Filled with awe at such severe damage, 

I retired my emotions for this wench.

My forgiving eyes eclipsed by a merciless rage,

and my essence reeked of a loathly stench.

I couldn't pick the pieces of her crumbling heart,

for even mine had been so viciously torn apart.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

BLANKET IN TURMOIL

The sun warms our hearts

when we are left in winters arms.

Yet she is scorned.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

BARE

Butts scattered all across the ground,

wedged between the crooked footpaths,

Shadows floating over roads of tar,

revealing the fallen glittering stars.

The October chill shrivels my rod,

as the frost builds slowly in my brain,

Engines roar against the emerald beams,

for the devils torch cometh quick.

Drunken fools outnumber the trees,

and girls whose virginities are tossed over the bridge,

Lay in regrets ceaseless embrace,

with hearts becoming bare as their mothers wombs.

Wandering alone down Lower ford street,

I wonder what next it is I shall see.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

LD

A long-distance relationship is like the union between the sun and the earth. It doesn't matter how far apart they are, one party would still get burned. - Adesina Aanuoluwapo John (2016)

LIBRARY

She sits amidst an empire of papyrus,

engaged in a tryst with denial,

Her intestines disorganised like an atlas,

as tears roll down her cheek and become an aisle.

She longs for her dreamy studious man,

who's first name rhymes with decay,

Thoughts of bashing his head with a pan,

marry thoughts of him being utterly gay.

She desires his love and warm embrace,

but is seduced by the book she reads,

Worry lays a gloomy print on her face,

the flowers of love become menacing weeds.

She arms herself with sticks and stones,

with the intent of breaking his bones.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

Δδ 9

The smog grows in my lungs,

causing my windpipe to disintegrate,

I have thoughts of correcting my wrongs,

courtesy of this elevated state.

I notice the unusual dullness of the room,

as my foot struggles to detach from the ankle,

Feelings of insecurity and suspicion begin to loom,

dragging me down the sea of pain like an anvil.

Blood thumping loudly against the heart's door,

the stereo's music flows through my veins,

Slowly dissolving like grass being eaten raw,

letting go completely of my soul's reins.

The wall's of my throat are painted in green soot,

and in my lungs it buries it's thick root.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John -2016

RAIL RODE

I look up at the gloomy sky,

as the clouds bleed ceaselessly,

Causing me to break out in a loud cry,

for they are exactly like me.

Love is like a rail to the train,

disappearing into the distance,

Mine an endeavour ending in vain,

as she turned away without a second glance.

Lips speaking words laced with venom,

eating deep into my heart,

And now I turn to the bottle of rum,

giving the order for it to rip me apart.

I dive into the shimmering lake,

drowning myself for humanity's sake.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

LATE DRINK

A cup of death is sour,

constantly served untimely,

making it even more undesirable.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

MEMORY LANE

I look back in time

and say to myself I would

never forget you

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

NANDOS SONNET

A plate of chicken wings please,

and a curry rice on the side,

Supply of drinks that do not cease,

my tongue yearns for a tasty ride.

A princely platter of Caesar salad,

with a tumbler of sparkling sangria,

While I sit writing this tender ballad,

about my affair with a veggie burger.

A bowl of sweet potato mash,

with beautiful thinly-cut chips,

Hunger causes my teeth to gnash,

leaving me with watering lips.

In shock she takes down my order,

asking politely, Is all of this for you sir?

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

SEED OF JEZEBEL

"Man knoweth not of lust from birth. But it is conceived in his heart by the woman."

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

THE IRON MIND

"One must adopt a radical way of thinking. For only then can one better understand the world and it's damned inhabitants."

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

ESCAPING TRUTH

"Happiness is just a man-made concept. Nothing of the sort exists in reality."

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

AWO META

Mo lo ba awon iya osoromoniga,

won fun mi ni eru aye ki n gbe sori,

Irun didi sona meji pelu atupa,

nitori omo meta ni iya aye bi.

Mi o ronu ntori ojukokoro,

ife ti mo ni sowo ju ti emi eniyan,

Ina iro maa n tu lenu mi bi Sango,

o de maa n fele ju iyan.

Ewo aye mi ni meta nnkan,

mi o gbodo jeun lemeta lojumo,

Ti n ba ko owo mi ma tan,

iyen soso ni o je ikilo.

Laimo mo ba awon omo meta iya kana sun,

Eleyi je itan bi aiye mi se gbeyin run.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo Johannu - 2016

BE MINE

A chill runs down my hollow spine,

as these thoughts eclipse my mind,

My veins begin to coil like twine,

for my heart beat becomes undefined.

I fear my silence shall be my doom,

more than when I free my words,

But my dead voice I must exhume,

and let them fly like uncaged birds.

Give me your heart so I may live,

hold my hands so I may feel peace,

All your affection do let me receive,

and clothe me with love's golden fleece.

My heart thumps in a jittery dance,

but all I crave is you give me a chance.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

LADY OF THE CUP

I stare lovingly at her eyebrows,

arching downwards like a spear,

deep into my skin it ploughs,

And from that wound comes a tear.

I lose myself in her eyes like an abyss,

leaving the light of loneliness above,

her smile provides a sweet sour bliss,

falling deeper and deeper in love.

I leaned forward to kiss her lips,

she ran her hands through my hair,

And shut my eyes with her fingertips,

only to abandon me and befriend the air.

I look down and realise I've made her up,

but with the help of the drink within my cup.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

METAPHOR OF SPIRITUAL REALMS

The road to heaven bears a semblance to the woman.

A long, tight and narrow canal,

Accommodating only a single entity at a time.

The road to hell bears a semblance to the man.

A broad and distinctive horizon,

For the chronically ignorant, heading straight towards destruction.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

PARALLEL ENVY

I'm envious of your life. I wish I were you. 

You're envious of my life. You wish you were me.

We're envious of our lives. We wish we were one another.

All forgetting the things we have that the other doesn't.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

KILLERS OF KIN

You kill your own people,

and desecrate their bodies.

It is not of our own doing,

but of our masters we carry.

Our guns thirst for their blood,

and our bullets for their flesh.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

GOOD EVIL

I see the impurity of the water, yet I consume it.

I see the wickedness of man's heart,

yet I befriend him.

For I know not the good that cometh from such a relationship.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

NIGERIA

Nigerians, notorious for investing in foreign education,

Yet allowing institutions at home wither away,

Thieving leaders make a business of our beloved nation,

All placed in power in a strategic array.

They make a mockery of the concept of democracy,

Legally ruling through tyranny and oppression,

Fighting to secure their ill-gotten aristocracy,

In fear of the advent of succession.

Adorned with hideous gold, while the citizens wear spectacular rags,

They live in humble mansions, but in sprawling slums the people reside,

The national cake inhabits their ghana-must-go bags,

As corruption floods our country like a raging tide.

I know you want me to say politicians are the problem,

But aren't we all as guilty as them?

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

CHIRAQ

As bells signify the end of mass, so do gunshots the end of a life,

We irrigate the soil not with water, but with blood,

Being citizens of this city, we all are nurtured in strife,

awaiting the next nigga to drop with a mighty thud. 

The playground bears the brains of a future president,

and the roads swallow that wasted soul,

Gangs take away our children without our consent,

leaving in our hearts a hollow hole.

Bullets scatter in the air like confetti,

signifying the fall of a fellow brother,

All for street cred, a cause insanely petty,

drawing tears from the eyes of one more mother.

Just down the street, I hear a screaming glock,

What more can I say, but welcome to Chiraq.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

VALENTINES DAY

I look upon you feeling nothing but love,
the concept of beauty your face has defined,
My beating heart takes flight like a dove,
as your hair dances gracefully in the wind.

Kissing your lips sets my flesh on fire,
I close my eyes and my soul departs,
Each touch only makes me burn with desire,
and each thrust feels like a thousand darts.

I softly slide your sleeves down your shoulder,
and ferociously trace the curves of your breasts,
Generating currents in you like an engines motor,
continuously running, leaving you no time to rest.

Forgive me for getting so carried away,
I forgot I was talking about valentines day.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

AYANFEOLUWA

The way we met might be odd to all,

a story that would be met with a sneer,

Ever so charming you brought down my wall,

and drew from my eye a joyous tear.

I had visited my friend on that fateful day,

oblivious of what treasure awaited me,

I gazed upon you and my heart began to sway,

as do the branches of a coconut tree.

There you sat on the sofa ever so cute,

your words were like music to my ears,

And drenched me from my stem to my root,

I wish to be with you for many more years.

My love, you are my shining star.

I love you to bits my dear Ayanfeoluwa.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

INTERCOURSE

Our hearts become beating drums,

Getting louder with each thrust,

Growing faster with each breath,

Growing bigger with each gaze,

Skipping beats with each touch,

Going silent with our climax. 

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

FIRING SQUAD

I look upon a mirror of mist,

just across the wooden bridge,

Through my mind I begin to sift,

retrieving nothing but a smidge.

I walk towards a wall of uncertainty,

as the ground burns my feet,

Soon to be a canvas of burgundy,

when its surface and my blood meet.

A colony of projectiles pass through me,

Like rabbits, deep down they burrow,

Pain surpassing the sting from a bee,

as a plough on the field creating a furrow.

My soul escapes as I fall to my knees,

Then I make a loud final wheeze.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

I WALK...

I walk aimlessly in the rain,

just so my tears can have a companion.

I walk when the wind blows hard against me, 

just so it can soften the blows I've suffered to my heart.

I walk to hear the ceaseless chatter amidst a crowd, 

just so I can drown the voices in my head.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

THE TREE OF LIFE

Life is like a tree in the summer,

with millions of colourful leaves,

In a solemn dance do they hover,

To protect us they become eaves. 

They turn brown during Autumn,

Day after day they are trampled upon,

along the paths on which they've fallen,

The sight of them leaves me forlorn. 

The leaves symbolise man's life,

Once high above residing in an enclave,

Acquiring riches which were rife,

people of unequal ilk walk over his grave. 

The rich will lay side by side the pauper,

As is the will of our Heavenly Father.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

ærdéaþ (death)

I was all alone

with my woman when a wind

blew her soul away.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

ærdéaþ

Ic béon á ánhaga

samod mín brýd hwonne sum wind

bleów hire sáwol æwierp.

Adedina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

SHEGARETTE

Her body is of a smooth slender frame,
My lips gently enclosed around her teats,
I suffer from an addiction I failed to tame,
And she shall die upon my decease.

I suck all of her poisonous cloudy milk,
and watch as she slowly dissipates,
embracing a cloak of ash, in place of a veil of silk,
as her soul floats towards heaven, leaving me in dire straits.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

ALOFT

I seldom think of when I die,

and watch the one I loved in pain.

Clothed in sorrow doth she cry,

with this then comes my utmost gain.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

S S AQUA PANDORA

I am a vessel above the waters,
with black coarse sails blowing in the wind,
Whose course is determined by her orders,
for by her hands my fate was signed.

She soon grew less fond of me,
and steered me towards treacherous waves,
My deck once strong as steel, would become only debris.
buried in cold watery graves.

A staff was pierced deep into my sides,
the Nile and the Niger became a conflux in my heart,
And my soul was carried with the tides,
for forever from this wicked world it did part.

A gentle breeze took me faster than a blink,
down to the depths of the sea I began to sink.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

THE RETINA OF JUDAS

The lies one tells are not complete,
unless the eyes are in on it. 

From thoughts of sorrow one's mind can stray, 

but the truth within does the eye betray.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

AYANSOLA

I sit here this morning as I continuously think,
as pictures of how I met you flood my mind,
and only then does it begin to sink,
I was drawn to you being utterly kind.

I know we didn't speak until of recent,
but even at that you've been dear to my heart,
an image of your smile as a turned up crescent,
and makes me wish we were never apart.

With these words I wish you a happy birthday,
and pray peace and wealth bestowed upon you,
from the path of God never shall you stray,
I say all these for my love for you is true.

I might not give you an expensive car,
but please accept these words Ayansola.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2016

LOAMY SHELTER

I am the soil,

The soil is me,

Regardless of my toil,

It's where I'm destined to be.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2015

ABISOYE

What beautiful pearl black eyes you have,

hiding shyly behind framed windows,

I was unsure whether to stare or starve,

Her smile so bright my pain it overshadows.

She had bright and flawless brown skin,

and glistening cheeks ever so plump,

watching her eat caused me to grin,

Her voice silenced my heart with a thump.

For her I journeyed to the city of Hatfield,

cold in soul till she warmed my heart,

bringing out a part of me once concealed,

and saddened me to see us part.

Her magnificent persona on paper I lay,

For this lady is named Shinaba Abisoye.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2015

ETERNAL REST

The thing about rest 

is we all crave it until 

the day rest craves us.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2015

SINFUL VESSELS

I lie waiting there at the concourse,

Imagining a trains weight upon my chest,

Her wheels shred me seductively with force,

tracks decorated with a bloody crest.

I sight a refrigerator with bright red lips, 
mount this vessel that's popular in town,

My feet graze her's in a heated kiss,

our loud noise only makes silence drown.

I met a glittering airborne wench,

whom so much loved air and fumes,

Her hollow interior she liked me to drench,

ladies all who hosted me in their rooms.

I live this life born from deceitful love,

Till out of my way emotions I did shove.

Adesina Aanuoluwapo John - 2015