Tribute Poems
For John Lennon
by Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
At Penny Lane,
among Strawberry Fields,
which swished in global excitement
and superbly choreographed words,
came a voice deep and long —
a voice we will hear time after time —
the voice of John
a protest of Lennon.
To The Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid
by Ibrahim ibn Adham
Religion's gems can ne'er adorn
The flimsy robe by pleasure worn;
Its feeble texture soon would tear,
And give those jewels to the air.
Thrice happy they who seek th' abode
Of peace and pleasure in their God!
Who spurn the world, its joys despise,
And grasp at bliss beyond the skies.
Africa
by Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
Africa,
I reconcile your genius with nostalgia,
perfervidity and relic lust;
your age with the whiteness
of a virgin void of earliness;
and your life with the tenderness
of the yolk of God.
......
David
by Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
Michelangelo’s David . . .
Hmm!
I call it, reverently,
The Colossus of Florence.
It never tires of standing
Proudly, unshod and unashamed,
Like a discus-throwing naked prince of Greece,
Olympian and sturdy,
A true Adonis,
Showing off his small, gentle, rested penis
......
A Colossal Loss (A Tribute to Andrew Efemini)
by Fidelis Peter Olowu
You never claimed to know it all
For what you believed in, you stood tall
Taking no sides with foes nor friends
But with equal rights and justice
You did your due diligence to all
Never minding what could you befall
Many battles you had to fight
Many foes you did put to flight
In an ocean of accusations
......
A Colossal Loss (A Tribute to Andrew Efemini)
by Fidelis Peter Olowu
You never claimed to know it all
For what you believed in, you stood tall
Taking no sides with foes nor friends
But with equal rights and justice
You did your due diligence to all
Never minding what could you befall
Many battles you had to fight
Many foes you did put to flight
In an ocean of accusations
......
Honor the Women
by Mario Odekerken
Honor the women who gave us life,
who raised us with patience and care,
who guide with wisdom,
who love without measure.
Their strength shapes the world,
their courage lights the path,
their hearts hold us all
in warmth and hope.
Women's Day 2026
by Mario Odekerken
Today we pause to see
the strength that moves quietly
through homes,streets,offices
and histories
carried in the lives of women.
Hands that build and guide
voices that question and create
dreams that refuse small spaces
even when the world offers them.
......
De kracht die blijft
by Mario Odekerken
Zij staat in de ochtend
voordat de wereld wakker wordt,
met handen vol zorg
en een hart dat alles draagt.
Voor haar man is zij stilte en richting,
een stem die moed geeft
wanneer dagen zwaar zijn,
een blik die zegt dat hij niet alleen is,
zelfs wanneer woorden ontbreken.
......
Zij die de wereld draagt
by Mario Odekerken
Jij die leven draagt in stilte
met handen die troosten en bouwen
een hart dat ruimte maakt voor anderen
zelfs wanneer de wereld zwaar voelt.
Jij die opstaat,elke dag opnieuw
met moed die niet altijd gezien wordt
met dromen die blijven groeien
tussen zorg,kracht en zachtheid.
......
