an anthology of poems · the spark in your eyes, the sun in my stormy days. the sound of your...

An Anthology of Poems

OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO

|| FAIRYTALES LIVE IN BOOKS

OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO i


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO ii

COPYRIGHT

DISCLAIMER

INTRODUCTION

DEDICATION

CHAPTER 1 (FALLING IN LOVE)

I’M SICK

HEY. HI. HELLO

EVERYTIME

WHO STOLE MYALL

SMILE

CHAPTER 2 (PROMISES)

RIGHT HERE

SEVEN DAYS

MOONLIGHT LOVERS

CHAPTER 3 (LIVING IN LOVE)

EXCUSE ME

SO LET ME

YIN AND YANG

YOUR EYES

WHAT IF I NEVER LOVE AGAIN

CHAPTER 4 (A BREAK)

WALK IN THE PARK

NEW ZONE

EMPTY

CHAPTER 5 (MEMORIES)

ONCE UPON A TIME

A PERFECT CRIME

DAMN DELILAH

FALL

CHAPTER 6 (THE TRUTH)

LOVED? NO

FAIRY TALES LIVE IN BOOKS

BROKEN

FALLING

NOTHING LASTS


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO iii

CHAPTER 7 (TRANSITION)

YOUR EYES (A DIFFERENT STORY)

PIECE BY PIECE

I HATE EVERYTHING

FEELINGS

GLOSSARY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO iv

All rights are reserved. Thus no part of this book may be copied, transferred, altered, sold,

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however welcomed to use a short excerpt of this book for critique or review purposes. If

you would like to share this book with others, feel free to do so without alterations

whatsoever.

For more information, feedback or questions, contact:

09070357225, 07030443348

The poems written in this anthology are all original works, fully dated and documented

for. All featured authors were duly notified before publications, as well as authenticating

the genuineness of the works.

Enjoy!


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO v

Fairy tales are one of the significant stories told to us as children. We were fed by tales

of how a prince charming would come to rescue us and love was painted as being

perfect. However, not all fairy tales have a happy ending. This is the saddest truth we

have to come to realize as we grow up.

As an editor, it is of great delight to study this great work of literature. The writer

presents an unforgettable tapestry of love and heartbreaks in an intellectual manner.

ADEOYE, Bolanle Victoria


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO vi


“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides…”

. FAIRY|| FAIRYTALES LIVE IN BOOKS

OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO vii

i

CHAPTER 1

FALLING IN LOVE


OGUNSANWO KAZEEM ADEBAYO 1

elp me, I think I’m sick. I don’t think it’s something I caught in the air.

Or did I? I’m not sure.

I need a cure soon else my heart might fall apart.

How do I know I’m sick? Well, the symptoms are as clear as daylight,

Only few can tell when they see it.

If you’ve been down with this sickness, maybe you can help.

My head’s always caught up in the clouds, Way, way up in never land.

A better part of my day is spent out of reality,

I stare at nothing and smile for no reason,

My stomach flips itself and I feel my cheeks go warm. Almost every time.

And my blood? It surges through every inch of me,

And only stops when it wishes to.

H



And at night, it only gets worse.

I toss and turn, hoping to get comfortable on my bed.

But I find that sleep has eluded me.

Help me anyone, I think I’m sick. I remember how it started.

She waved at me that afternoon,

And I was struck with this sickness.



ey. Hi. Hello.

The only words I can muster when you pass by.

With a sheepish smile on my face,

Butterflies fluttering in my belly,

And my heart, on a skipping spree.

Have you ever seen a rainbow up close?

Yeah, I haven’t either.

But staring at your face beats that.

Your beauty is mesmerizing,

Projecting spectrums that makes the colors of the rainbow blush.

H



You in my life is all I’m hoping for.

The spark in your eyes, the sun in my stormy days.

The sound of your voice, music to my ears.

If only I could see your mind,

It would make a nice place for me to dwell.

Hey. Hi. Hello.

I’d like to get you supermarket flowers,

Dance with you in the rain,

Or a stroll on the grass, barefooted. Perfect.

I just have to stop stammering first.



very time I see you walk pass me,

I lose my ability to speak comprehensible

words.

Every time I see you smile,

There’s this feeling my words just can’t describe.

Every time I hold you,

The sun, moon and stars in their orbits stop to focus

on us.

Every time you shed a tear,

It’s like my life is draining away slowly and painfully

with each tear that drops.

Every moment spent away from you,

Is equal to a thousand lifetime in hell.

E



am a candle

in search of light on your body,

touching every part of you for that synergy

to make me burn like a thousand incense.

I am a river

near your coastal lands,

running to the shores for a warm embrace

from the skin you wear on sunny days

I am a rainbow

gazing upon your beautiful colors,

mesmerized by every spectrum you project.

Come, unveil the hidden radiance in me.

I



I am a dark cloud

in a sunny sky,

wanting your essence to enliven up my presence,

from the vast unending space above.

I am a fire burning in your bones

in your belly, fluttering butterflies,

in your heart, thumps and skips.

I am the one who stole your all away.



mile.

Let the earth stop rotating,

And the butterflies in my belly dance

to the tune of my heartbeat.

Thump, thump, it goes whenever that radiant line crosses your face.

Smile.

Let a symphony be unveiled,

In my ears and heart, a song of songs.

The cacophony echoing through my walls disappearing

And the sweetest melody vibes through.

Smile

Let my sorrows be washed away,

Like a river, let them flow

as your radiant face brightens up my day

And the gross darkness is overtaken.

S



Smile.

Let me be rooted,

Let the universe stop to listen to my heart skipping beats

Smile for me,

And let fire burn in every part of me.



CHAPTER 2

PROMISES



hen your tears are dry from crying,

I’ll be right here,

When you feel your heart shattering,

I’ll be right here.

When you feel like you can’t breathe,


When the world has turned silent to your pain,


When you feel like you can’t move,


When the clouds are closing in,


W



If your life is going too fast,

I’ll slow it down.

If you are trapped and there’s no key,

I’ll be the door to lead you home.

I’ll be your oxygen,

If the walls are closing inn, I’ll break through it.

I’ll always be right here but it’ll only matter when you notice me.

This one sided love hurts.

When my body rejects my soul,

And I can’t find the strength to wake up each morning, Cause I cried it away,

Will you still be there?

When the whole world is on your case, And it seems like I’m wrong,

Will you be there To fight the world for me?



When the rainbow won’t appear

Because the storm refused to go away, And fear is eating my sanity away

Will you be my sunshine?

When my world comes to a standstill, And I’m lost in a vast space of emptiness,

With no feelings whatsoever, Will I find you there?

When you cry and I can’t wipe your tears away, Because I’m losing my humanity,

Will you still be there? I don’t want this love to be one sided.



ll day long, round the clock,

I want to love you, seven days in a week.

On Monday,

I’ll watch you stir as rays of the sun adorn your face.

“Hey sunshine time to brighten up my day.”

Pet names and kisses; cuddles and breakfast in bed,

The day has to start perfectly.

On Tuesday,

I’ll sneak up behind you with my hands wrapped around your waist.

“You look like a whole meal.”

Slowly, I’ll plant soft kisses from your neck down,

The night is always young.

On Wednesday,

I’ll wait by the phone, waiting for your call.

“Have you had your lunch?”

Together we’ll go out and have pretzels,

Arm in arm; with ice-cream coating our face.

A



On Thursday,

I’ll drop by your workplace with supermarket flowers and chocolate

“Hey cupcake, I come bearing sweets.”

You’d cover your face and blush, your co-workers whooping and whistling.

Then you throw a feeble punch and hold my face in your hands.

On Friday,

I’ll wait at the door, mesmerized by your dazzling gown.

“Cinderella has nothing on you”.

I’ll hold the door and watch slide elegantly into the front seat,

And at the stroke of midnight, we’ll dance in the streets; the stars and moon watching over

us.

On Saturday,

I’ll race you for the couch and TV remote; football or soap operas.

“You look pretty when you frown.”

You’d kick me off and fall beside me,

We’d scream at the players and giggle at the silly lovers.



On Sunday,

I’ll give thanks for having you.

“Hey angel, I must have done something nice in my past life to deserve you.”

I’ll take you down the aisle,

And make anew our vows.

All day long, round the clock,

Seven days of the week, you’ll continue to be my life.



To my princess in a glass slipper. Whenever the moon steps out, I promise to ride into the night with you.

We’d go to our far away land like two lovers I once saw.

Two lovers who danced in the cornfield towards the meadows.

The sound of their laughter travelling to every part of the field.

He was her knight in shining armor and she was his damsel in distress.

He picked up a rose and fixed it gently into her head.

He made them into crowns and gave her new ones every night.

She was his queen.

And her throne? He pointed towards the cornfield,

And in the middle sat her make shift throne.

She beamed with joy and wrapped her arms around him.

Hand in hand, they made their way to the make shift throne.

He made true his promise to her, under the glistening moon.

She stretched her hands towards him and asked to dance with him.

He smiled and took her hands in his,

And they danced round and round the makeshift throne in the cornfield,

While the gentle breeze nudged the wheat

And the leaves rustle gently on either side.



On they went, on and on enjoying the moonlight,

Dancing through the meadows.

On and on, he twirled her again and again.

They danced on and on, and round and round,

He in his red jacket, and she in her gown.

The wildflowers dropped from her wreath.

On and on in the moonlight, till the crickets fell asleep and the breeze died down.

On and on till they crossed the meadows,

Till they were hidden far away in the mist.

That was the last I saw of them.

But I know they are still dancing on and on,

Round and round far away in a land,

Where the moonlight is glistening and ever present.

He in his red jacket twirling her round in her gown

As the wildflowers keep dropping from her wreath.



CHAPTER 3

LIVING IN LOVE



alking thoughtfully down the street; a bright day.

Saw her with the consults I needed, loads of ‘em

“Hello, hi, excuse me,”

I called out till she turned.

She flipped her, raised her brows and batted her eyelids.

“Excuse me sister, don’t play hard to get.”

My mind reeled out thoughts,

Thoughts of my love. Have you seen her though?

Awelewa mi, her beauty surprises me every day.

Adumaradan, I liken her body to that of a goddess’.

Aponbepore, the fairest of them all, she is!

“Excuse me sister”, my mind whispered, reeling me back to the present.

“You’re not in her league.”

I turned away with my prize and left her stunned.

“Excuse me, but oju kan lada mi ni”

W



ow many times do I have to tell you?

I can’t love you in the dark.

Come into the light,

I wish to see beneath your beautiful

Open up, let me see inside.

There’s a vacancy in your heart I want to hold.

A permanent occupancy in your soul.

Has anyone ever told you?

you’re perfect even when you look a mess.

I want all of you, solamenté.

So let me be the one to offer you a warm embrace,

When it seems like the whole world is on your case.

You won’t have to shed a river, before I come running.

H



I can’t give your paradise,

But I promise a life that’s ice.

We’ll keep winning without rolling the dice.

It’s very defined, you’re one of a kind,

So, let me love you.



You’re my yin, I’m your yang, we complement each other.

You’re the dazzling star in my sky, come rain or sunshine.

I’m enchanted by the pixie in your voice, with you I’m lost in the great wind of love,

And my emotions are blown around the sky.

I’m your yang, you’re my yin, let’s fold together and win.

A king and his Sheba forever together, wrapped selves in the winter.

You shut the door of my cemetery and chase away the late night mourners.

An oasis in the desert, my savior. A sweet melody, oh! Gracious.

Non reflecting se, like a mirror you reflect me.

In your eyes I see my golden days, when we shall rule over a million race.

You in my arms where no maiden belongs, your heart dancing to the song of mine,

Souls on fire, yet you tease with yours.

Before I was a lost lyric hunting completed songs, I was a colorless rainbow

Then you came along, a bird of paradise adding colors to my life,

The firefly in the darkest nights and the dazzling star everyone’s dreams.

You came along and my symphony was unveiled.



his morning, I woke up with a smile on my face. Your head on my chest,

My arm wrapped around your body. I stare into your eyes.

And they spoke to me. They spoke like they did when we first met.

You were alone on a bright summer afternoon, busy making the sun jealous.

Then I saw you. I saw those brown eyes melt into golden rays, circling an eclipse.

There was nothing boring about those eyes, not even when the later hours encroached; they

just turned into a sunset of their own.

Those eyes, they spoke to me. Though as deep as the ocean, as dreamy as a starry night.

They were as pretty as lotus petals, mesmerizing as the sunrise and serene as the morning

dew.

Yet, as innocent as a child’s laughter. I’d miss a thousand sunsets for this.

I walked up to you and said “Hey mermaid eyes, can you make it rain?”.

You smiled. Your eyelashes fluttered and your eyes spoke to me.

They opened the windows to your heart, and I heard you loud and clear.

They spoke. The language that belongs to the heart.

One that mere words are unable to fully express. Heart to heart.

Like that day, they are still saying the same thing to me this morning my dear…

T



o whom it concerns,

till death do us part. I hope.

What if the stars go far away?

The sky loses its beauty, my wishes kept hidden, unwished, unheard, dead! If only I know them by name, I’d plead with them to stay, forever. What if the moon is nowhere to be found? My nights go numb, meaningless, and like a blind man, my hands stretch out before me. To the left and right they move, but I still won’t find my way. I still won’t. What if the sun refuses to rise? Darkness lurking around will lurk no more. Like a predator descending on its prey, darkness swoops in on me, consuming all in its path, consuming me! What if you leave me? Darkness lurks forever when the sun fades. My nights amount to nothing and the stars return no listening ears. Eventually, my existence ceases to exist What if I never love again?

T


“Love isn’t always wonderful and flowery. But the other side of love, the other can be a

lonely solitary place…”



CHAPTER 4

A BREAK



Took a walk in the park,

With you by my side.

Every minute felt like a year,

The best ones of my life.

We walked by the pond, one foot after the other.

The breeze gently blew your hair backwards,

And a smile crossed your face.

It was the brightest thing outside.

We watched as the sun disappeared

And the birds all flew to their nests.

The park was almost empty,

So we walked away from the pond.

You turned to look at me

And found a struggling face.

I was failing at keeping myself in check,

Cause this was our last walk in the park



et’s be friends…”

Words that tore me apart. ‘twas but a piece of cake to you,

Breaking me into a million pieces, leaving a scar never to be forgotten.

I showed you off like a medal, my most prized possession.

But I was kept hidden like a secret, your deepest, darkest secret.

The problem had always been you.

I never asked for much, just that you love me for who I am, just as I am,

Not something you imagined I’d be. Love does come in different ways; it’s still beautiful.

Except one way – Yours!

You were never worth giving my love.

My heart danced gleefully to Cupid’s tune, yours skulked around.

“Let’s be friends?”

You’re not worth my time anymore.

“L



he vacancy that now sits in my heart,

Is one that can never be occupied.

In the remains of what used to be a colorful spirit,

A shadow of my numb soul,

Void of any feeling whatsoever.

In my heart,

A darkness that can never see light.

T



ll my life I’ve been falling,

All I’ve wished was for a soft landing,

With the hope of being caught by someone,

Instead of been left on rocks and beds of thorns.

I fell for the deceit in your voice,

I thought they made my heart leap for joy,

But I fell and failed to realize it was a warning.

And it ended in tears.

In King Solomon’s words, you have the eyes of a dove,

Calm enough to bind me.

But you were a fox, one that ravished my heart.

You spoiled a blossoming vineyard.

It’s a beautiful feeling when you’re falling,

Only that you don’t always land on a bed of rose.

All my life I’ve been falling,

But no one has really held onto me.

A



CHAPTER 5

MEMORIES



here was a time.

A time when we’d smile in beautiful synchronization,

when our intertwined hearts would dance

as the sun went down in the horizon.

There was a time.

A time when the butterflies in my belly would soar the skies of my being,

And the rainbows?

Delightfully making my days ever bright.

There was a time.

A time when I cared and believed in happy endings.

Now, I feel nothing at all. The butterflies have been replaced by spiders,

the rainbow is still waiting for the thunder to cease.

This tale hasn’t been so fair.

T



t would have been the perfect crime.

You stole my heart my away with your face.

I aimed for your breath,

Hoping to sweep you off your feet.

It would have been the perfect crime if you stayed.

Every love story I know plays out like this,

Bonnie and Clyde; ride or die.

Beauty and the Beast; come rain or sunshine,

Romeo and Juliet; even when they don’t want us together.

It would have been the perfect crime;

Sadly, tales like this live in books,

Just like every other fairy tale.

I



used to think you took my breath away.

The mere sight of you caused my knees to buckle beneath me.

And my heart?

It did the weirdest things,

And my stomach lurched itself into knots.

I used to see myself holding hands with you,

Walking gracefully into the sunset,

And my heart?

It would skip again in delight.

Its own attempt to dance to your melodious laughter.

Oh! The joy I felt.

Then you left with the boy next door.

And I realized it was all in my head.

The horizon and the setting sun,

I



The entwined hands and skipping heart.

You were never mine in the first place

I used to think you took my breath away.

Sadly, you still do

.



CHAPTER 6

THE TRUTH



’ve loved a lot,

Cherished a few.

I gave my all,

All for naught.

I’ve loved the birds in the skies,

Freed the butterflies.

I’ve done all this in hopes that love would come back to me,

Sadly, I’ve never been loved.

I’ve felt the numbness of sighting a beauty,

I’ve had fire in my bones,

Butterflies had an abode in me,

Even the rainbows were no strangers.

I’ve known the warm and fuzzy feelings,

Gave my all to all who came.

I’ve fallen a lot, onto the harsh realities of life.

I’ve loved with my all,

Sadly, I’ve never been loved.

I



ell me,

How do you teach a broken heart to love?

One that keeps falling but has never been caught.

Yes, it still works if you’re really wondering.

It still does. (But for how long.)

Tears hidden his every smile, “I’m fine.”

Pain and despair beneath her every response, “I’m okay.”

Walls going higher, life seeming needless, “I’m giving up.”

Tell me,

How do you tell him happy endings exist in a land far away?

Or that her Prince Charming would never ride on a horse into her life?

All those fairy tales are full of it,

And it’s messed up because I still believe in them.

T



very time someone tries to climb my walls,

They keep going higher and higher.

I raise them till I’m buried,

Deep in my safe spot. My happy place.

Beneath the grown up hiding from the world,

Is a scared and scarred child,

Whose beautiful imperfections have been toyed with

“Please, don’t hurt me”, I cry when I see you scaling my walls.

Someone tore my walls down once,

Lightening doesn’t strike the same place twice.

E



fell in love with the sun,

I got close and got burnt.

I fell in love with a star,

But my wishes kept falling aside.

I fell in love with the moon,

And realized nothing lasts forever.

I



our eyes, they still talk.

Like they did when we met

They assured me there was no fear in love,

And that it drove out traces of darkness, expelling the dread.

But here I am, you left me in tears and in the hands terror.

Your eyes, they still talk.

Like they did when you packed out,

They told a different story, a story I had never heard.

I couldn’t find the spark of the sun or the glow of the moon,

All I heard them say was I’m sorry. I think.

Your eyes were supposed to be the gateway to your soul,

I guess the key changed ownership.

I searched for the flame that was ignited that summer afternoon,

All I found was waves, that drowned the windows of your heart.

Only then did I realize, you weren’t coming back.

Y



CHAPTER 7

TRANSITION



hate that every time I wake up, fragrance of you stresses still in my breath.

It feels like you’re back again, till I turn and realize I slept alone on my bed.

I hate that every time I walk down the stairs, I hear your footsteps down the hall.

I held onto shadows of what we had, not realizing I had lost you way back.

I hate that every time I look in the mirror, I feel like you’re staring back at me.

I see the eyes that once pulled my walls down, now, they just douse the fire in me.

I hate that every I think I hear your voice; I remember the last words you spoke.

“I’m sorry. Goodbye”. I believed they didn’t exist till you gave them life.

I hate that it’s taking me more time to get over you. My heart still skips when I see.

I think it’s not working right anymore, or cupid is just being stupid again.

I



time will come my dear, when you also go through the hell you put me through.

Karma really is a bitch, my favorite one.

A time will come when you’d walk alone with no one beside you.

Loneliness and desperation now adorn you as garments.

You’d need a shoulder to rest on but find none

And it’ll seem like the universe conspired against you.

That time will come, I know.

You’d call out but get no response,

No help for your frustrated mind.

Then your soul begins to yearn for a companion to fill the vacancy,

Yet none will come.

Your body would seek a soothing balm but still won’t do any good.

Then at night, the supersized bed engulfs you,

You’d live like a deranged person in the house,

With echoes of the memories made chorusing through the walls,

And the images will flash and flash.

Oh! You’d also wish your hands were still intertwined,

You’d wish those hands were there to stop the streaming tears,

Or the voice to sing you a lullaby.

A



But you’d keep wishing, because you drove me to the edge;

Your mind reminds you.

You broke me when I loved you piece by piece,

Well, heartbreak will tear you apart in the same way.



eelings.

They died a long time ago.

And

I buried them,

In the deepest part of my soul.

I sometimes wonder what they are.

A faux that hurts me?

Or

A reality I can’t exist with?

Either ways, I locked them up.

But,

They keep growing.

And

Like a plant,

They keep sprouting deep roots.

F



consults – a book one refers to get information

Awelewa mi - a Yoruba word meaning a slender, beautiful one

Adumaradan, - a Yoruba word describing a dark skinned person

Aponbepore - a Yoruba word meaning the most beautiful and as red as palm oil

solamenté. – a Spanish word meaning only or solely

oju kan lada mi ni – a Yoruba expression meaning I only have eyes for one



ALL THANKS TO GOD, THE GIVER OF LIFE AND ALL KNOWLEDGE. THANK FOR BEING

GOD.

I WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO MY EDITOR, ADEOYE BOLANLE VICTORIA. THANK YOU

FOR TAKNG TIME TO GO THROUGH THIS WORK, FOR THE REVIEWS AND CORRECTIONS. I

REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

TO AKANBI RHODA ODUNAYO, ASHIRU-KOLAWOLE GLORIA AND GBOLAHAN ADETUTU, THANK

YOU FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN MY FIRST ANTHOLOGY AND FOR FINDING TIME TO READ

THROUGH.

TO ALL THE AUTHORS THAT ALSO FEATURED, YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING: DIPE JOLAADE,

STEPHEN A.O, ATILOLA ADEYINKA, GOD BLESS YOU GUYS.

AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO CWG AND TO EVERY OTHER PERSON THAT HAS EVER TAKEN TIME TO

READ MY POEMS OR STORIES, THAT HAS EVER ENCURAGED ME, GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.



Ogunsanwo, Kazeem Adebayo is a writer and poet residing in Lagos, Nigeria. He loves to

write stories and poems that portray his background. He also has a unique style of writing

which involves him including his native language in most of his works.

He studied Cell Biology and Genetics from the prestigious University of Lagos (UNILAG)

and this is his debut Anthology. He has also featured in other literary works such as

Aceworld’s Scarlet Anatomy and Creative Writer’s Group’s Magazine. Some of his short

stories have also been published on different outlets.

Kazeem is an avid reader and a big fan of Rick Riordan. He’s also a big fan of Arsenal FC.

an anthology of poems · the spark in your eyes, the sun in my stormy days. the sound of your...

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