Take a break and savor poetry

POEM 1

COMMITMENT

Commitment is being bound emotionally or intellectually to another person or action course

It’s true that we can’t all be committed to all things

But a life without commitment is a life without focus

To prove ourselves responsible, we must be committed to some things

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to succeed’.

Parents are committed to loving and caring for their children

Children are committed to loving and obeying their parents

Wives are committed to loving and submitting to their own men

Husbands are committed to loving and sticking to their wives

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to be there for my family’.

Students are committed to their diligent studies

Athletes are committed to their daily self-improvement

Workers are committed to giving their time and life to their duties

Employers are committed to the business survival and development

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to excel’.

Social animals need to be able to turn to another

A friend is committed to showing himself friendly

No man is an Island; humans are made to need one another

Best friends stick closer than brothers or are more sisterly

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to love and serve mankind’.

There is nothing that life can throw at us

That an earthly or heavenly friend cannot handle

A positive mental and physical attitude is good for us

Our discouragement has no answer for us if we always let it untangle

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to always be positive’.

There are many things that we can do

But there are very few things that we will be celebrated for

A dogged determination is needed for what we must do

Our purpose we must have passion for

Hence, ‘I will try’ or ‘I will do my very best’ are not good enough.

It should be, ‘I must make a commitment to be somebody’.

Without commitment, if life could box us to a corner

Without help from friends, families, well-wishers or foes

Then our lives will be without bearing or like that of a loner

We would be lost or confused or worse

Commitment will see us through the difficult times.

by Oti Atse Le Fun

POEM 2

PASSION

The road to success is long and full of rejections

They’re there to send one back home dejected and frustrated

Also to kill one’s zeal and tire one out without all actualizations

So one needs fire in one’s belly to make it and get things situated

Passion is all intense, compelling, burning emotional desires

That dog-headed, tireless determination and enthusiasm

To actualize one’s goals or for a person one admires

In the multitude and magnitude of heated feelings without defeatism

To get passion is to realize how badly one wants to achieve success

From a person’s internal state of being as an optimist

In spite of more oppositions like age, race, where you’re from, your sex

Level of education, words of haters, mockers and pessimists

The positive affinity and drive of some young people

To go after their dreams and realize their ideals

As they know that their talents must be discovered, they don’t fumble

“Yes,” “yes” are all the responses they believe in, not the opposing ideas

But after enjoying the limelight in decades of pleasant things

When they don’t knock for doors to open to them by themselves

They lose their passion and that may mean losing everything

And none may believe in one anymore when one doesn’t believe in oneself

They forget how to push to get what they want

After all, they didn’t need push anymore to have live interviews,

Their faces on mag covers, fans tripping over them, producers hunt,

People licking their boots, TV reality shows and millions of followers, views

But if one can hold on to one’s dreams passionately

One can turn “no” answer to “yes” by that spirit, fervor, ardor

Whosoever lets one off is their loss completely

Without them, one could make it one way or another

by Oti Atse Le Fun

POEM 3

DAYSTAR

I like to be like you, you inspire me to my face

All living rejoice to see you every time you appear

Food produces their food only when you surface

You’re great, you’ve been here and you’re still here

Your presence has affected every life in all generations

You’re no stranger but popular to everyone

You can’t be forgotten or ignored when you visit nations

You can’t be arrested or caged by anyone

Without passport, you’re invited to greet all with such warmth

Without visa, none can hinder or hide from you

While adoring you, frosty melts when you shine to show your worth

No one can change the season with a commanding heat like you

Mr. Dawn can’t fully brighten without you following behind

You don’t let those that surround you witness darkness always

There’s no weeping of night when you don’t hide

You always favor the joy of morning in all your ways.

As a celebrity, you’re a brightly shining star already

Greater than all the others for you’re unique

Without you, earth will be like a mortuary

The moon has no way to shine without your full light or wink

You govern the day and rule over it, no denial

You usher in times, seasons, days and years

You’re as constant and reliable as a sundial

You’ve been faithfully committed to your course for donkey years

by Oti Atse Le Fun

POEM 4

MY SPECTACLES

I wear my spectacles

To put up a wall

That stops me from being a spectacle

To the sight of all

I call them sunshades

When under the sun at high noon

And I need them to hide myself in dark shades

So that to the eyes of all, I won’t be seen

My specs are my official order

That prohibits all from seeing my soul

I may put on my designer shoes, even my prada

But I must always wear my specs to make me whole

I never go anywhere without my dark sun glasses

So when I was up close in a personal stance

With my dream girl, my racing heart, she had the aces

I couldn’t let her see my nervousness

So I wore my goggles with the muscular twitching on my face

Some call them working tool for eyes protection

Or intellectual looks inspirer or “shade up” or “no face”

They’re my disappearance gadget and travel companion

by Oti Atse Le Fun

WRITING POETRY

Most born writers find it easier to write poetry simply because it’s a lot shorter and could be as powerful as writing short stories, if not more powerful. I see poetry as short stories too.

Non-Rhyming Poems

When I want to write a poem, I simply write the short story extra concise and as powerful as I possibly can make it.

Rhyming Poems

After writing the short story really short and powerful, I begin to think of ways of adding rhyme schemes to the piece of creative writing, line by line. These could be couplet (two consecutive lines sounding alike at the last words on the line). Or alternate (a first line sounding like the third, and the second like the fourth, at their end words.)

In every four-line stanza, there’re cases when two lines would rhyme and the other two won’t. Nevertheless, the power of the words should not be compromised.

Constantly putting already written work into rhymes really involve flipping through different words on the alphabet to find two that sound alike and still best fits.

Like all pieces of creative writing, a poem could be for storytelling, information, entertainment, education and escapism. There’re different contests, prizes and awards for writing poetry as well that a born writer could enter for. But some of them need you to have several poems. So keep writing because you need to be an award-winning author.