My Love 3

Published in 2013 by Wordjar Publishing

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except for the case of brief quota-

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Wordjar Publishing. London

Compiled by: Francis Xavier Labiran (Wordjar publishing)

Edited by: Wordjar Publishing

Designed by: Kelvin Akposoe (Wordjar publishing)

Foreword

This is the third installment in our pioneering anthology ‘My Love’. The ‘My Love’ anthology has become a bit of a fixture in the Wordjar calendar, it is after all the only anthology that has more than one volume, and there is good reason for that. This anthology signalled the start of this organisation, the beginning of us providing opportunities for poets to show their work to the world. ‘My love 1’ was a feeler anthology, something we put out there to see how the public would respond to it, an anthology we created because we identified a group of poets that wanted their voices to be heard. The response to this anthol-ogy was one of intrigue and praise. That led to Wordjar publishing three more anthologies before the release of ‘My love 2’ a year ago. With My Love 2 we decided to develop the theme of the book. We asked the poets to not only write a love poem, but to dedicate this poem to somebody close to them. The poets involved seemed to be inspired by this idea and submitted great pieces of love poetry that warmed the hearts of all readers. That led us to where we are today, ‘My Love 3’. This anthology marks two years of Wordjar books. This is the 8th book in our collection and promises to be as captivating as the previous pieces of literature. We have an exciting blend of old and new Wordjar poets, all of which have written love poems that differ in the way they define and explore the concept of love. I could fill up white space with continuous praise for this beau-tifully engineered anthology; however I fear that I may exhaust superlatives. With that in mind, I now give to you…

…My Love 3

Francis Xavier LabiranFounderWordjar

"Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly

and without law, and must be plucked where it is found,and enjoyed for the brief

hour of its duration."

“Love is the ability and willingness to allow those you care for to be what they

choose for themselves, with-out any insistence that they

satisfy you.”

“To describe love is very difficult, for the same rea-son that words cannot fully describe the flavour of an

orange. You have to taste the fruit to know its flavour.

So with love.”

Contents

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They Say Love Is - Freda NomoContent - Peter FynnYou Are My Wings - Kiri GrayLove Reborn - Francis Xavier LabiranDear Valentine - Jolade OlusanyaTheodora (meaning God’s gift) - Gloria EdeQueen of Hearts - Tony SupremeValentine’s Piece - Catherine Sarpong

They Say Love Isby

Freda Nomo

“An Ex of mine, who’s still also a friend of mine because there were some serious ups and downs, but the love for him still remains in me always.’’

Dedicated to

Why is love so complicated?

But so beautiful,

I can say it in many different ways,

That I must confess to you.

They say love is pain,

But I enjoy the pain within.

But the love you used to have for me,

Has now become a been.

But on my account,

The pain I use to love you will never fade away

Love will be there for ever,

Even if I’m lead astray

But they say love is painful, hurtful, cruel

But I’ll battle for your heart, in a complex duel.

The shine in your eyes and the gleam in your smile,

Your kisses too passionate, I’ve missed that for a while.

But what is love to me?

And what is love to you?

On top of the world, I scream and I boast,

That the love I profess for you is higher than most.

Freda Nomo

My Love 3

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Contentby

Peter Fynn

‘’The blessed and beautiful Nel’’Dedicated to

Let our minds flutter like butterflies,

Let time pass like bullets fly,

Let hands rest, and feet stay,

Let words stay still on your tongue.

Let your eyes rest upon me,

Let mine feast on your beauty,

My eyes grow fat from your excess,

Yet your frame fits fragility with finesse,

Let my heart be steady,

There’s no need for my blood to rush,

Yet contemplation of you, leaves me giddy,

Like I just suffered a blood rush.

Lord, let your banner over us be love.

Envelop us like a bad red rash,

If you’re a disease, I’ve contracted you,

But like a good contract’s due,

I’m fully content and readily renew,

simply continue, no upgrade betters you,

I thankfully remain on the same tariff,

baby, you made past pain perish,

And for that I love you.

God Bless You.

Peter Fynn

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You Are My Wingsby

Kiri Gray

“my other half”Dedicated to

The feathers on my back are not my own

A reassuring frame of fortification, armouring my naivety

Escaping the denial that those others aren’t always driven by the heart

You caress the wounds of my fights until healed

With caring nobility, nonetheless anger for my strife

A bullet would sink into the flesh of your chest

Before you let me lose my life

You are my wings

Each breath you exhale elevates my spirit

So my soul flies on the freedom of love

And I’m free; my being is whole and endlessly free

For you took the lost shards I thought were gone

And devotedly bonded the gaps.

Kiri Gray

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Love Rebornby

Francis Xavier Labiran

“Renee LabiranMy daughter, my heartbeat”

Dedicated to

Is it supposed to feel this way?

Fear and hope combined

Transported in my haemoglobin

Accelerated by endorphin subbed sound waves

Prompted by your tears

All pumped through my bullet ridden heart.

Your heart

The almighty creator

Knitted together cardiac muscle,

With strings plucked from the harps of angels,

So that your every heartbeat would echo the divinity of heaven.

Seed of a rose,

Your beauty was inevitable.

From the day you were planted,

In the soil of Love,

The only direction you have known is up.

Up through the sedimentary pressure,

Applied from above.

Rooted in her strong foundation,

Your stem will be the support for a future,

In which you will blossom.

The most beautiful roses,

Grow through adversity.

My Love 3 Wordjar Publishing

Seed of a soldier,

Your soul is already soaked with my strength.

I have endured the world’s brutality for you.

At the crossroads in life,

I chose the path of war for you.

And although your soul shall show the scars,

You shall never feel the pain.

I will endure the lashes from the whip,

Take the bullets,

Shield you from their fists.

Seed of a soldier,

Your hands shall never know the burden of war,

Only the fruits of Love.

Francis Xavier Labiran

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Dear Valentineby

Jolade Olusanya

“Peace, truth and honesty”Dedicated to

I loved her for her mind.

So when she spoke it,

It was as if my ears heard the Songs of Solomon being sung by Esther.

I was seduced by and wised up to her thoughts

I made sure that if I was to ever cross her mind,

The image she would have of me would be Christian,

And when she saw me she’d believe: This man had God in him.

I said I loved her for mind,

But I adored her for her flexible nature.

For no matter how twisted I was, she’d always seem to fit me.

I would trace the lines of her existence,

With the edge of my fingertips.

It was obvious I was drawn to her,

And the past was erased,

Because I couldn’t picture me without her frame,

Her name...

Carrying the essence of Cleopatra,

But I denied myself of being her Julius Caesar,

My aim was not to conquer her,

But to exist with her.

The problem is, I don’t know whether she actually exists.

So Dear Valentine,

Whoever and wherever you are,

Do not expect cards, or sweetened goods.

Nor expect of me precious metals,

Or even stems with scented petals.


Roses couldn’t make you smell half as perfect as the way you are already are,

And diamonds will not make you appear richer than your existence already

portrays.

And written words from me will not convey to you the love that I will have from

day to day.

The greatest gift I can give you is my Being.

Me being human is the only setback to this gift

For my mortality is the sad guarantee that one day I will cease to exist.

I hope there such a thing as being able to over-invest,

For I plan to do so from the second I meet you,

So when I depart, the returns will be substantial.

But Actions speak louder than words,

So I will pay attention to grab you when I make my move,

Dear Valentine,

In return for your mind, body and soul

I too, will give you mine.

Jolade Olusanya

My Love 3

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Theodora (meaning God’s gift)

byGloria Ede

“My mother, ‘Theodora Ede’ who’s strength and laughter inspires me every

day of my life.”

Dedicated to

Gift of God, you birthed me into this earth and named me His glory.

Knowing that there was no joy without His glory

Knowing there was no life, no hope, no story,

But in Him.

So when He gave me to you,

You gave me back to Him and said this child shall give Glory to God,

Because you loved me.

Because you loved Him.

For what greater love than a man laying down his life,

For truly great love requires sacrifice.

And every day I watched you die,

Die to your desires so that I could have mine,

Die to your pain so that I could smile,

Mum.

With the weight of the world balanced on your shoulders,

And me tied around your waist,

Whilst my sister and brother hold your hands either side,

Both mother and father of three.

A childhood where love unspoken

But everyday displayed with food on the table,

A roof over my head, and clothes on my back.

Working till all hours of the night

And then coming home to screaming children’s fights,

And never letting us go astray,

But always guiding our path,


Leading our way.

(Not before pulling a silly face)

And reminding me to always stand tall,

And not let anyone tell me I can’t have it all,

Because with God I am invincible.

Your love beat down poverty and lack

Your love destroyed pity and slack

Bred strength, and wisdom and an opportunity to return that love back.

It was more than maternal instinct

It was survival, sacrifice, life.

Gift of God, you birthed me into this earth and called me His glory.

His glory that sprung through His love.

His love that I’ve seen more than enough of

Because I’ve seen it every day in you.

My mum, My love.

Gloria Ede


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Queen of Heartsby

Tony Supreme

“Lady Supreme”Dedicated to

Let me love every inch of you,

Let me explore every part of your soul.

Your atmosphere attracts my attention,

You possess the type of qualities a man wants in his partner.

We’ll make it together, no need to look further

Tangled in a web of lust our bodies entwine in the motions of love

Each touch, each stroke, brings us closer together

Our body becomes one as we connect more than ever.

Lose yourself in me, they’ll find you in my heart

I’ll tell them your mine, because you held me down from the start

She deserves the crown because she stayed by my side when things became

hard.

Queen of hearts,

You stole mine without warning,

Who knew you’d make me complete?

Who knew our bodies could create such heat?

The passion, the sparkle in your eyes

The heavy breathing, the shiver down your spine

Everlasting pleasure, physically and in your mind.

Tony Supreme

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Valentine’s Pieceby

Catherine Sarpong

“Paapa Koranteng...‘Should you ever feel the need to

wonder why, let me know.’

- Aaliyah ‘Let Me Know.”

Dedicated to

Starting where your voice is,

Would be most prudent.

Considering what disassociation is,

It’s wonderful benefits,

(Albeit counterfit and cornerstone)

Is what I... honour you for.

Reckoning with your dramaturgy

It being an auditorium of zebra’s and camera lense:

Is outright.

It is improvisation

And fibre,

And prayer.

It is curriculum.

It needn’t rhyme.

It breathes upon return.

I breathed upon your return.

As sure as I was that I had killed every memory of you;

I breathed upon your return.

As though everything before was psuedo.

As if everything I counted in that lapse-

Was not.

What gills was I using, then?

Sieved copies of potassium and oxygen and some other variations taken in

through gills.

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And I was unaware that I wasn’t breathing.

Absolutely unaware.

Unaware to the point that if you captured me, and if you showed me,

I would take you to court and say ‘You are lying.’

I would say I have never known this fraud in my life.

I would not compose myself as you have a lawyer pick at me,

Show me where I have been for the last 4 months,

Show pictures of me walking,

Talking,

Being,

Unbreathing.

I wouldn’t believe you.

You cannot argue that the last time I breathed was in a picture.

When my hands were half and yours twice mine.

Also,

I need not offer evidence in my defence.

I have been breathing.

My not registering your participation means not a thing on my animation.

Not a thing on my facile techniques.

Not a thing on my log, or account taking.

Though, it seems,

I have picked up from where I paused,

For I was on a discovery to finding out who and what you are.

My Love 3

My Love 3

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Your occupation.

Allow me to venture with this:

No one thinks of improvisations like you do, Maestro.

And nothing can express the way I love this about you.

Entitlement, hardly, (and harshly) come close.

Your eyes don’t worry about music erections.

They just don’t.

All of your sentences are punctuated, love.

Your ‘On’ buttons are only for sure hands

So, my hand cream has become more and more expensive.

My themes, my linguistics, my synopsis,

All the more prone for what you...

What you want from me.

Your love is fiercely activating.

Fierce, sir, like water and iron and blood.

My heart can barely concentrate on your first verse, sir.

My homework, vague,

And every addition to your playlist’s render me useless.

Because of you, we don’t put piano’s in front of the windows anymore.

We’ve learned to keep the radiator’s there.

We don’t urge words together,

We don’t understand when scales don’t fit or reach.

We don’t mind.

Your mistakes don’t stand out to me anymore, love.

My Love 3

My Love 3

Wordjar Publishing

Hisaishi being at our cohesion was all of everything good you could give to me.

More than any climax, in any paradigm.

Any remote thought, any recreational, remote thought.

The gesture of bringing such a maestro to our meeting,

A maestro, of an avante-garde,

A greater calibre than that of yourself

Was a selfless thing to do.

Understanding that I can love any man with divine handling of instrument/vital

organ

And ‘risking’ that I could leave you without asking for permission is humbling.

Needless to say, Hisaishi’s desert sounds,

Compared to the ostinato of your facial hair,

Needn’t be a concern to you.

Whatever and however his cello muse be constructed,

I promise you, you ought not to worry.

Love. You are you.

And I am thine.

Catherine Sarpong

My Love 3

My Love 3

Wordjar Publishing

My Love

Who Am I?

A Poet’s Soul

Words I Never Said

My Love 2

“Another Point of View” - Kiri Gray

City Shades

Available at Wordjar.com

My Love 3

Documents

Transcript of My Love 3