Reserved. For number 13

Democracy

Reserved for number13

Democracy

Number 14

MY ALTER EGO



Oh I call on my second me

The one who kind of mirrors me

Sometimes we agree and are friends

And sometimes we disagree and move to our seperate ends.



Everyone knows me as the quite and reserved girl

But my other self believes I am noisy and jovial

It is as if I had two parts to me

One part is the official me while the other is the part people don't see.



My alter ego,the friend I had never seen

But has gone out with me everywhere I had been.

Sometimes I unconsciously switch to my other self

Which get people thinking that I have lost myself.




Occasionally confusion comes,

Am I the serious student that I really am, or the unserious singer I become sometimes?

At times while thinking,there is a me standing in front of the mirror speaking

With my other self at the other end of the mirror replying.



Most people don't know about you

Some would call you my inner self,

Some would call you my conscience,

And to me you are just my alter ego;



The friend I can't do without,

Whether I am in or out.

You and me together makeup my personality

which reminds me of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde novelty.

*Designer: LightHeart

*The reason of choosing 'My alter ego' as the title of my poem, is that I like the concept of the title, in which I try to describe the part of personality which is hidden or repressed.

*The unique experience I derived from working with a designer,was the fact that I never new that team work could be so easy and my designer made it alot easier by being prompt and understanding.

*The major constraint I had working in my team , was the fact that I do not Know when my designer would be online and he neither knows when I would be online,so basically we communicate through our email messages and it was effective.

*My poem has 6(six) stanzas, the general form of my poem is free verse or vers libre,this means that the lines in my poem do not follow a regular or specific pattern.The stanzas are quatrain in form i.e they contain 4(four) lines each.
My poem is about the double personality that people have,it is about an invisible friend that lives within us.My poem is about personalities that are found within a single individual.These personalities might have different temperaments,for example,some people are naturally sanguine/jovial but a part of their personality might be melancholic which would be hidden.This brings to mind the story by Robert Louis Stevenson titled "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" in which a doctor named Dr Jekyll used some drugs which seperated his good personality from his bad personality.
My poem trys to explain to anyone reading it, the concept of alter ego by using myself as a case study and using description to make them visualise or conceptualise what I am trying to portray.
Thank you.

*My designer used the image of a big face to represent me and the red human head peeping out from the head to represent my alter ego.The other componets of the design were to show that it is a backcover to my poem.

*Explanation of terms
1-Mirrors me: (line 2) Means;looks like me or reflects who I am
2-My other self,my second me: this refers to my other personality i.e my alter ego.
3-In the 5th and 6th stanza, 'you' refers to my alter ego.
4-Ends:in stanza 1, line 4 means to the extreme parts of something
5-In stanza 4 metaphor is used,in which alter ego is described as a reflection in the mirror.
6-'In or out' in the 6th stanza ,the 'in' refers to being at home or indoors while 'out' refers to being away from home or outdoors.
7-Novelty:in the last line means something unusual or strange in this context.
8-Designs:a)The red colour of the image popping out from the head signifies the illumination of blood in that area i.e the brain.
b)The face and the popping minature human signifies me(the face) and my alter ego (the popping out miniature human).


*The message behind my poem is that personality is not formed from just one component or factor and that people can have more than one personality.
THANK YOU

Reserved for number 15
WHAT IF TOMMORROW STARTS WITHOUT US


What if tomorrow starts without us?
All the struggles wroth...........
And the strength gone thus,
When zeal burst forth,
And desire drove us,
Ailments came thus,
And the end results....?
When money filled up,
And none owed us,
When whips cracked forth,
On rich and poor,
No mercy thus,
Or pity sure,
And the end results.......?

What if tomorrow starts without us?
All the wheelings thus,
And the dealings from all,
As deceit sailed forth,
And none in fear could touch,
Then pride puffed up,
And the end result.............?
When we all rejoiced,
At the success thus,
Through evil wroth,
And good not in thought,
Mercy destroyed,
And love not in thought,
And the end result...........?

What if tomorrow starts without us?
When battles we fought,
And wars we won,
When tears flowed on,
And blood burst forth,
When in joy we rejoiced,
And the end result...........?
When for fame we worked,
And fortune we touched,
In lack of mercy we fought,
And no one we thought,
Evil we doubt not,
Stop all these thoughts.......!!!!
Before the door goes thus........

Reserved for number 15
WHAT IF TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT US
DESIGNER: FOXY___™


WHY I CHOOSE THIS TOPIC
After carefully studying the topic I discovered that if handled properly this could be used as a tool for correcting the corrupt mindset of our people so I decided to look at it from the angle I did.

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM WORKING WITH THE DESIGNER
Being my first time of combining I.T with poetry, working with the designer gave me the chance to analyze the topic properly and look at it from different angles and also view it from other people's eyes.

ALL ABOUT THE POEM
The cliché "what if" if translated in pidgin is the same as "if to say "which means "what would have happened". From my viewpoint the title can be interpreted as what would be the end result if we don't make it into the future what would be the end result of our quest for fame, wealth, power, amassing of wealth, what would happen to the unending wickedness, deceit, hunger etc. Because a close look at our society would show that all of these are the root causes of the vices and moral decadence in our society and to be prepared one has to snap out of the reverie and be prepared.
In the first verse the author ruminates on the struggle,desire,wickedness ,cruelty,desire and zeal that produced endless fortune and fame and concluded that all was in vain.
In the second verse he examines the endless wheelings,dealings,schemings,pride,success,evil and cruelty and concluded that all was in vain
Finally he ruminated on the battles fought,the endless wars,bloodshed,evil and the quest for fame and fortune and also concluded that all was in vain.At the end he roused himself and snapped out of his reverie.
WHY DID THE DESIGNER USE ALL THE COMPONENTS IN THE DESIGN
The designer used the components stated below because he observed after careful study that the title of the poem and the poem showed a sense of uncertainty as to what the result of his fame, deceit, quest for fortune, wickedness e.t.c would be through the use of the components stated below.

The sleeping child signifies the carefreeness of humanity and the innocence with which we plan ourselves,

The flower on the child's head depicts the hidden strength we garner in the face of tribulations

The stars depicts hope, hope which is always hidden until we look into our inner selves

The skull is shrouded in mystery and the darkness the hidden fears with which we look at life. The darkness are the dangers that come with that fear.

The rain falling at the background depicts the ever welcoming hand of nature

The dream is always the wish we've had from time infinity

MEANING OF SOME OF THE TERMINOLOGIES
ZEAL- Enthusiasm
AILMENTS- Disease, weakness or sickness
WROTH- Cause to happen

FIGURES OF SPEECH
"Deceit sailed forth"-Personification(v2 line 4)
"Pride puffed up up"-Personification or Alliteration(v2 Line 6)

MESSAGE BEHIND THE POEM
There is no gain succeeding by hook or crook, simply prepare yourself for the future and arm yourself with the truth .

My Alter Ego

How can I think straight?
Look at all you do
Never had refined thoughts
Your ideas are always crude
Trying to elude my burden
Escape the mental plague
Trapped in my cranial chambers
as I await my impending fate

I fear for the worst
I wallow in mistrust
Infringe on my privacy
He leaves my sanctity in disgust
Echoing inside my head
I blame him for the bed wets
He is the villain of the show
The lex luthor to my clark kent

Two sides of a same coin
Both ends of the same line
Different views of single sight
I can't fathom what is left
But I guess he is always right

A*midst it all, I say,
L*ife is anything but tall
T*all, high hopes till skydivers fall
E*nd, the sudden pause that unites us all
R*elax? Look He took control again

E*ngaging in this battle of sanity
G*etting the wrong picture
O*ut, into the open frames of reality

Hi, I am me
Bye, he is I
People of planet earth
meet my other side.

Reserved for 16
My Alter Ego

Designer: Classicdea

Why I chose 'My alter ego' poem?
I chose 'alter ego' as the theme/title of my poem because of all the topics listed, it kinda called out to me, sounds demented but I've always felt like someone else lives is in me. So I felt why not let elaborate and *bam* it was like the perfect topic.

My unique experience and constraints as a poet and a designer
Well working with myself was no big deal. But working with my assigned poet was kinda tasking but fun, had to make several changes, several designs for him(badmusace). Communication and technical equipments were the main issues but we resolved them eventually.

About 'My alter ego' poem
Ladies and gentlemen,
Poetry is art, and what better way to express art than using art itself. 'My alter ego' A poem about a person in a person is meant to shed light on an inner me, a second me perhaps.
For the first verse the poem introduces my alter ego as a functioning part of me, a part of me capable of having thoughts and ideas.. For the second verse, I tried to explain our relationship and characteristics. For instance. 'Infringe on my privacy' states we share memories, nothing is hidden and privacy is almost unattainable. The word infringe means 'to violate or to trespass'. His negativity was reflected in the last three lines of the second verse 'the lex luthor to my clark kent' this phrase is idiomatic in a sense, if you have watched or heard about smallville you'll understand the relationship between lex luthor and kent, its that of a hero, villain thing .
Further I tried to explain with the third verse our synchrony and unity, stating 'two sides of a coin', a comparison with an everyday currency, having to different sides but still glued to the same metallic alloy. Like the pieces of a two-piece puzzle. The word 'fathom' means understand .While the fourth verse gives an insight of my alter ego. A verse inspired by him.
The penultimate and concluding verses just put the icing on the cake.

The piece of art using in illustration
I tried as much as possible to portray the message of the poem as clearly as possible, this piece says it all,literally,the poem is written therein.
However, the background of the picture shows a face consisting of two half faces, like I said earlier pieces of a two- piece puzzle, the two different faces illustrate me and my alter ego. You could differentiate them by their eye colour,facial hairs, nose and even lips. The amazing thing about this is that they both come together to give a single being, ME.

The message
I was basically trying to express myself, my alter ego. People usually doubt me, but I think its very plausible. So I hope I pointed out at the topic from a different view, a personally perspective.
Hope it was all soothing and worth your time. Thanks for reading. -Classicdea

Reserved for number 17

Number 17

Dreams Can Come Through

The future is bleak
Gloomy like a thick darkness
Every breath whispers fury
Uncertainty sneaks into my thoughts
Enslaving enthusiasm.

Negativity becomes my watchword
The dictum 'while I breath I hope'
Becomes oblivious to my mind
And 'all hope is lost'
A new song on my lips.

Penury and misery
Become my counsels
Poverty like my sworn enemy
Snears at me every tick tock.

I am the living dead full of life
Farther from crown and beauty
Found among the rejects of the society
Treated like vagabond by nature
Though,born of royalty
Bereft of crown.

Oh! My saving grace
Where are you?
Poverty places its stinking fangs on me!
Behold, a whisper I heard
Soothing was its effect on me saying;
Turn your mire to afire
Your dreams can come through
In weakness is strength
Attitude is everything.

Dreams can come through
It may be as tall as the Iroko tree
It takes a Solomon to climb it
It may have rough paths
It takes a Moses to walk through.

Dreams like a dragon's egg
Only the brave gets it
To a coward
Its a perennial impossibility
To a David,a victory assured

Your greatest foe is self
Overcome self,actualize dreams
Dreams can come through
But it takes one to plan
With hands and feet engaged.

By: Piresg24

Designer: PCGuru

Why I chose the topic:

I chose the topic “Dreams Can Come Through” with a view to inspiring ones that have lost hope in life that they can actualize their dreams with a right attitude and actions.

The unique experience I derived working with a designer:

An avid believer of dreams in the person of PCGuru truly gave a vivid interpretation to my poem by way of a design as though he was the poet himself.

Constraints in working with a team:

The only constraint was the delay in response may be because I am not the only one he is attending to.

Poem analysis:

The poem “Dreams Can Come Through” has seven stanzas of unequal lengths. The first to third stanzas of the poem portray an overwhelming difficulties of life experienced by a soul who by reason of that becomes pessimistic about the actualization of his dreams. He indeed is a royal blood and heir apparent to the throne but was treated unjustly. This is seen in stanza four. The stanzas that followed show the soul's desire for change and the inspiration he got through the voice that whispered which is his deux ex machina ie saving grace, whispering to the hopeless soul,reviving him that he can actualize his dreams.

Why the designer used the designs,pictures,visuals and every component of the design:

The Reason for using Butterflies is because they are a symbol for metamorphism which is the process of transformation, it represents the transition from the dream to reality. He also decides to go with a subtle tone and simple bright brokhels to give it a vivid and bright looking feel, as the title centers around hope and dreams.

Meanings of some terms,terminologies and figures of speech used:

Personification was one of the tools used by the poet, such words include: “breath”,uncertainty,penury,misery,nature.
The poet uses allegory to depict wisdom as Solomon,meekness and patience as Moses and boldness as David.
“Poverty” here means lack of vital abilities.
The poet uses oxymoron ie “living dead” to depict one who has dreams but dwells in his predicaments.
“Stinking fangs” in the context means unhealthy or worthless.
“mire” and “afire” mean troublesome situation and state of great excitement respectively.
Metonymy was used ie Crown in the poem signify kingship.
“Foe“ in the context represents personal weaknesses as fear,low self esteem.
The message behind the poem:

That even in the inquietude of ones dire mire, one can always aspire higher with a right attitude and actions and never to retire in their desire to actualize their dreams.....This poem is dedicated to those who despite all yet actualize their dreams.

Designer: Lightheart

Why I chose this topic
I didn’t pick this topic, it chose me. It was a topic I could actually relate too, it somewhat defines me.

Unique experience derived from working with a designer
It was an exciting experience all the way especially the number of times we disagreed before finally picking this design. A lot of work went into it on my side now I can’t begin to image how much work he must have put in to get something that we could work with… THIS! It also gives me this unique pleasure that poetry and pictures could actually go side by side (been toying with this idea for a long time now with a photographer). It’s so amazing

Constraints involved in working in a team
First, getting a designer was almost nightmarish. Then having a to wait on LightHeart to come up with a design was quite a wait and when they started to come in and at first they did not fully interpret the poem adequately, I knew I was going to get on my designer’s nerves, but it turned out right because he was patient all the way and like a sponge, absorbed ideas we both could come up with. Not having to see who I was working it made it a lot difficult to accomplish… but we did, somewhat.

The poem.
My Alter Ego is a very simple poem that brings to the fore the complexity of the human personality and the perceived societal view, acceptable or unacceptable, of who one is. Most times we tend to want to conform to what society thinks of us that our true self is hidden. Sometimes we are thought to be good but our true devious nature will have to remain hidden as such and vice versa. But what if our true self is laid out bare…?
So this poem is just about me and the society’s view of who I am. Overtime I have been told I am a nice person, but I try to explain that I have a not to nice side, which they find hard to believe, well not until they actually see it. So it is more or less a borderline split personality phenomenon, but not to the extreme, as I am aware of the other me.
This is a 4-lined 5-stanza poem, written in the most simplest of literary styles
The most prominent literary tools employed here is rhymes. It possesses a rich rhyming scheme that is easy to follow and at the same time holds on spell bound till the end, i.e.: An-gel, so well; offer, proffer (stanza 1), be, me; good, do (stanza 2), good, goo; be, me (stanza 3), red, dead; head, read(stanza4), Angel, well; jewel, Angel (stanza 5).
Stanza 1 opens with me trying to describe who I am not, despite the visible outlook portrayed to people around me, probably because of a helpful and charming personality I may possess.
Stanza 2 continues with what people do not know about me, a totally different personality from what they see and know “Repressed by what is believed to be good”
In Stanza 3 I concede to societal perception of me being an Angel, but will have the option to decide the type of ‘…ANGEL that will be me’, agreeing that though I am not a good person, I am certainly not evil.
Stanza 4 just describes the kind of angel that I am, certainly not one society will want to accept “…as it will leave you so dead”
Stanza 5 presents the real me to the world, the one they will most often not see, because it is ”repressed by what is believed to be good”, My Alter Ego and my best friend. Should they then come to see it, then they should see that I am a Devilish Angel.
The design:
The design by Lightheart is in all way a very simplistic design, just as the poem itself is simple. The little devil is a depiction of the deviousness of My Alter Ego, it’s not so good and not evil nature. We chose a little devil because it extemporizes the very essence of the poem itself. Surely, the little imp looks adorable but the deviousness cannot go unnoticed.
The cute little horns (…to adorn my head), the fork (…to go with the fancy tales you have read), a tail (…so long it will leave you so dead) and the colour red (…cloaked in the colour of red) are all depicted in the poem in stanza 4, thus making it the perfect design.
It, being the cover picture of a book, denotes like every other book; that it should be read to be understood and appreciated. As such, to know me better, one has to come to terms with my alter ego, by taking the time to study me.

Terminologies
Goo: A slimy, yet harmless substance.
Mien: An attitude portrayed by a person.
Cloaked: To be covered or dressed

The Message
Despite society's pressure to comform to certain ways, we just have to come to terms with who we really are, just so we do not lose our real personality.

Number 20
THE MORGUE

(…of dead love)


Suddenly, the clouds came and quickly filled the sunny sky
Interminable thunderstorm rumbles in my heart. And I tried
To decipher what has gone wrong with the chirping birds
That made them to desert the darkened and fearsome sky.
Indeed, someone is dead or was it something great that died
As silent forests now sing the dirge for the departed birds.

I walked solemnly to the Rainbow's end, where various dead were kept
I just don't want to believe what I longed for, was hidden in that cold room
As I stepped in, horror and panic shoot their arrows into my heart
Expressionless faces stared on with broken hearts and rivers of tears
And there, blowing hot and cold, under the heavy ices, mine was duly swept
But I could see the sparkling eyes and the dazzling eyebrows lighting the sad room
There was no need for autopsy or postmortem, it was already known to the heart
Even the Diener turned a deaf ear to the sorrowful tunes of my wailing tears.

Would that be the end of our journey? The journey through the calming springs
The late night calls and the resounding smiles that shot through the silent nights
Would that be the end of our journey? The lively stargazing at the brilliant sky
And the charming cuddles on the cool grasses, the poems and the rhyming songs
Would that be the end? Will those fiery retorts engulf the remains of our dreams?
I wept endlessly at the Rose Cottage, hoping to be saved by the mobile bell…
But the door was slammed right behind my back, I was thrown out.

Then the door opened, accompanied by some men dressed in black
She stepped out in an elegant radiance with a smile that captivates the heart
I thought my Love had woken. I thought she was heading to where I stood
But she headed for a waiting coffin-like-jeep, I tried to stop her, but it was late
The Undertakers took her away! Now, I know she is truly dead.
Her love for me is completely dead. Dead as the doornail.


© 2013 Pasionate
Designer - ITBOMB

THE MORGUE - NUMBER 20

DESIGNER - IT BOMB

I chose the topic to write about that feeling you get when you just lose your love. I chose the topic, "The Morgue", because of my intention to relate it to a love, so here in the above poem, I redefined "The Morgue" as a place/time when/where you think about your lost/dead love.

Working with a Designer was a unique experience and it gave me the opportunity of graphically expressing my work, and I love that! Not just that, it gave me the chance of expressing, explaining and giving my concept to another person who was meant to understand it and produce it back graphically, it was a wonderful experience. IT BOMB has been very co-operative and so it just made the work easier. The only constraint will be not getting him earlier.

I am sure somebody here on Nairaland must have lost a love to the passing winds. Not to death this time around but perhaps has lost a love to another guy out there for whatever reason. That moment of shock, denial and finally acceptance that the guy will have to go through is what I termed here as the "love" being in the "Morgue" before it finally goes to the other guy. "The Morgue" that this poem talks about are those things and moments that you do in a bid to gain back your love just like a dead person, the "dead love" will be placed in "the morgue" for any sign of life before leaving in the end to the grave of another man, and by this time the former guy must have learnt that there is no hope again of gaining back the love.

The poem is about the journey of such lovers to the morgue of love in other to recover and reclaim their dead/lost love. The main character here is one of such lovers who has suddenly realized that things are not going normal again until he noticed that something or someone is really missing in his life, which of course is his love. This is well depicted in the first stanza.

The character here then decides to go to the morgue to check the lost thing in his life. This is synonymous to all the things you will do to gain back your love, these include you endless callings, frequent visit to your lost love, "pingings", begging, inquire about why she called off the relationship among others. But the character here noticed that "Expressionless faces stared on with broken hearts and rivers of tears
And there, blowing hot and cold, under the heavy ices, mine was duly swept" a sign that she's not yielding to the reconciliation steps at all. And there was no need for autopsy(as in, why she called off the relationship as this is already known to both of them).

Then the character here begins to reminisce about their love and the time they spent together. All the character's effort to convince the lover back to life proved abortive as he is eventually "thrown out" of the door in the second to the last stanza. He's still outside the door when some men in black escorted his love to a waiting jeep (The new "The owner" of his love) and not until then is he convinced that truly, his love is gone!

DESIGN
Colour- The colour of the picture being black and white has a suggestive meaning of nature. White and black are natural colours and it represent death, when someone dies, the shroud is always in white and the soil in which the person will be buried is black. The mixture of both colour helps to portray a gloomy atmosphere and a state of soberness.

Images - There are images on the picture. One, that of a dead lady in a black shroud, an image of cupid,(in Roman mythology, the god of love, the son of Venus ) shot down by his own arrow, then the image of a big cross, vultures flying in the sky and lastly, the image of a man sitting in a dejected position.
The dead lady in the picture symbolises the dead love. She's lying on a rocky surface which means that it'll be hard to revive the dead love.
The image of Cupid shot down by his own arrow, symbolises hopelessness for both lovers. Which means it's a loss on both sides. Both the man and her lost lover have lost the love.
The Large cross symbolises the morgue/cemetery, the final resting place of the dead love.
The image of the dejected man signifies the man, who has lost his lover . His position is suggestive and symbolises all kind of dejection and sadness a lost love brings.
And the image of the vultures in the sky, signifies the men around who are like vultures ready to prey on the dead love. Just as it is portrayed in the last few lines of the poem

"Then the door opened, accompanied by some men dressed in black
She stepped out in an elegant radiance with a smile that captivates the heart
I thought my Love had woken. I thought she was heading to where I stood
But she headed for a waiting coffin-like-jeep, I tried to stop her, but it was late
The Undertakers took her away! Now, I know she is truly dead."

Below are the explanations of some technical words/terms

(Line 7 ) *Rainbow's end - idiomatic expression for morgue.
(Line 14) *Diener - One who attends to corpses in the mortuary, but here is a metaphor to the persona's lover's friend/s who might have helped him to win back his love but which unfortunately turned a deaf ear.
(Line 19) *retorts - a place set aside in the morgue for the incineration of corpses.
(Line 20) *Rose Cottage - idiomatic expression for morgue.
(Line 20) *saved by the mobile bell - waiting for a call from his lost love to accept his plea.
(Line 26) *Undertaker/s - refers to the new man who's found the 'dead' love or his messengers.

Reserved for number 21THE DEVIL IN MY VIEW
THE DEMON IN MY VIEW

The Demon standing before me
How horrifying does he look I don't know
Wearing a cloak with wings out his back
His breath is black smoke
I can't see his face and he stays so still
No movement you'd lose it if you knew how it feels
To stare at evil and know that evil is staring back
Next thing I know he gripped my soul
Before I could react
I saw everything he did from eating up little kids
To burning churches and despersing hurt to all the earth
Worst of it all he raped the virgins
As they bleed
He planted his seed
He brought innocence to its knees
Blood ran through the seas and the rivers of the world,
Plagues everyday,
He put the world in a vortex of death
It's the DEMON

The Demon takes control of me
I must fight him for my soul
The Demon has control of me and he won't let go of my soul
Finally i summon courage
I see the Demon standing before me
I gotta grip my HAMMER
With this HAMMER
I'm going to get this wicked temple back to HADES

Got it in my mind that I'm gonna be fine
I won't let my mind fall under his spell
Little did I know that I'm under his control
The Demon has a hold of me
And like a window into his mind
His evilness is all I see
I saw he just takes somebodys life and burns it down
By bringing fire from the sky and water from the ground
I saw him eating babies and I saw him killing mothers
And I watched him make us crazy then we all turned on each other
Then we shot, cursed, and killed our brothers and our loved ones
Until everyone is dead and all that is left is ME

The Demon takes control of me and I must fight him for my soul
The Demon has control of me and he won't let go of my soul
Then I had the motivation to do what we came to do
KILL!
Kill the Demon have him screamin' for the wreckage he wrought
I took a step forward and he screamed like a baby goat
Annoyed he reached and pulled off his cloak
And then I saw his flesh and it was drippin' with flames
He's naked and shaken with dragon scales and veins
That bleed green gasoline
His wings turned into fire
And his body was buzzing with such a hateful desire
To kill me
I gotta hit 'im gotta get 'im reunited with his father,
The Devil King of Hades
I never thought it would end up this way
The people I saved they will all know
I, a war angel took control
And gripped my HAMMER, steady and fast
Then I attack
I swung my HAMMER on the Demon and blood flowed
Finally appeasing the souls of the slain
Now I'm the lone survivor amongst this carnage

I blackout.

reserved for number 21 THE DEVIL IN MY VIEW
Designer; ITBOMB

Why i chose this topic: Everyone has his/her hurdle/struggle in life. Which i term a Demon. My Demon was the fire accident and its resultant effect that will forever scar my life. Whilst in coma for days, it was a live/die situation. I struggled to become conscious instead of dieing the way other victims did. I wrote this on my sickbed.
The experience i had working with my designer; IT BOMB made the graphical presentation of my poem. He was understanding despite my contacting him late.He immediately grasped the picture i had in my head without me telling him. In all he is simply intelligent.
Constraints in working as a team; not being able to see one on one.though mails made up for that.
Poem Analysis; The poem is in 5 stanzas of unequal verses.it is written as a free verse. The 1st stanza describes The Demon and the havoc he has wrecked.
The 2nd stanza talks about the Demon's scary aura,the supernatural power he used to trap the personae.then the personae's mind tries to resist the Demon's supernatural power.the personae decides to make the combat a physical one.thus he grabs a War Hammer.
In stanza 3, the Demon overpowers the personae's mind,he holds him in thrall and controls he and others to run amock. Thus the chain in the graphic.
In stanza 4 the personae suddenly regains his wits through the help of the being he believes in religously,Jesus,thus the christian cross in the graphic representation.And decides to combat the Demon once and 4 all. Then the combat rages on,meanwhile, the Demon tries to scare the personae by ripping off its cloak and showing its hideous form.but the personae is undaunted by this. Fuelled with the determination for revenge for the slain souls,and the help he got from his religion, he finally conquers the demon.
In the last stanza he blacks out from exhaustion.
While facing the struggles of life, they seem intimidating at first,most times we almost succumb to failure. But then we realise we can overcome them,we get help/sound advise from friends,relatives,motivational speakers etc.so we strive hard to overcome them.after it all,we rest.
The Demon represents 'Life's struggles'
The Personae represents 'Us living beings'
The Chain represents 'the problems that result from life's hurdles'
The Hammer represents 'Weapon/solution to combat life's struggles'
The Christian Cross represents 'Our belief, advice of friends,motivational speakers etc.

Designer: PCGuru

Why I chose the topic:

I chose the topic “Dreams Can Come Through” with a view to inspiring ones that have lost hope in life that they can actualize their dreams with a right attitude and actions.

The unique experience I derived working with a designer:

An avid believer of dreams in the person of PCGuru truly gave a vivid interpretation to my poem by way of a design as though he was the poet himself.

Constraints in working with a team:

The only constraint was the delay in response may be because I am not the only one he is attending to.

Poem analysis:

The poem “Dreams Can Come Through” has seven stanzas of unequal lengths. The first to third stanzas of the poem portray an overwhelming difficulties of life experienced by a soul who by reason of that becomes pessimistic about the actualization of his dreams. He indeed is a royal blood and heir apparent to the throne but was treated unjustly. This is seen in stanza four. The stanzas that followed show the soul's desire for change and the inspiration he got through the voice that whispered which is his deux ex machina ie saving grace, whispering to the hopeless soul,reviving him that he can actualize his dreams.

Why the designer used the designs,pictures,visuals and every component of the design:

The Reason for using Butterflies is because they are a symbol for metamorphism which is the process of transformation, it represents the transition from the dream to reality. He also decides to go with a subtle tone and simple bright brokhels to give it a vivid and bright looking feel, as the title centers around hope and dreams.

Meanings of some terms,terminologies and figures of speech used:

Personification was one of the tools used by the poet, such words include: “breath”,uncertainty,penury,misery,nature.
The poet uses allegory to depict wisdom as Solomon,meekness and patience as Moses and boldness as David.
“Poverty” here means lack of vital abilities.
The poet uses oxymoron ie “living dead” to depict one who has dreams but dwells in his predicaments.
“Stinking fangs” in the context means unhealthy or worthless.
“mire” and “afire” mean troublesome situation and state of great excitement respectively.
Metonymy was used ie Crown in the poem signify kingship.
“Foe“ in the context represents personal weaknesses as fear,low self esteem.
The message behind the poem:

That even in the inquietude of ones dire mire, one can always aspire higher with a right attitude and actions and never to retire in their desire to actualize their dreams.....This poem is dedicated to those who despite all yet actualize their dreams.

Reserved For Number 23

MY ALTER EGO
Ceiling with hanging almonds
Sapphire floors
High walls with studded diamonds
Taintless without flaws

Like a god, I'm near perfect
Like a monarch, I command respect

.....

Ceiling with hanging cobwebs
Shattered ground
Ramshackle walls marred with rotten eggs
A place that should never be found

Like a villain, I'm without guilt
Like a garbage, I'm a complete filth

.....

I am trapped within my alter ego
By conflicting tempestuous coexistence
Who is going to play the hero
And rescue me from my ominous malevolence

Like a fingerling landed on a grassy bank with a hook thro' its gills, I am helpless

Like a bulwark never failing, my malevolent side has built a fortress

WHY I CHOSE THE TOPIC
"My Alter Ego" struck me as an interesting topic. I also found it quite exhilarating coming out of my comfort zone of poetry

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM WORKING WITH THE DESIGNER
On the contrary, there was no unique experience working with my assigned designer. He had a pretty tight schedule and could not deliver. However, I was compelled to invoke my I.T skills and come up with a design that portrays the content of my poem. It was quite intriguing.

ABOUT THE POEM
Poetry is an expression. It is about giving life and setting free those deep thoughts and indescribable moods that gets to overwhelm a poet. It becomes a beauty when these 'life forms' are being understood. I always like to keep my poems simple.

My Alter Ego, is yet another simple poem with three stanzas.

The First Stanza
Here the author describes his charming side as someone who is loved, respected and admired

The Second Stanza
Here the author describes his ugly, arrogant and vicious side, which is dreaded and avoided

The Last Stanza
Here the author wishes to be free from the coexistence, with preference to his charming side. But in the end, he realises both character makes up his person

DESIGN COVER INTERPRETATION
The picture illustrated in the poem is quite simple. It shows a teenage clutching a face mask. The face mask represents his charming outward personality, contradictory to the character behind the mask. With reference to the poem, the designer interprets the power tussle of supremacy between the two sides with neither a victorious or vanquished side.

DEFINITION OF SOME WORDS USED
Ramshackle (adj): (esp of buildings) badly constructed or maintained

Villain: a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime

Filth: offensive or disgusting dirt

Tempestuous: Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion

Ominous: Giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen

Malevolence: The quality or state of being malevolent

Malevolent: Having or showing a wish to do evil to others

Bulwark: A defensive wall

Fortress: A heavily protected and impenetrable building

MESSAGE:
You can not extract the yolk of an albumen (egg white) and still call it an egg. Our good and ugly sides sums us up. We should learn to live with it.

Number 24

THE DEMON IN MY VIEW

Trails of blue in a fire-red sunset
Slowly fade into forgotten yesteryears.
Perched on my high horse,
Rising like an Ebun masquerade,
My eyes unopened, search the darkness
Of a reality denied.

In eerie silence he stares back at me,
Blazing darkness, mocking eyes
Piercing my robe of green and pretentious white.
Then he speaks...
That voice in my head, silent echoes
Of words unspoken

Tear it off you, he says to me,
We are one, but they are not like us
Stay away from Oduduwa, far from the Ndigbo,
Cross not the moat of the Igodomigodo.
Strange tongues equal evil hearts
Of fellows untrustworthy.

So clueless hands rip the fabric of brotherhood
In a fit of sectarian rage.
Fingers spurred on by the darkness of tribal hate,
The demon in my view.
The mighty Niger empties into the tiny cup,
Of our little differences.

The voice of reason screams from afar
Listen, without humanity,
Man prowls, a beast untamed.
Blood ties, a mirage coloured red.
And tribes, different packs
Of the same filth.

Tear it off you, he says again,
The clutches of Africa's great groaning giant.
Why listen to dying voices?
I am you, but they are not like us.
Embrace this darkness, not bright trails
Of childish innocence best forgotten.

So fingers remain pointed
They are not like us.
An ego sits, well-fed,
Pregnant with a heavy dose of an atmosphere
Thick with the stench of rotting remains
Of a conscience long dead.

DESIGNER: Oahray

WHY I CHOSE THE TOPIC:
It presented the best opportunity I could recognise, to speak on an issue close to my heart, the problem of tribalism.


UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FROM WORKING IN A TEAM:
Well, I wasn't fortunate enough to work in a team. Still, I would say the best part of teamwork as was originally planned, is looking at my work through the eyes of another person, not as a casual comment, but as a picture. It's beautiful.


CONSTRAINTS OF TEAMWORK:
In one word, TIME. The very same reason I had to design it myself. Still, many thanks to Cuddlemii for her pains.


ABOUT THE POEM:
It is a non-rhyming satirical poem of 7 stanzas of six lines each, in the first-person perspective. In it's entirety, it voices the struggle we (the average Nigerian), represented by the poet's persona, have to keep up against tribalism.

Stanza 1 begins with the end of a period of childhood care freedom, depicted as "trails of blue" in a "fire-red sunset", the latter expression representing the harsh environment we get exposed to in formative years, that could shape our personality.
The 3rd and 4th lines describe the increasing arrogance ("perched on my high horse".) that comes with the end of that period. Such persons, as seen in lines 5 and 6, look "with eyes unopened", never admitting the folly of their mindset.

In Stanza 2 , the subject matter is introduced as something unpleasant, "blazing darkness" (line 2), seen by the persona despite his self denial, mocking his hypocritical patriotism - his "robe of green and pretentious white" (line 3). It speaks with "voices in my head" (line 5), indicating that this 'he' is actually a part of the persona.

Stanza 3 contains the words of this mysterious darkness. It is laced with tribal sentiments, seeking to convince the persona that differences like a foreign tongue or culture automatically makes the other person evil.

Stanza 4 describes the effect of these words on the persona. In this stanza, the demon is exposed outright as tribalism. The important things are sacrificed for less important ones. The poet describes this folly in lines 5 and 6 with the expression "the mighty Niger empties into the tiny cup of our differences".

Stanza 5 echoes with the first glimpse of conflict. The "voice of reason" speaks, opposing the first voice. However it calls from a distance, saying that one's level of humanity (qualities that make us better than wild animals) is what makes one person different from another, and not tribal or regional class. The distance is remarkable, because by tribal sentiments seems to appeal faster to the average mind, than objective reasoning.

Stanza 6 sees the demon urging the persona to disregard the voice of reason, and calls it a "dying voice". He also calls an attitude free of tribalism, "childish innocence best forgotten".

In Stanza 7 , the poet's persona makes his choice, choosing to ignore the voice of reason. He adopts the catchphrase used twice earlier by the demon - "they are not like us", and seems to truly believe it. This decision mirrors that of the greater majority of people.


ABOUT THE COVERPAGE:
It's a simple but deep picture.

It is set in a pitch-black background, which depicts lack of insight, just as sight is difficult in such darkness.

The face of the young man shown is painted green and white, the colours of the Nigerian flag. It depicts an outward show of patriotism which ends only at the top layer of the skin. It does not come from the heart.

The there's a shadow demon representing Tribalism, superimposed on his face, just over the white part which originally signifies purity. It depicts the ease with which tribalism destroys the best part of us... Our humanity.


DICTION AND LITERARY DEVICES:

"like an Ebun masquerade" - this similie likens the rising "high horse" of tribalists to the masquerade native to 'Ebun' in Delta State, that keeps growing from ground level to unbelievable heights.

"eyes unopened, search" - irony

"eerie" - weird, fear-inspiring.

"blazing darkness" - oxymoron to show the intensity of the darkness described.

"silent echoes" - oxymoron meaning something seemingly silent (or unseen or not felt) but which lingers enough to be heard (seen or felt).

"Oduduwa" - an allusion to the Yorubas

"the Ndigbo" - allusion to the Igbos

"the moat of the Igodomigodo" - Igodomigodo is a name which the bini kingdom was once called. This geographical allusion means Bini territory.

"fingers spurred on" - synecdoche: fingers representing the doers of the actions described.

"the voice of reason" - Reason is personified as having a voice with which it calls.

"Africa's great groaning giant" - refers to Nigeria. "great groaning" is an alliteration.

"an ego sits..." - personification.

"a conscience long dead" - personification referring to a conscience which no longer functions.

MESSAGE:
The poem presents a strong case against tribalism and highlights the folly of thinking that our tribe somewhat makes us, or fellow townsmen, better than other persons.
Tribalism is darkness, and an absence of it is light. It's up to the each one to remain possessed by this demon or exorcise it. It's up to each one of us to make the right choice.

..