Put your foot down

I give my halfway man
Neither hers nor mine
A halfway look
Neither smile nor frown
That kind of tells him, I guess, I am vexed
He does not say a thing, just walks past me
And I wonder why he does not take me seriously
As I kind of talk to him, sort of tell him, I guess
How I feel at being left at home all day
Without so much as 'by the way'

I guess my halfway man
Neither hers nor mine
Kind of loves me in a way
I cannot put my finger on

So, I stay in this halfway house
That is not quite home
And hope oneday, sometime soon
He will, I guess, take me seriously


Omo Okolo copyright reserved 2003

Live the dream

Some day, you will wake up and say 'they told you so'
They told you, you could raise your head high and walk proud
Knowing that this battle has been won with the sweat and blood of generations gone
They told you, the world was an oyster in the palm of your hand
And all you had to do was reach out and grasp your dream
And it was yours to become, to fulfill
Because it is all so real, this creativity within you
This gift bursting to be out and about and shout out to the world to note its worth
This wisdom, pulsating as you breathe in and out
In a world that appears shut down to a creativity that will not stop till you drop
Because it is given and is far reaching
And today is as good as any day to start
And do not believe the lies as men try to shut you up
Tie you down, make you stay, knowing they cannot
For the dream within you will not die even if you never try to fly
So what is stopping you?

Some day, you will wake up and say, 'they told you so'



Omo Okolo copyright reserved 2005

Glory

Without God.....
my life would have no meaning
I would be in a daze
Pounding streets...wondering what time of day it is

Seeking, searching, frenzied for a nameless quality
To cushion the blows life throws at me

Dancing, gyrating, paying the piper
For tunes I do not choose
Naked, stripped of being the person that I am
Slipping into role like a chameleon

From mirrors, I would cringe
Hating to look within
Afraid of what I will see

Glory to God for me


Omo Okolo copyright reserved 2002

Refuge

The Lord is the stronghold of my life
Of whom shall I be afraid?
From what shall I quiver?
Where shall I dare not tread?

The Lord is my Redeemer
My refuge in times of trouble
Though I walk through the shadow of death
I shall fear no evil
For the Lord is before me
The light of my path
He will comfort me
With His rod and His staff
Fighting my battles
Waging my wars
Keeping me clothed in His love



Omo Okolo copyright reserved 2003

Not A Dog

Don't treat him like a dog
If he has no bark
Give him a label
Sew him a tag
Paint him colours he is not
Tell the world his cause is lost
Backlash, tonguelash wreck the home
Words are mortal sticks and stones
Picking nits when nits ain't in
Takes the flesh off everything
Scabs, sores, hollow walls
Casualties of flailing him

If a man is not barking
He is not a dog
Not pissing around to mark his spot
Not on the prowl for a bitch in heat
Not chasing bunnies in his sleep

A good man, they say, is hard to find
And some of us sisters have a gold mine
So don't treat him dirty
Don't make him pay
For every other brother who has gone astray

Some of us sisters, take the mick
Fault finding is our gig
Where we get our highs and rise
Feeling we are queens arrived

Look in the mirror I dare you
If you are never wrong
You had better change the view
Slant the mirror to make it straight
Look yourself in the face

Perfection to no man belongs
Correction always carries on
Burns a torch for all to see
That change is simply necessary

So sister if you diss your man
And feel he is some dog
Go get a leash, get a tag
If you are not the bitch about



Omo Okolo copyright reserved 2003