We'd like to collect a poem from every country in the world. We've kicked things off with poems from Nigeria, Somalia and Canada. If you've written a poem, and you're from somewhere in the world, send it to us. If we understand it, we'll publish it!
To start, a poem from Nigeria by Inua Ellams. His website can be found here.
NIGERIA
Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales
I spun 13 fairy Negro tales that night.
Weighed them on illogic scales
that tipped the balance
and formed an alliance
with my version of the truth,
I uprooted reality and substituted it
for another that had more humanity;
thinking that if I thought hard enough
I'd make it real.
Having so much belief in mind power
I cowered beneath the defunct light
and attempted to bend Saturn's rings
around my mind.
I did this till the blinds let light in
to wake me from that super sonic slumber.
I swore I was under the influence of lightening
that struck my brain and convinced me I could stain worlds at a time.
But I realized it was just beer and wine.
I found I could dine on the sun
drink the milky- way
let stars stick to my tongue
clasp Orion around my waist
pluck Pluto, paste him to Mars and run
before Zeus realized I had face-lifted his estate.
I found I could reverse 360
from the 3 point line
and dunk Jupiter in a black hole.
But this divine world existed
only in my soul.
So I held my 13 Negro tales
and made a back bone
swapped it for my own
stood to the wind and dared earth
to spin me off it shoulders
not knowing I had soldered my pen to its core
and "ink"-planted a metaphor.
And perhaps this was just in my mind,
but I'd envisioned my self as a poet, so let it be
'cause I write this not for you,
just for me…
by Inua Ellams
CANADA
Thunder and the Beauty
There was a breeze in the air as I looked to the north.
Yihda has not come out yet. The setting sunbeams hitting
The falling rain making it look like drifting snow.
The double rainbow contrasting the small patch of blue sky
Visible between the mountains.
The misty mountains towards the northeast
And the soaring eagle flies east
Away from the setting sun
The beauty of it all
For everyone that saw it
We have all returned home. Hi!
By Lorny Metchooyeah
SOMALIA
A shield of coolest air
Now you depart, and though your way may lead
Through airless forests thick with hagar trees,
Through places steeped in heat, stifling and dry,
Where breath comes hard, and no fresh breeze can reach -
Yet may God place a shield of coolest air
Between your body and the assailant sun.
By Sayyid Mohamed Abdille Hassan
Do you have a poem to share?
Here at Rubberneck Games we'd like to hear your poetry. Please complete the form below to submit your poem for consideration. We'll publish the ones we like on the website, but please make sure the poem is yours and don't forget to tell us where you are from.
