The Boxer and The Bag

Hi there!

Listen up.

Love is patient, it never shows wrath. Love is kind, it isn't wicked or mean. Love isn't abusive, it heals. Love doesn't destroy, it builds. Love isn't selfish, it gives. Love embodies the characteristics of only one- Jesus. When a man loves as God loves he will never find a reason to raise his hand to hit a woman. Everyday, 2 out of 4 women are involved in domestic violence and 1 out of these women lose their lives to abusive men. Let's put an end to domestic violence, let real men rise up and wear the badge of God's love.

“A real man wouldn’t lay a finger on a woman. He treats his partner with respect, love and support. Men are physically stronger and have no place abusing that power. Everyone has problems, and arguments happen, but that’s when a real man uses his intelligence to talk it out.” - Matt Lanter

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Let me take you into a world of drama
Where chaos and disarray are like bread and butter
Meet Mr. A who fell in love with the girl of his dreams
They tied the knot and lived happily or so it seems
To the world, they played the perfect couple
But at home, away from the stage, they became different people

He was Muhammed Ali while she was the punching bag
Rage was his fuel, hatred waved proudly as his flag
Blinded by a sinister fury he pummelled his wife
Spitting spiteful words at her that cut deeper than a knife
At dawn, he was a cheery, charming, loving man
As dusk set in, he became a monster. a deranged titan

Tears were all she had as her armour
Her silence had slowly stirred an uprising, an inner clamour
Soon enough, in a nanosecond, she ended the nightmare
Bludgeoning the face of terror, leaving not a thing to spare
Thus was the case of the bag and the boxer
To the abusive man a lesson, to cherish his girl and love her.

The Unborn's Plea

I lay in a sack, wet cold and alone

My eyes are heavy from the pressure of the sea I lay in

My ears pick up sounds, whispers and words not my own

Sounds of laughter, sometimes tears that get me thinking

Get me imagining, dreaming and wanting more than this hole

This hole that has been home for two weeks and some days

But soon, in nine months I shall be discovered and discover

The world outside this hole that seems to please and amaze

I've been here, three weeks now and counting

But the person above me seems troubled, alone and sad

I hear sobs, sniffs sometimes wailing

Trepidation embraces me, I know this feeling I've never had

I feel love, warmth from a hand placed on my wall

I also feel sadness and indecision, but mostly regret in all

As she takes a deep breath that feels like a wind on my skin

Taking the only road she believes is right though a sin

I knew the sure eventuality of her decision

I knew my dreams of seeing the world outside this hole was a never

As I felt the cold steel pierce into my heart with precision

My pleas and cries were the words of a mute silenced forever

Mom I will never utter, Dad I will never see

Laughter I shall never make, a person I shall never be

For an idea I have become, flushed away and spat upon

My identity for eternity will be that of the unborn.

Beneath the Smoked Glass

Greetings folks!

 Its been ages since I posted something here and trust me,it hasn't been 100% my fault, just about 99%...lol.

Well, I am an aunt now to the cutest nephew ever (his name is Semiloba and he could be a handful). So I have not had a lot of time on my hands (plus I was under some self-reconstruction). But enough said! all that really matters is I'm back!

 I have learned it really isn't about how hard you fall or how you fail but how you pick yourself up and rise again. I couldn't help but notice that I have over 2000 page views even while this blog was inactive and that motivated me to pick up writing again.

Here is a piece I put together and I mean that...I actually put this poem together for my bounce back.

Please do enjoy and share your thoughts! God bless!

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Somewhere between  good and bad, he stands

Somewhere between the old and the new, he hides

Somewhere between right and wrong, he is discovered

Confused and alone beneath the smoked glass

Somehow he never really let go of his past

Somehow his present could not satiate his desires

Somehow he forgot the identity and inheritance he acquired

As he relished the moments beneath the smoked glass

Slave to dark, Son to light

Believer by day, deceiver by night

This was the paradox that was his life

Trapped in a world beneath the smoked glass

Life or death is his to choose

If he does the latter, his soul and paradise he will loose

But two masters, in truth, he cannot have

For lost he shall be beneath the smoked glass

The Valentine Triple Delight

Happy Valentine's day dearly beloved!

Never really been a fan of this day set aside for girls to exploit guys and guys to take advantage of naive and gullible girls but I have always been and will always remain a big fan of LOVE!

In the words of the great writer, William Shakepeare: ''Doubt that stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth moves his aides, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love''. I believe in love and I am yet to see or understand love like the love of the Father. Love personified was He, his son as a man....Jesus on the cross with tender eyes and water from His sides, vulnerable and selfless was He...brutally beaten as I stared on clueless and lost until it dawned on me this act of love was His gift to me..undeserving was I but He went through with it.

So while we are busy celebrating and appreciating our loved ones today, let us remember that our one true lover is Jesus. For no man has done what He did, so take out time and appreciate the radical gift of love He gave *wink*  1Cor 13:13.

So, I was going through the clutter in my house and I found a journal I kept when I was but a teen and right there were two poems I had apparently written for my future husband (quite hilarious).

So, I thought to myself "Why don't I share it on The Livid Ink?"

 Please bear in mind, I was young when they were written so stifle your laughter but do enjoy. Also featured on this post is a poem by a friend of mine ( I never knew I had so many talented friends), titled St Valentine.

Feast your eyes lovers!


For Him

Your toes may be crooked
each one having an irregularity to the next
Your hands may not be pretty
like the ones I dream of on my face
Your face may be a regular.
features not that of a movie star
But you have been made for me
to complement me and be there for me
because you are my heartbeat
the finishing line to this art piece
You may not know this but it is true
You are like to my skin, a tattoo
and with toes crooked and hands unpretty
You are beautifully imperfect

perfect just for me!



The Wait

There were many, trust me there were
I was impatient, sometimes tempted
Intolerance almost got the best of me
but three words of comfort whispered
Wait for Him.

Holding on like it was my last breath
each second crawling, every minute flying
The Lord was at those moments my strength
making sure I understood why I had to wait
singing that sweet lullaby with an underlay of honey
Do wait for him.

Now here you are, here we are
arms entwined, hearts inseparable
you are my everything, even much more
who I was, I am so much more
lying with you, I am at heaven's door
cos you are not just my soul mate
you are everything, worth the wait.




ST Valentine


They said he was a martyr
some said he was a saint
others said he ws human

Much speaking of a day, much saying for a day,
much ado about a day that the world stands to know.
Love's language sounds so loud that all beckon to sing it,
Love's song rings so high that all lingers to listen.
Love's speech made of eloquence that the learned stand in awe

Alas!
Love is greater than a day's act
Love is mightier than a romantic rose
Love is bigger than a teddy bear
Love's pudding more than a pastry cake


Love is a person
Evolving from a life
made available at calvary's cross whoever will come and drink.

Love covers all sin
Love tenderly leads to the heart to add value to another
Love thinketh no evil
Love pays no attention to a suffered wrong
Love takes no account of evil done
Love patiently endures
Love quietly listens
Love kindly corrects
Love lives forever....


So the day settles in at the dusk of love and the exchange of gifts a bundle loads....

Lover's day is beyond a day
Lover's day transcends a month
Lover's day exceeds the  ecstacy that beclouds the lover birds
Lover's day- a daily life in a Love being.





Tope Olufiranye

The White Collar's Folly

Last night I sold my thoughts for a penny
to the beggar cross-legged on the side of the alley,
His confusion and bewilderment couldn't contain my folly
As I shared my insanity, quickly but slowly.

Successful was I, yet my greed was unholy
ambition, an ally, became my arch enemy,
I gambled and played, losing my life's worth sourly
until I was left high and dry with nothing but my cupidity.

So pray, do tell wise one who earns humbly
The art of your income that leaves you so giddy
The beggar wearing a grin, looked at me shrewdly
''You are a fool'' he said the ''answer is your folly!''

Silhouettes of the Sky

For me, Poetry has always been one of the most powerful tools of communication and expression. The use and play of words still remain intriguing to me, an art that only the witty, imaginative and creative can master and employ. We see poems such as On the Pulse of the morning by the legendary Maya Angelou which was read at the inauguration ceremony of President Bill Clinton challenge and move nations. Leopold Sedar Senghor, John Pepper Clark, David Diop,William Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka...these great men motivated, inspired and encouraged their societies with words that became powerful, mind blowing and unforgettable poetry. Here is a poem by a friend of mine titled Silhouettes of the Sky.... do enjoy!

Its been raining a lot lately

But I’ve only heard the sound faintly

Sometimes I wish it could rain louder

Maybe then I’ll wake from my slumber

At first it drizzled,and I felt happiness

It wasn’t much, but it rinsed my emptiness

My heart drummed at the sound of the storm

And then I knew there were torrents to come

When it started raining,I knew it was ecstasy

Clearly, this wasn’t a fantasy

And even if it were, I didn’t want to lose this vanity

Not unless it threatened my sanity

Then it started pouring

And I knew I was in for a reckoning

Finally, love was beckoning

This is one weather I never miss

Even though it brings such peace

Torrents of emotions pouring

Causing my heart to be soaring

And it all started with an innocent text

From one heart to the next

From me to you

Uwem Ekanem

Sexual Healing

Happy New Year everyone!

 I am so grateful to God and thankful for your support last year in making The Livid Ink a success. Trust me ,and this isn't cliche, without you guys this blog will be useless and pointless, so my gratitude to all who read and share with others. Much love.

Last year, I came across this very talented Christian poet and I just think he is graced with words and rhymes straight from heaven...lol! Like literally downloaded from heaven and I thought I should share some of his works here.

Here is one of his many works titled Sexual Healing albeit I did a little tweaking here and there because it is quite lengthy.

Enjoy!

Lets look at this subject, I will tell you why i am disgusted
So today, it looks like Sex will be our topic of discussion
Listen Sex isn't evil, for marriage is why God made it
But I know you are like 'Come on mehn!,that is too outdated'
This is 2013 bro, we do it for recreation
And if you are in college, you do it while you are wasted
But I want to question this logic, I want to pop off this seal
I want to question something that we think it is already a done deal

Take a rape victim for example and when its revealed
After the bruises go away, is she totally healed?
Now the damage is lasting...you can see it in her eyes
But if it was built for recreation, why did it ruin her life?
If Sex was just for fun why does it take such a toll?
Maybe its cause you don't just have Sex with her body
You also have Sex with her soul.

So for me,there is no premarital loving
and its not just cause I want babies in the oven
Its cause I am staying pure till the day that I'm a husband
But you see this wasn't always me, that's a guarantee
Lets go back to the past and see who I used to be
Growing up I never learnt how to treat a lady
If I learnt one thing from my dad,it was leave the mum..ditch the baby

I let the TV show me what the music already told me
No Dad at home, so I was letting MTV mould me
And they sold me which is why my life revolved around what girl I could get next
My life revolved around this girl called Sex
It seems the longer we dated,the bigger the mess
Then my girlfriend was late on that time of the month
If you know what I mean you'll understand why my heart sunk

I started to think about abortion,I started to butter it up
Its funny they don't make condom for sin,you can't just cover it up
It was just a scare but I knew a Father I didn't want to be
Its funny how I was pro-life till it happened to me
Dudes don't pressure her when she says stop it
You are not a man,you are just a boy who can shave and that's your cover
Because if you don't respect her when she says stop it, you certainly don't love her

Start studying her heart and stop studying her booty
Touch her heart and mind first before you think about touching her body
Cause she longs to be accepted, she longs to be loved
so she gives herself up to another guy's lust
She's like I don't want to but its just too tempting
So she keeps opening up the box just to find out its empty
She keeps getting rejected by all these dudes
they tell her on a scale of one to ten, she's a two

But that isn't true,if she only knew,
That Jesus,He loves and accepts us
Even when you don't want Him he'll never reject us
He heals us from that sin that totally infects us
And He does what condoms can't,He emotionally protects us
We touch the forbidden fruit not realising its poison ivy
till we are numb and itchy and end up with a distorted psyche
Don't think you can 'Just do it' like your name was Nike
oblivious that the consequences of your actions are very pricey

Read John chapter 8,the woman caught in adultery
The religious leaders threw her naked in the temple as she yells don't murder me
They say 'Jesus,the law commands us to stone her' and you can hear the hate in their tone
Jesus pauses and says, 'whoever is without sin...Cast the first stone'
Can you imagine the sound? silence all around
You could hear footsteps walk away as stones hit the ground
Jesus kneels down,the woman thought it was her demise
He lifts up her face you could see the grace in His eyes

He said ''I don't condemn you,go and sin no more
I love you,I accept you...mercy is yours
But if you are anything like me, I'm sure you are like "that can''t be''
Why would He, ever die for me?
But then I saw that scene where I was redeemed
He reached out and touched me and said ''Jeff,you are free''
Instantly I was wearing the brightest robe you have ever seen
I was perfectly spotless,I was perfectly clean
So think twice before you eat what you desire,He feeds us
Come follow the King,His name is Jesus


Jefferson Bethke