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Poetry




Witch Hunt by R Bennett Okerstrom Defeating the evil that takes away life is more difficult than it seems. [165 words]
Sanguinary by R Bennett Okerstrom The blood continues to flow in this experimental preface followed by poetry. [128 words]
Influence by R Bennett Okerstrom How influential can a demon of the night be? [218 words]
Attempted Suicide by Rowan Davies NB: Don't read this if you're suicidal. In fact you probably shouldn't read it if you're a fa... [143 words]
The War: What Next? by Musaum War! [37 words]
Rising Angel by Stuart Eric Longridge Its not a being its a consciousness/materialism. [114 words]
The Airforce Of Nature by August Nyghts - [151 words]
Night Life by August Nyghts - [176 words]
My Birds In Paradise by August Nyghts - [45 words]
In The Morning by August Nyghts - [81 words]
He Says by August Nyghts - [118 words]
And Then by August Nyghts - [86 words]
No One by August Nyghts Been single for awhile [157 words]
Afraid Of Buildings by Peter Rivendell Written one unhappy morning, but I got a poem out of it... [132 words]
Lagos by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A poem about lagos, the commercial nerve centre and former capital of Nigeria. [158 words]
Sarcophagus by Peter Rivendell Grief and betrayal in a bleak landscape. [204 words]
Heaven Is Hell's Fire by Jeffrey (George) Winter - [108 words]
Tease by Tessa I was recently told that I'm a tease- I guess I kind of am because I've stayed single and abstinent for o... [216 words]
Your Own Shadow by David B Doc Byron A poem about Vampires, man! [79 words]
Waterfalls by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A poem about life. [134 words]
Waste by Tessa Saw a picture and got mad again. Hate having him in my thoughts, so, I tried to write him out. Shall I re... [20 words]
Transient Love by M I Chulkova - [103 words]
They Called Them Black by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi - [115 words]
The Year's 1st Rain by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii The title explains the theme of the work. Ara- in line 8, is a Yoruba (South-Western Nigeri... [74 words]
The Harmattan by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii This is about the harsh weather conditions endured by Nigerians and some other Africans during th... [60 words]
The Creator by The Birdman Things in life can be interpreted either good or bad, determining this can only be excepted by you. [79 words]
The Chimera by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii This poem is about the rejection the writer suffered from a girl who was his dream. [73 words]
The Book by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii The last line of the poem summarizes its theme. [61 words]
Stolen Kiss by Tessa Thinking about this and reliving a nice, stolen moment... [214 words]
Steam Heat by Judith Goff A little something to warm a winter's day? [20 words]
St Valentine's Curse by Rowan Davies Love is weird. [144 words]
Soaked In Deja-Vu by Stuart Eric Longridge I was just wondering. [130 words]
Skins by David B Doc Byron - [105 words]
Secret Place 2 by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii This is a cry of desire of God�s transforming presence, which is encountered through earnest pra... [83 words]
Samarkand.... The Market I Searched For
Sacrificial Lamb by Judith Goff - [94 words]
Reverie by Judith Goff - [100 words]
Psychedelic Travels by Ryon Smith A journey thru the mind of a man with endless visions and inspiring quests... [91 words]
Propaganda Bait by Stuart Eric Longridge The great media movie, we are all finally famous. Yee-ha. [170 words]
Predator by Judith Goff - [84 words]
People's Voices by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi - [40 words]
Oh What A Dream! by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii Using the archetype of furniture making as style, the writer writes a book in this dream. He w... [120 words]
Of Love And Of Thy Compassion... by Reagan Rothe The story of a past relationship I had best desribed in this poetic masterpiec... [94 words]
Mezmerized by Judith Goff Oh, the lure of the darkness. [165 words]
Lily The Dog by August Nyghts My roommate's dog. [152 words]
In The Eventide by Judith Goff - [100 words]
In Honor Of Columbia by Amy Poet This is a poem I wrote in honor of the Columbia Astronauts. [138 words]
Illumination by Tessa Hmmm... Salvation was already taken... Ah, well... [119 words]
Her Wares Wither by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A haiku. [8 words]
God's Nature by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii This poem is a mirror of God�s relationship with the author. [85 words]
Furious by Tessa Still so angry at an ex-boyfriend that turned psycho stalker on me. He put me through hell, caused me t... [151 words]
Epilogue by Judith Goff - [35 words]
End Time Rhyme by Stuart Eric Longridge - [81 words]
devil In Us by Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin Ii This explains that God is an expert in removing the evil (here dubbed: �dEVIL�) or the devil (which... [51 words]
Daddy Ain't No Man No More by Rowan Davies Figure it out. [99 words]
Come What May by Stuart Eric Longridge Easy life. [239 words]
Cabin Fever by August Nyghts A thought that came and went. [23 words]
Bang!Bang!Bang! by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A meditation on the bomb blasts in Nigeria in jan 2002 and feb 2003 [78 words]
Auba 'varcity by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A pantoum. [139 words]
Africa My Africa by Toris Okotie History has taught us it's lessons, but the pain of those slaves still leaves a mark on us. [122 words]
A Prayer To Gaia by Stuart Eric Longridge We have a lot of explaining to do. [107 words]
Dance Floor Snap Shot by August Nyghts changed the title - sounds better i think [54 words]
I'm A Pharmacist,Not A Poet by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi - [78 words]
Why Me by Mine Able Being loved. [96 words]
Why I Got High, Ran Away, And Just Generally Screwed Myself Up by Pearl S A thought that popped into my head today. I thin... [34 words]
Unending Rain by Peter Rivendell Crime doesn`t pay. [76 words]
Twenty Children Can't Play For Twenty Years by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi The title says it all. [95 words]
Transformation by Judith Goff I know, I know, vampires again.... [152 words]
Traces Of You by Judith Goff - [99 words]
They Set Us Free, A Collection by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A collection of poems: 1) they set us free this is a poem about freedom from ra... [1,214 words]
The Real World by Stuart Eric Longridge I wrote this for my dad,whose last older relative passed on. [80 words]
The Great Pyramid Decoded A Bit.The Principal Facination Part 2 by Stuart Eric Longridge Just trying to show that the ancients had techn... [400 words]
Thats Entertainment by Stuart Eric Longridge - [105 words]
Storymania by R Bennett Okerstrom What is Storymania? [97 words]
Soul Of A Dove by Judith Goff - [73 words]
Sequence by Peter Rivendell Playing and losing a game with fate. [202 words]
Saddam Hussein by R Bennett Okerstrom I was bored. Therefore I write. [39 words]
Prayer by Tessa Trying to save myself... [195 words]
Player by Judith Goff When the player tires of the game.... [57 words]
Pissed by August Nyghts - [112 words]
Pierrot by Peter Rivendell A love letter, after a fashion. [196 words]
Pic Ka Beat by August Nyghts An oldie. [156 words]
Phone Poem by Desmond Swords A snapshot style poem about identity. [254 words]
Pause by Sylvia Browne Columbia. [138 words]
Our Relatives Are Familiar Strangers by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A poem about modern day slavery. [90 words]
My 4th Grade Valentine by August Nyghts - [71 words]
Lord Of The Rings by Stuart Eric Longridge Where it ends it has begun. [72 words]
Listen To The Wall Geckos Singing From A Balcony by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi Tale of a divorcee. [90 words]
Know Your God by Stuart Eric Longridge Materialism / luciferianism. [125 words]
I Can't Be Mad by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A poem about a mentally imbalanced guy. [139 words]
Honeybloom by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi It's about the kid no one prays to have. [96 words]
Hoes And Bitches by August Nyghts Dedicated to all the pimps, creeps and wanna be playas. [237 words]
Heaven Bound by Judith Goff As did Sylvia, I felt the need to express my feelings on this day of national tragedy, and as she ... [124 words]
Haunted by Tessa And still he whispers... as I try to hang on. Temptation... can sometimes get the best of you... but I'... [118 words]
Guitar by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A haiku. [8 words]
Gele by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A haiku [8 words]
Death Lives Nearby by Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi A haiku. [8 words]
Dear Mother by August Nyghts For my mother, I wish I had better things to say. [85 words]
Dear Mister Keys, by August Nyghts My first Epistle Poem. [239 words]
Celtic Warriors by Stuart Eric Longridge The mess in N.Ireland. [99 words]
Catch Me If You Can by David B Doc Byron Jack The Ripper, one of the infamous serial killers in history, leaves a calling card. [404 words]
Bob The Banana's Magical Acid Ride by Drew Schroder Bob takes a magical ride.... [93 words]
A Tragedy Of Love by Parker Short little poem. Please review, thanks. [111 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
Samarkand.... The Market I Searched For
DESCRIPTION
Dedicated to nigerian nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. A meditation on his poem "Samarkand, and other markets I have known".
[413 words]
AUTHOR
Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
-
[September 2003]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (23)
A Bridge Passing Under Many Waters (Poetry) - [43 words]
Auba 'varcity (Poetry) A pantoum. [139 words]
Bang!Bang!Bang! (Poetry) A meditation on the bomb blasts in Nigeria in jan 2002 and feb 2003 [78 words]
Death Lives Nearby (Poetry) A haiku. [8 words]
Fission (Poetry) - [61 words]
Gele (Poetry) A haiku [8 words]
Guitar (Poetry) A haiku. [8 words]
Her Wares Wither (Poetry) A haiku. [8 words]
Honeybloom (Poetry) It's about the kid no one prays to have. [96 words]
I Can't Be Mad (Poetry) A poem about a mentally imbalanced guy. [139 words]
I'm A Pharmacist,Not A Poet (Poetry) - [78 words]
Just Tuesday (Poetry) - [69 words]
Lagos (Poetry) A poem about lagos, the commercial nerve centre and former capital of Nigeria. [158 words]
Listen To The Wall Geckos Singing From A Balcony (Poetry) Tale of a divorcee. [90 words]
Our Relatives Are Familiar Strangers (Poetry) A poem about modern day slavery. [90 words]
People's Voices (Poetry) - [40 words]
The Miseducation Of Nigeria's Future (Essays) An essay about the pitiable state of education in Nigeria. [1,077 words]
They Called Them Black (Poetry) - [115 words]
They Set Us Free, A Collection (Poetry) A collection of poems: 1) they set us free this is a poem about freedom from racial oppression 2) motherly love this is a poem about mothers� love 3) good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywher... [1,214 words]
Twenty Children Can't Play For Twenty Years (Poetry) The title says it all. [95 words]
Waiting And Waiting (Poetry) - [63 words]
Waterfalls (Poetry) A poem about life. [134 words]
You Deserved It All (Poetry) A poem about anger. [143 words]
Samarkand.... The Market I Searched For
Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi


the world is a marketplace
he said echoing a treasured proverb of his clan
i turn the words over
in my mind like a roadside
hawker turning bean
balls in hot oil
is the world really a market,maybe
information marketplace,sculpted upon
a foundation of ones and zeroes,where mortals mingle
with portals.But the real markets i've known are kuto
and tejuoso and bodija,where mother and i wade

through Smells in search
of condiments for the weekly sacrifice
to Father
where garbage and staples compete
feverishly for Mr Universe,where we walk
with hands in our pockets keeping a safe distance
from every stranger if we are not to end up
as local mints for gbomogbomos

where voices strangle the dusty air seeking
the best bargains.then i hear of Samarkand......and other markets
it must be one
of the ancient wonders of mediaeval times or a metropolis
sprawled somewhere on the moon
that Neil forgot to disclose-one small step
for him,one giant marketplace for mankind where aliens trade
souls and gold by barter,or even an oja ale
tucked in the heart of ake,where
Daodu's ghost keeps fatherly vigil.

my dreams debate
how to track samarkand,prince of elusive enclaves
first i need a visa,yet never heard of
an Embassy of Samarkand,besides no one goes to the market
without money,there'll always be
something for sale,maybe
an indulgence,or some anointing
oil on special offer from bro Jero or express
prayer beads,or one or two New Improved Idols
or even your fortune mined from the air
by a onetoothed clairvoyant.i don't think

the Messiah will be there
to flog us,Samarkand i suppose should be smart
enough not to trespass past
the wailing wall.
my puzzle is not solved yet,where is Samarkand
you ask why
should i even think
of gallivanting the world in search of Samarkand's
stalls,when he's the one who wove
i love my country i no go lie upon my tongue
even before i gained fluency.Isn't he a guest
in his own land?

i turn to my sole map,Samarkand and other markets
i have known,but oh dear..the directions
the directions lose me.he is too
complex for me building catacombs from images
and proverbs.
i think his poems should come
in Ladybird versions like the ones
where i read Puss-in-Boots and Alladin
when i was five.he loses me

amidst the letters of the Alphabet
i begin to wonder is this not the same
sacred text i chanted at two and a half.
Samarkand i surrender,let Dante and Fayed
go on with their wedding,i don't have to be there
let someone else cut the browned pages of the Ake on sale

i reach for a towel to wipe
Samarkand off my mind but all i succeed
in doing is smearing it even further.what mess is this
w.s has got me into.................

still i am a genius,conjuring brainwaves
even from disinterested atoms.......

i will ask the Tree
Yes...Samarkand Tree

 

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2003 Toluwalope Olugbenga Ogunlesi
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
February 2003
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2036
 

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