Carpe Diem Series

Read today the riveting poem by Okpeta, Gideon Iching & Hassan Usman! They weave a tapestry of time, addressing the sorrows and hopes with the days we have and days to come.

My Favorite Line: “But how often do you say to yourself
‘I’m a failure’；how long do you chase
tomorrow’s dreams？― “

The hills that grow with years.

Hills stand tall before your very eyes,
some hills
stare marvelously at your weakness:
They console you with this sympathy;
‘’life isn’t a bed of roses, neither a daffodil‘’,
take heed lest you work like an elephant
but live on like an ant.

Trees whisper to your very ears,
Some trees are
Mute to your weariness:
They silently engulf you with hopes;
“Life is full of ups, and also downs”,
Never leave war for home
When the enemies still breathe on the battlefield.

Miracle hardly happens in Warri,
Life is like this city when hope is drawn
and labor refuses to bear riped fruits for consumption.

Chaos devours the towns in maidugiri：
Life seizes breaths, heaven deafens to the ululations
And fatherland won’t even mother but rather murders.

Though hardship plays a vital role in lives:
You grow strong, strong enough to fight back
Your ordeals;
not with strength but bravery.

Though pangs hit a part of aging：
That you’re roughened, you get tough,
That you’re bruised; you brace up,
That you’re torn; you stitch up to a new dawn.

If you’re born with a silver spoon,
keep it safe; guide it jealously
Lest you lose it to beautiful shadows―
the wind you chase.

And a tale did tell of wind chasers
Encaged in the luxury of time,
Unmindful of a deadly tomorrow that came uninvited;
So if you’ve today, live it worthily.

But how often do you say to yourself
‘I’m a failure’；how long do you chase
tomorrow’s dreams？―
Yesterday has tricked you to believing she’s
blissful from nascence.

A new dawn falls on you as adults：
myriad of responsibilities beset with thorns,
beckon scornfully at your failures；
disgracefull, they demand your commitment.

Let yesterday’s glees alone
lest posterity finds you guilty；
have a taste of today’s bitterness,
‘the hills we climb’ today determine
how undulating tomorrow’s shall become.

Artists:

• Okpeta, Gideon Iching is a poet, and Essayist.He is a contributing writer for Joshuastruth magazine（JT MAG), and crispng.comHis work has appeared at The lastleavesmagazine, Literary yard journal,Words  and Whispers, Academic of the Heartsand Minds, and else where.At his spare time, he  writes and plays the keyboard.

• Hassan Usman is a poet, content creator, debater, psychologist and a student of the university of Ilorin, Kwara. He is based in Lagos. When he isn’t writing, he prefers debating and listening to music. He has participated in online poetry contests and has been awarded both local and international certificates.