Category: Uncategorized

I attempted to inhale,
Yet the burdens of this existence
Strangle me daily.
No one to confide in,
Nowhere to discover a path forward.

I tripped,
Life grew overwhelmingly tiresome,
A rat race filled with obstacles,
Deliberately set by destiny,
Accidentally positioned by misguided choices.

Indeed, I stumbled,
As strength deserted me at one point,
No supportive hands to raise me,
Excuses from friends held me low,
Loved ones’ indifference was deeply disheartening.

In the abyss of confusion,
I paused,
Right there, I murmured to myself,
“You are lost to be found.”
Initially sounding hollow,
Through numerous repetitions, I learned
That to attain lasting peace in this tumultuous world,
You must lose yourself
To find yourself.

© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

Where pride resides, HER ROYAL HIGH-NESS reigns,
A young dame adorned in self-appointed gains.
Neglecting hearts, she treads a lofty path,
Where subjects’ needs incur her royal wrath.

Her gaze, a mirror of self-enthroned delight,
A kingdom built on ego’s towering height.
Yet, in this court, compassion finds no stay,
For others’ pleas are swiftly swept away.

Each sunrise bows to HER, a grand display,
But shadows linger where her subjects pray.
In golden halls, the echoes of neglect,
A symphony of hearts she did reject.

Yet crowns can tarnish, lose their regal gleam,
When empathy is but a distant dream.
For greatness lies not in a self-made throne,
But in the bonds with those we call our own.

Hello, HER ROYAL HIGH-NESS, please learn the art,
That kingdoms built on love will never part.
The crown that truly shines,
Is forged in kindness, not in grand designs.

© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

So you think I will forget
Those words you said to me
On my way out of the Designer’s place
On the fifth of December
“You look stunning’, you said

You were so soft spoken
Though I was broken
You gave me your own love token
I could not but to your voice, harken
Your smile brought light to my world so darken

Your cuddles after that day
Made me lack words to say
So soothing I could not say nay
So relieving I discarded every doubt called ‘may’
Beside you, i just want to lay

Olu, do you think I will forget
How you sold your phone to pay for my project
The day I was so stranded and lost all hopes
That day I thought I would not graduate
You showed up and to success, you had me initiated

Your words of encouragement
Gave me nothing but enlightenment
When I was faced with bereavement
You were swift to wipe away my tears
You made sure my emotions did not apart, tear

I thought I had found a resting place
I thought you will be the King in my palace
I thought with your love, my heart you will lace
I thought finally I have found my ace
I thought you will forever wipe the tears on my face

No, you said.
It’s another you want to get laid
Even if I try to act as your maid
Just to see you everyday without getting paid
But you said No! Another’s heart you would rather raid

I try to forget you, Olu
But there is still something left
I try to lay this to rest
But my heart still find it’s way back without any aide
Your thought has hijacked my best

I love you!
My tears won’t stop flowing
My love for you won’t stop growing
Your memories, everywhere, won’t stop following
With you I know, again, I will start glowing

It’s been five years, dear
I still can’t love another
I feel for that brother
Who I have told severally, about love, not to bother
Your love, every other love, has put asunder

There is still something left
Something I cannot explain
Something stuck on me forever
Something I can never forget
Something about you that won’t go away!

Help me!
What you left behind
In my heart
Is stronger than I thought
Bigger than me

You left the whole of YOU behind, baby!!!
That, I cannot resist
And I want to insist
That you come back; my lonely heart, assist
Else this feeling, forever, will persist.

Olu! Please come back!

(c) Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

THE RUN

I run into the future,
Through my present
With the hope of doting the moment
I find myself back in the past, though

The most vigorous one scares me.
As well as the worst of the worst
Albeit I fear being the best,
My feet won’t stop pulling me towards it

I run from all things
Reinforced by what I perceive as something
Each step leads me to nothing.
Each kineticism gives ascend to trepidation of anything

My pace has doubled.
Like unhindered waters streaming
Splendidly in my dreams
When aroused as well

Somebody requires to auricularly discern my scream at least,
As I am shouting at the top of my lungs
Life’s labyrinth becomes intricate
My mute cries were aurally perceived by no single soul

I smile like a jackpot victor,
Yet no one can optically discern my perspiration.
As astronomically immense as Mississippi, my sweat pores have become
Good body, breathlessly fatigued mind and spirit

My feet are hurting
From a run to nothing
Crashing into all things
Eluding from everything

Life’s dark tunnels
With opinions and stuff
With prevarications and love
Bringing the astringent truth breeze

Falling, bruised, hemorrhaging, tired
Ambulating on Eggshells
Around broken glass, tiptoeing
Ruminating on what is not and what is

Do I stop moving?
My feet hurt so lamentably
Footsteps evanescing
Uh! Avail me! The peregrination is still far away!

(c) Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

Confidence vanished, she shrinks,
Lost faith, too tired to seek.
Yet she smiles, concealing the pain,
Each chuckle a mask for the strain.

Unseen battles, daily she fights,
Posting humor, hiding the nights.
Readers cheer, unaware of tears,
Behind the screen, masked fears.

Garmented in composure, she bleeds,
Depression wears thorns, her soul it feeds.
Closed curtains, lights dim,
Hugging her pillow, a silent whim.

A facade of worth, ‘not good enough,’
Yet you call her a genius, a bluff.
Unseen struggles, you overlook,
She is drowning, but you are off the hook.

The maze of darkness, no way out,
Thicker haze, the sun in doubt.
You claim ignorance, but should you try,
You would see the pain beneath her sky.

When she leaves, your tears will flow,
You will cry and whisper, ‘I did not know’.
Burial clothes, a long tribute too late,
Beautiful lies, sealing her fate.

Your actions, your words, weigh heavy,
A forever bow, deadly chills so steady.
Depression’s grip, unseen, unknown,
Online applause, the only tone.

All you see is the impressive guise,
Not the soul trapped in silent cries.
You really do not know, it seems,
The difference between dreams and screams.

© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

To the men who stand with strength and grace,
On this International Men’s Day, we embrace.
With honor and courage, you pave the way,
In every role you play, throughout the day.

In the quiet moments, your kindness shines,
A beacon of warmth in challenging times.
With resilience and passion, you forge ahead,
The completeness of virtues in every thread.

Fathers guiding with love so sincere,
Brothers and friends, always near.
In your laughter and tears, stories unfold,
Of a spirit unbroken, resilient and bold.

Through trials and triumphs, you persist,
A testament to the strength you enlist.
In every area, your threads so fine,
Craft a narrative of men, truly divine.

Here is to you, wonderful men we hold dear,
On this special day, let us cheer.
For the roles you play, the love you impart,
Happy International Men’s Day, from the heart.

© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi

In the quiet dusk’s sway, where shadows weave and play,
My lips withhold words, my heart in a fleeting sway.
A concealed story, whispered only in love’s spell,
Silent lips, haven for the soul to dwell.

In dreams of you, my mind takes flight,
Echoes of laughter in the gray of the night.
Your tender touch, a sweet embrace,
Fills my days with an enduring grace.

Yet, I dare not utter your name,
In fear of shattering this hidden flame.
Let not the world unveil what we sow,
Our love’s secrets in the shadows grow.

I will cherish this silence, our clandestine tie,
Love enduring, silent and high.
In the quiet, peace we find,
Hearts entwined, souls unbind.

© Ifedolapo Ogunniyi