Welcome to Poems of Beautiful Solitude!
I never sought out to be a poet. Never in my wildest dreams did it cross my mind that I would write poetry. Not once. It all started with an assignment from my English Language teacher, in my first year of post-primary education at The International School, Ibadan. We were given a series of titles and rhyming patterns and were required to write poems with each title. We were allowed to take the assignment home, thankfully. I did as I was instructed, and I left it there. This was close to three decades ago.
Fast forward to the present. I picked up my mobile phone and wrote a poem about a year ago. I was on a long bus ride on one of London's red buses. That was my second poem since the class assignment. The first, titled 'Two Roads [Deux Routes]' was written after the most life altering event that I experienced about a decade earlier. Somehow, it was impressed upon me to write it. I would write a verse and paste in on Facebook. After a while, I made it a note on Facebook. I felt no rush, no pressure to write or not to write (that was not the question). Just wanted to get my thoughts out and I hoped it would help some, some. Some criticised the length of time it took, but not to my face. My response to them goes thus, "Are you paying?".
Consequently, one thing led to another, and without any direct encouragement from anyone and obviously no award or gift, I continued writing from time to time. The rest, as they say, is history. I hope whoever lands on my blog of poems leaves it in a state of mind and health that is noticeably better than the state the person was in, before reading part of a verse, verses or the entire lot!
Poems
1. Two Roads [Deux Routes]
2. Velodrome
3. Strive. Aspire. Succeed.
4. Badge Of Honour [Insigne d'honneur]
5. Back To Life [Retour À La Vie]
6. Greatness Within
7. Seasons and Life [ Saisons et Vie ]
8. Joy [ Joie ]
9. Peace [Paix]
10. Charity
11. La Délivrance
12. Liberty [Liberté]
13. Victory
14. Wisdom
15. Lady
16. Faith
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Sunday, March 30, 2025
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
13. Victory
It seems so tiresome to continue to strive for victory
It's gone on for so long the hope that once buoyed you is now history
You longed for it, sought for it, and it always seemed within your reach
If only I dug in deeper, worked yet harder and prayed more, I would be rich
Then you summoned up more courage to reach the peak
But the prize desired was moved away like the proverbial and elusive carrot on a stick.
What made you believe you would win at first becomes more real
Whatever you experienced that moved you to act must now strengthen your will
A good goal, a worthy venture, a noble cause, and a lofty height
That you can achieve if you worked with all your heart and might
And refuse to stay in the harbour when all else wills you to
But choose to set sail on a journey when others said 'No!'.
Ships are built to sail out on voyages, not to lie safe in harbours
No major success can be achieved without embarking on risky endeavours
It is inevitable that storms will come, as well as the tempest
Fiercely raging hurricanes hit relentlessly leaving little time to rest
Against all odds you must hold on to faith in the Creator
Who calms the storms, stills the hurricanes and saves all of His creatures.
So do not give up when the going gets tough
Decide in advance not to quit when it gets rough
It is the real world, not a computer simulation
Adapt to changing circumstances with determination
To win in life requires staying the course with resilience
And it culminates in victorious living, with excellence.
John Immanuel (A.K.A John O. Iyaniwura)
Sunday, March 16, 2025
9. Peace ☮️🕊✌️
Oh! What battles have been fought and won for peace
All we wanted was for the destructive raids to cease
And for our well-being and wealth to increase
But the foes our possessions, harvests and treasures sought to seize
And our woes and painful travails were not to decrease
From burdens and sorrows, we were to experience no release.
So we either had to succumb to the evil domination
Or rebel and fight oppression with fierce determination
We reached a decision without much contemplation
For we had to avoid further conflagration
And reject lasting, final and eternal damnation
In order to rise and become a blessed and proud nation.
The quest for peace in no way excludes war
Peace is found at the other end of war for sure
As much as we dislike the bloodshed and the gore
Though the evil thirsts for it and always seek for more
For war, we will prepare and be ready at the core
It is the best way to ensure that our lots are secure.
The war to establish peace is a noble one
On many fronts it has been fought and won
Not always with weapons, such as swords and guns
But moreso with the pen, prayers, diplomacy and the loss of no son
Newer weapons we are learning to wield so that we are not all undone
For "the pen is still mightier than the sword", says John!
WIP
- John O. Iyaniwura
Saturday, March 15, 2025
6. Greatness Within
Not everything begins as we wished it did
Could be a ploy to shut down a noble endeavour
The work of those who our lives desire to control
But when the negative messages we fail to heed
And onwards towards the goal, we trudge with fervour
We have passed the first trial, and we are on a roll.
When we are hit with doubts and fears
Our response must be firm and stout
No worthwhile achievement comes on a silver platter
The tiresome burdens that we bear
Prepare and strengthen us to help others out
And eventually make our world remarkably better.
So grit your teeth and get on with it
To give up now is to lose when you could have won
The fiercest battles we fight are the ones within
It could be that the struggles would be over in a bit
And the obstacle course you have just run
Has opened the gates for resounding success to enter in.
True greatness lies within
It does not depend on the things we see or possess
To have strived valiantly and worked with diligence
To provide for and protect your kith and kin
Staying true to the good that you often profess
Is proof that within you resides real excellence.
John O. Iyaniwura
Thursday, March 13, 2025
4. Badge of Honour
It started with unexpected knocks on the door
On what was a normal Sunday morning
I rose from my desk, pausing my daily devotion
And walked to the door to see who's calling
A couple of unexpected strangers, in they strolled
What ensued would change my world and my life.
So they came in and took the floor
Within me, definitely anger was burning
Because of the evil the traitor had set in motion
I never knew I would end up needing bailing
Nor had any inkling of the danger about to unfold
But evil had finally taken over the wife!
I was totally shaken to the core
For what happened next I was given no warning
Neither did I have the slightest notion
It was the beginning of her most dismal failing
I had to put my vision, dreams and plans on hold
With court sessions and lawyers my life became rife!
Six weeks spent where I had never been before
Hope ebbed away and strength started waning
Renewed faith daily, dove into God’s love like an ocean
A word came from above and I found myself believing
I regained my stolen freedom, worth more than much gold
Thankfully I got a new opportunity to live again, free of strife.
John O. Iyaniwura
11. La Délivrance
The sun comes up early and shines every day
Bringing the objects in our world to life with light
Dispelling the darkness gradually with golden rays
Now we see clearly, notice colours, life becomes bright
Our vision is clear, confusion is now held at bay
The goals and tasks of the day are now in sight.
There is more to this world than meets the eyes
We are affected by more than what is visible
Are we aware of the invisible beneath and above the skies?
Not every word that is spoken is audible
Do we perceive the inaudible that often determines what arises,
Knowing that life's course could be altered by the intangible?
Seek to be aware of what you can not see or hear
About the unseen Creator, learn all you can
A lot of life's burdens we are unable to bear
Truly, some are due to evil aliens' sinister plans
That the divine alone knows fully and can lay bare
For without help from God, some problems can never be solved by man.
To God, the fount of all deliverance and wisdom
Should all in need of such proceed in faith, expectantly
And receive solutions to complex problems that are hard to fathom
From the King of Kings who loves all unfailingly
The ruler of all and the head of an eternal and vast kingdom
Who alone knows all, sustains all and redeems all lovingly.
WIP
John O. Iyaniwura
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
12. Liberty
Liberty
🗽
What would it take for one's life to be truly great?
For one to be the master of one's fate
And not carry others' unhealthy expectations, a hindering weight?
A determination to chart one's course no matter what
So others do not push and goad one into a rut,
Nor gently force one, disasters to court.
We were created by God to be free
He who made us willed that we choose who to be
We are to live and act on the basis of what we see
Whether with our physical eyes or those of the mind
Ours is the right to leave the baggage of the past behind
As we quest, the happiness we pursue we shall find.
A fight worth fighting, one for true liberty 🗽
It is the only way one's dream can become a reality
So that one's life will no longer be an abnormality
Fight for it no matter how dear the cost
For without it, all hope of happiness is lost
Alas! All that's left for one is nothing but the worst!
We live on earth but once, and it's done
Our opportunity to be all we can be is just one
Once we determine to seek liberty, we have won
We are now aligned with the goal of Him who created us
We have refused to live broken like a bridled horse
For we were born to be free to run our lives' course.
WIP
John O. Iyaniwura
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