Friday -One Stop Poetry Featuring Fall Poetry Finalists

One Stop Poetry Features Finalists from the Fall Competition "Through a Child's Eye's"

Emmanuel Ibok:

I am Emmanuel Ibok aka Lord Emmanuel and I'm from southern Nigeria. I am presently in Malaysia where I'm doing my final year in Business and Management. I was born and raised in Port Harcourt, one of the oil rich states in Nigeria although I am originally from Akwa-Ibom state. I began writing as  kid and remember trying to get a book published even before I clocked 13 but I guess I wasn't ready then. I am a jovial person and never like dull moments. I started blogging in December 2009 as a means of sharing my poetry. My poetry springs mostly from imagination but I try to make it applicable to real life situations.  I write because I see myself as a teacher and messenger and besides what is knowledge and wisdom if it is not being shared? I write to share wisdom and knowledge. I always find it funny when people read my works and relate it first hand to me; it pleases me although sometimes it could get a little overboard. I like to meet people and learn new things as well as I'm a big scholar of philosophy and psychology. My travel exposure so far has made me see the world from a global perspective and given me the conclusion that humanity is the key to world peace. I kind of have a mysterious trait and I am a deep thinker as well....It goes on and on

Through a Child's Eye

Daddy please don’t hit Mum again,

I know she’s stubbornly insane

but those bruises you leave on her temple,

makes you look stupid in the eyes of people;

like, if you couldn't stay together,

why did you put a ring on her finger.

Mummy please be submissive to Dad,

I know he’s a tough nut to crack,

but each time you cause a fight,

the neighbours have something to gossip about;

like, if you couldn’t tolerate him,

why did you accept his ring.

Mum and Dad please stop fighting,

I know you’re human and not perfect,

but each time you curse and fight,

my siblings sit and wonder;

like, if marriage was this bitter,

why then did you go into it in the first place.

Helena Malheur:

I am first generation Ethiopian-American born in NYC, now living in Florida.  My mother was very much into the theatre and arts, therefore I was exposed to culture at a very young age.  I was given a mystery book for one of my birthdays - I still remember how much I loved it.  I started to read and write quite a lot afterward; I think I used to read a book a week! When I was in middle school, I wrote my first play called “The thief;” it was not a hit at school but that did not deter me from wanting to write more plays, short stories and poetry throughout my teenage years. I kept a diary by my bedside at all times and wrote in it the day’s happenings and feelings till it became a kind of ritual. But, I had neglected my writing pursuing a college degree and work until about seven years ago when I started to write again. Now I write more poetry and prose rather than short stories.
I think that writing can capture a moment and make it new again each time it’s read and I have found it to be a cathartic tool in times of hardship or emotional distress; I continue to write for those reasons. I started a blog for my poetry a few months ago under the pen name Helena Malheur. My poetry stems from reality most of the time; I tend to write about things that have affected me in some way. My favorite writers are Sylvia Plath, E. E. Cummings, W. H. Auden, Pablo Neruda, and Edgar Allan Poe.
I am thankful to have found One Stop Poetry and the group of talented writers with whom I can share ideas. It has been a fantastic experience to meet all of you.

Imagination

in a back yard

as vast as Africa,

fields of red earth bubble

in jeweled dimples

of happy toes;

the putter of little feet,

chase the echo of giggles,

past footprints

of purple elephants

plucked out of dreams.

wide eyes float

above sun kissed cheeks,

beyond the desert sky,

through rainforests

of the Amazon.

tiny hands clasp

knots of imagination,

climbing higher

than birds nesting

golden eggs,

atop a giant tree

sprinkled with magic,

where branches bow

to an emerald throne, and

a crown of butterflies.