Hey You September!

 

Hey you September,

How beautiful you are, you bearer of good news!

And your fragrance, how heavenly!

You are altogether comely,

Pleasant and delightful.

You are all green with benefits for me,

Each day in you is fair and graceful.

Every second in you is like the honeycomb,

Oozing sweet, sweet honey unto me.

How shall I not rejoice in you, dear September? --

You who fan into flame dying embers --

Bringing forth into reality long conceived dreams!

Welcome September,

I am loving you already,

'Cause I know we shall have a jolly ride together.

I believe, and so I speak!

© September 2020, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

THE POT IS ON FIRE

The pot is on fire,

Inside it is a soup

That promises to be yummy.

I saw her through the corner of my eye,

Ladle in hand, hurrying to the hearth.

“What are you trying to do, Lápé?!” I screamed.

“Wait for the soup to be done,

Leave the ladle be,

Else you drink a soup half-cooked

And end up with a racing stomach.”

©August 2020, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Stop It! It Hurts!

You are not superior because you are white.

I am not inferior because I am black.

What determines our skin colour is the level of melanin present.

And considering the benefits of being rich in melanin,

It will even be logical to say blacks are superior.

But hey, the presence or lack of melanin is not a determinant of class.

We all bleed red, whether white or black, brown, yellow or red.

We all shed salty tears.

We all fart.

We all poo.

We all wee.

We all spit.

We all secrete phlegm.

We all secrete mucus.

We all laugh.

We all get frightened.

We all feel different emotions.

We all fall sick.

We all die.

So, you see,

You are not superior to me

Neither am I to you.

I am not exceptional to be intelligent because I am black,

There are even many in my race that are more intelligent.

Listen,

As you have dumb and intelligent people in your race

So do we in mine.

As you have bad and good people in your race

So do we in mine.

Your race is not better than mine,

We are all equally human.

Being white doesn’t make you more intelligent

And being black doesn’t make me less intelligent.

So,

Stop the foolishness,

Stop the wickedness,

Stop the prejudice,

Stop racism,

’Cause it hurts. 

Treat people as people,

Treat people as individuals.

Address people’s faults for what they are,

Not making their punishment extra because of their colour.

And, 

Stop the stereotype!

Stop it!

It hurts!

©June 2020, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

BECAUSE OF YOU

Because of you,
He endured that humiliating and terrible scourging on His back.
He had you on His mind and saw that very undesirable moment you are in now.

Because of you,
He bore the piercing of the sharp thorns on His head.
He had you on His mind and saw those foolish steps that led you to where you are now.

Because of you,
He, despite indescribable pains, carried His cross and fell under it, getting crushed.
He had you on His mind and saw that very sinful life you are living now.

Because of you,
Wicked nails were drawn though His hands and feet.
He endured the mockery and the abuse.
And by His stripes you have been healed.

Come to Him today,
Don't delay anymore.
For even if your sin is as scarlet,
He will make you as white as snow.
Run quickly to the mercy seat,
He took your condemnation upon Himself in His suffering.
You only have to accept this fact and let Him help you.


© 2017, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Blaze, Spirit, Blaze

Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Burn with Your fire
All that should be consumed.

Blow, Spirit, blow.
Shake the heavens,
Shake the earth.

Rule, Spirit, rule.
Take charge of our lives
So You will be glorified.

Rain, Spirit, rain.
Refresh our lives,
Bring our dead back to life.

Shine, Spirit, shine.
You glow in the darkness
And it cannot comprehend You.

©2019, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

TO BE ME

Just want to be me,
Nothing more.

(To be like the beautiful flower
Which just blossoms
without beefing the next flower.
Like the star which keeps shining in its own unique glory
Amidst other stars,
Happy and contented that its Maker knows and calls it by name.)

That is all I want,
To be and remain me.

©2017, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

I WILL KEEP STANDING

I will keep standing on Your promises, which are true, to fight the lies of the devil which appear true.
I will not give up.

Though Satan attacks or any of his wards,
I will still be confident,
Because Your promises are yes and amen,
even when they appear untrue.

I will no longer let the fear of the enemy drive me,
I will rather be driven by the truth of Your words,
Scorning the foe and resisting his whims.
I know and I am sure that greater are You that live in me than the spirit who lives in the world.

But even if I am sore afraid and scared,
I will tell You my fears and worries,
while I wait on You to quieten me with Your love.

©2017, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

The Love That Bore My Punishment

Your love for me surpasses all understanding,
It is more than my mind can grasp--
The love that bore my punishment and curses;
The love that took my infirmities and sorrows;
The love that carried my sins--
What else can it not do for me?
I know it is sorting things out,
Putting everything I've messed up back in order.
Thank You Jesus.

©2017, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Sing for me, Father

Sing for me, Father,
Your sweet sweet melody.
Calm me down, dear Lord,
With Your pure pure love.
Sing for me, sweet Father,
And calm me down with Your love.

Dance for me, Father,
I know You dance too.
I want to see Your matchless steps,
The ones the best of dancers cannot beat.
Dance, Father, dance,
You are the Lord of the dance.

©2016, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

ME RIGHT NOW, FATHER

Spent,

Tired,
Weak,
Weary,
Worn out,
Bruised,
Broken,
Hungry,
Thirsty,
Empty...,
Yet hoping for Your fresh touch,
For Your oil of gladness.

Let Your touch envelope me,
Let the oil run from my crown to my feet,
Let Your love wash over me anew,
Let it comfort and heal me,
Let it bind my broken heart,
Let it fill me up to overflowing,
Let it satisfy my hunger,
Let it quench my thirst,
Let it renew my strength,
Let it bring back to life those bubbles of joy.
This is me right now, Father,
Crying out to You.

How You Raised Me

Gracious Father,

I am so grateful and glad for how You have raised me, such that some steps, actions or decisions are not options to me.

You have taught me to go through processes and not jump out.

You have taught me to not take shortcuts.

You have taught me to trust You even if You don't "deliver".

You have taught me about the great value You place on me, how You think highly of me and how I am more than precious to You, so that I hold my head very high--no matter what--and I don't settle for less than the best....

You have taught me confidence. I take after You when it comes to assertiveness!

Really, I am grateful I can stand for what You will be proud of when I have every "justifiable" reason to compromise and excuse it with "God understands". Thanks for the strength to stand when normally I should fall.

Thank You so much for raising me so well. Continue the great work You are doing in me, good old Father.

Your own baby,
Precious AY

Above The Storm

Like an eagle,

I am rising above the storm,

My youth is being renewed

'Cause I'm shedding old feathers for new ones.

I am pressed but not crushed,

Persecuted but not abandoned

Struck down but not destroyed.

I am sure that now it will be said of me,

"See what Yahweh has done."

©2016, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Out of Brokenness

Out of brokenness, He brings forth loveliness;
Out of bitterness, sweetness;
Out of nothingness, something beautiful;
Out of the valley, streams of healing waters;
Out of ignobility, aristocracy;
Out of a sow's ear, a silk purse;
Out of tatteredness, wholesomeness;
Out of chaos, orderliness;
Out of confusion, clarity;
Out of a pile of mess, a message.
Only my Lord and Friend can do that,
For He works all things together for good for everyone who loves Him.

Photo Credit: https://sysministriesinc.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/the-strength-of-brokenness/

That Gurgling Joy

That joy, that gurgling joy, is my strength.

It keeps me going in days of trouble,

In the desert it maintains my eyes' sparkle,

It dictates my dancing steps in the night time,

And my voice it raises in beautiful melody while it storms.

Yes, that joy, that gurgling joy, is my strength.

Turn On Your Light

 

Don't worry about darkness,

You just turn on your light anywhere you are
And darkness will flee:
For darkness has never comprehended light and never will.

But if the light in you is dim or it is darkness,
How can you shine?
Arise! Get rid of every partial or total darkness in you
By letting the Light of the world shine through you.
For in His light we see light.

That Little Boy

That little boy,

His mother gave him five loaves of bread and two fishes,
To have as lunch on his day out with Jesus.
But the crowd was hungry, hungry,
And the disciples were looking for what they might feed them with.
Then they found this little boy, who was willing to give his lunchbox.

"But what can five loaves of bread and two fishes do,
Among a crowd of five thousand men,
Excluding women and children?"
They asked Jesus.

But instead He directed them to have the people sit down,

In groups on the green grass,
Took the little boy's lunchbox and blessed it.
Then He gave it to the disciples to share.
Everyone in the crowd ate and there were twelve basketfuls of leftovers.
All these happened because of five loaves and two fishes which a little boy happily brought to Jesus.

What do you have that you think is too small to give to the Master?

Never mind, when you give it to Him, He will bless it and increase it,
And not only you will be blessed but a whole multitude of others.

Oh that we will stop giving excuses and give that little we have.

Oh that we our lives are willing for Him to use as He pleases.
Oh that in our poverty, we still give to Him.
Oh that in days of trouble we give Him that little praise.
Never forget that little boy’s lunch that did wonder to multitudes.

©2014, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Photo Credit: https://achristianpilgrim.wordpress.com/tag/5-loaves-of-bread-2-fish/

 

AFRICA, ITS TOWNS AND ITS HUMANS

Africa is a biiiiiiiig country with many towns:
In those towns, you will find jungles with a lot of wild animals--

Lions, elephants, giraffes, antelopes, monkeys--name it.
There are a lot of humans there too.

Those humans, hmm, they don't go to school,
They can't speak or write pretty Engrish.
Their children are malnourished with bulging stomachs and skeletal bodies;
They feed on less than a dollar a day.

Those people, hmm, they drink dirty water,

They don't have access to clean water.
Those humans, hmm, they live in mud huts with thatch roofs.
Some of them even dwell on trees with monkeys.

Every house in Africa has at least a giraffe,
That ruminant with long neck, as pet.

It is such a sweet pet too,
It sometimes feed from its owners' hands.

In Africa, there are no side walks,
No roads, no bicycles, no cars, no trucks, no airplanes--
Those people, hmm, they go on all their journeys on feet, bare feet.

I am one of the human beings from Africa,
Ebony-skinned with a head full of wild, kinky curls.
This human, hmm, she did not go to school
And cannot speak or write pretty Engrish.
I come from that town in Africa called Nigeria.

©2015, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Photo Source for non-human pics: http://all-free-download.com/free-photos/
Human pics mine.

I Believe

I believe in God--The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.

I believe Jesus is the Son of God.
I believe He came in the flesh to save the world.
I believe He died on the Cross and rose again on the third day.
I believe His death was to save me from my sinful nature and give me abundant and everlasting life.
I believe He ascended to heaven after His ressurection.
I believe He is alive forever more.
I believe He will come back some day,
To take everyone--who believes in Him, repents of his/her sins and asks Him to be his/her Lord and Saviour--home to be with Him forever--
This is an event we Christians call 'Rapture'.

 

I believe in the existence of heaven and hell,

I know it is not a cock and bull story nor is it a fairy tale.
I believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, the only way to making it to heaven.
I believe my good works and moral uprightness are not good enough to save me.
I believe the only righteousness God recognises in humans is the righteousness that faith in the saving grace of the Blood of Jesus bestows.
I believe Jesus lives in me, I know as well because I experience Him whether it is rainy or sunny, whether it is stormy or calm.
My claims are foolish, I understand, but the 'foolishness' of God has ever proven wiser than men.

 

I am glad I know Him personally and have a working relationship with Him.

I beseech you to seek Him today and invite Him to save you from yourself, from eternal damnation.

Are you confused about this whole Jesus thing?

Pray sincerely to God, with an open mind, to make things clear to you,
If you seek Him and do not give up, He will reveal Himself to you.
For you will seek Him (God) and find Him, when you seek Him with all your heart.
Jesus loves you and really cares.

 

HAPPY EASTER!

PUT NOT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE

Put not the cart before the horse,

Put not sex before marriage.

Just as it is foolish to put the cart before the horse

So is it foolish to put sex before marriage.

Sex with your girlfriend/boyfriend/fiancée/fiancé might be great,

 And you might really sincerely end up marrying each other and still have no issues,

 But that doesn't make it right.

 The Divine order of things is for sex to grace marriage, to spice it up and lubricate it.

 Sex is for the married.

 And like I saw somewhere,

"Dating is not for mating."

 So, flee sexual immorality,

Sexual sins are sins against your own body which is God's temple--

 Which God is very jealous over.

 (That doesn't make other sins less than sins, though.)

 Change your ways and return to the normal order of things.

 God will forgive you if you truly repent.

He will give you a brand new story and a brand new name.

Written on March 12, 2015

First made public on my Facebook page.

Photo Credit: http://www.horsenation.com/2014/07/19/porsche-puts-the-cart-before-the-horse-in-new-ad-campaign/

Rice and Cakes

As a little child playing with sand and clay,
I cooked sand as rice and molded clay into cakes, pots and animals.
We exchanged stones-cum-eggs for paper-cum-money
And it was pure fun.
Little did I know that I would ever be paid for playing with sand and clay,
Little did I know I'd one day work in a kitchen
Where the only things we cook and serve are sand and clay
Only that now they are consolidated into rocks.
Yes, I am a geologist, working as a mudlogger.