Yewande

I AM

Hum the evergreen song
to keep fresh the air in the lung
find the rhythm within the soul
to keep this heart’s song playing long

I am the familiar face fast fading
the beating heart here and now hereinafter
I am the truest laughter and the bitterest cry
I am.

I am the helix of generations gone before
the tale for generations yet unborn
I am the replica of my mother and my father’s daughter
I am.

I am the root uprising in a sun-scorched land
the tender stem of greening foliage.
Like cacti –
desperate in thirst

I am;
rooted in love
grounded in the way of truth
I am

I am
present in the here and now
a living breathing story
I am

RISE

from a realm where dreams often meet their end,
amidst masked hardships, I emerged anew
countless nights I wept, my soul on the mend
tears mingling with anger, a human hue.
I rose, from the maws of the killing blue.
I said that to say this, you too can rise
let not your origins be your demise
as barren or humble as they may be
work and pray, forget not to socialise
your time will come too. this I guarantee.

“I am not alone” (a poem) first published by Farafina.

POETRY: I Am Not Alone by Yewande Akinse • Farafina Books I am not aloneamidst and throughthis meanderof meaning and void.today, I confront, selfthrough reflecting lenstoday, I challengemy most cherished ismsand the

TESTAMENTS OF ENDURANCE
existence is persistence
for on one day,
we shall tell the tales
of how we overcame

existence is perseverance
for the river shows us
how to persevere
through calm and storm

existence is persistence
through the labour of love
we shall prevail
beyond trial and pain

existence is perseverance
this is our confidence
for by faith, all will be well
in the end.

I have four linked poems on climate change published by Versopolis in the Poetry Expo ‘24. All poems were illustrated by Mema Ojukwu

Enjoy the beauty of rhyming poetry.

Cyan | Versopolis Versopolis Review is a pan-European cultural and humanities magazine.

Persevere
so when life gets hard as it sometimes shall
turning your very smile into a frown
through the quiet splits, the tension and shell
beauty dwells within, so does hope and crown
uncertain motion – life is up and down
so persevere through trial and through storm
persevere while at peak of flight or form
know that the refiner's fire shall burn hot
to achieve and attain is a rare norm
therefore, persevere till you earn your slot.

I have two poems featured in The Dirigible Balloon with excellent illustrations from Mema Ojukwu and Artofwill (Wilfred Ayogu).

Dirigible Balloon - Poetry for Children The DB is run for children, schools and poets. We promote poetry written for children and provide a platform for writers

Honoured to have been featured in The Muse Memorandum’s Author spotlight.

Poet and Author Yewande Akinse Yewande Akinse is a Poet and Author of two collections of poetry, titled, "A tale of being, of green and of ing" (2019) and Voices: A collection of poems that tell stories (2016),

I had a lengthy and fruitful interview with the team at The Creatives Note about my creative journey which has now spanned through 14 years. You can access the interview by following the link below:

A conversation with Yewande Akinse, award-winning poet and storyteller, on making impact and finding expression and transcendence through poetry Yewande, a poet who doggedly seeks to change the narrative one poem at a time, has won the World Bank YouthActonEDU spoken word prize and Project Knucklehead Prize for Creative Rebellion.

Portrait at 31
now, I identify as a mother
to a child who fills my life with colour
and wonder. I am, wife to another -
a great man who fills my life with flavour
I belong to a household and harbour.
I am found in this new bodily size
which once carried both a child and a prize
I identify as woman and fire
as rainbow and as a force on the rise
holding in tension facets which are dire

PRESENT
I tried my hands at living too today
after finding self present in body
tried my heart again to cope and to pray
that this day may be the sweet melody
of the singing birds and shall embody
joy. that this day shall deliver to me
earnest expectations, that I may be
better in this present time than in past
may the sun find me together and free
may this lingering breath of life, outlast.

This girl
I am that girl who sprang from the depths of èkó
who was raised on a sand filled lake
hence one with the river and rising tide.
that girl raised with devotion and with care
and in the hope of better tomorrows
I am the one thrice learned in law
and the one who survived the entrenched flood
meandering to tell the tale.
I wear a badge in honour of the streets
whence this girl became a woman

I have spent the past three years writing a book of poems targeted at a young audience. This journey has taken me through years of self exploration and experimentation with short form, rhyming poetry with a focus on the dizain.

I set out on a mission to write 100 poems of 10 lines, 10 syllables per line with each poem bearing a rhyme scheme of ababbccdcd. I am pleased to report that I have now completed this collection! I’m currently editing while working with a talented illustrator to visually interpret all 100 poems.

This book is a journey which I am happy to share with you.

Book 3, Coming soon!

DREAMS
Dearest, may you never give up on dreams
the future you envision is real
requiring sacrifice, strict routines
in spite of the intense pressure you feel
never give in to the pain, I appeal
following dreams may be lonely and hard
but is the most rewarding cause and yard
the path of dreams will yield fullness of life
as you journey, let hope be your hearts guard
let these dreams be your rhythm and your fife

Poetry is sometimes served as an inflight snack! A poem for you from over 30,000 feet above sea level.

“This girl” first published by Bloom Review

Musings…

I am pleased to share that I was selected to participate in the Meander Conference in Berlin, Germany organised by Flux I bell sTRUcTURs.
I will be presenting my poems during this multidisciplinary conference and sharing new work. Super excited!

What is your art?

there is no right or wrong, what is your art?
what holds you truly, together and pure
when life happens to this fragile heart
is it pottery, rhythm or sculpture
where is that special place that is so sure?
Is it found in painting or in drawing
in architecture, sports or in singing
or in poetry, in prose or in dance
which place is safe. when do you stop running?
how do you create and vent to advance?

Cyan represents a mixture of green and blue. In the context of these three poems below, cyan is symbolic of planet earth. The Poet’s call is to save the earth. These three poems written as dizains with an ababbccdcd rhyme scheme are a call for climate action in the wake of climate change.

https://yewande.me/cyan/?fbclid=PAAaZAqQUZwE66pLbBUIKZVleVBJyqAkLM2qTqF1MyjzqKKDgjqrY8wJPAEJU

Cyan Cyan represents a mixture of green and blue. In the context of these three poems below, cyan is symbolic of planet earth. The Poet’s call is to save the earth. These three poems written as di…

I am happy to share my work titled, “Ten Dizains” was published in collaboration within the Poetry Expo 2023 organised by Versopolis. Check it out below:

Ten Dizains | Versopolis Versopolis Review is a pan-European cultural and humanities magazine.

Below is the link to a piece titled, ‘Rejection’ an ode to the things that could have been.

Thank you Sevhage Reviews for giving this piece a home.

REJECTION – Yewande Akinse rejection is as unkind as cold grief the illusions of things that could have been frustration marinated pain and beef envelope a need to be felt and seen a burning desire to be light so keen longin…

I am pleased to share that my poem titled, “Of wind, wave and persistence was recently published by Konya Shamsrumi
My special appreciation goes to Su’eddie Agema and the amazing team of rockstars at Konya Shamsrumi for giving this piece a home.

OF WIND, WAVE AND PERSISTENCE – YEWANDE AKINSE (Day 21 of KSR 31 Days of Poetry) OF WIND, WAVE AND PERSISTENCE – YEWANDE AKINSE (Day 21 of KSR 31 Days of Poetry) February 18, 2023 February 18, 2023 Su'eddie V. Agema New Nigerian Poetry Pain Poetry Rivers

Masterpiece

I want to be like art hanging a wall
like the artistry of a skillful pen
like poetry yielding a muse’s call
and like an ear to ear whispered amen
filled with the faith of twenty righteous men
I want to be that free flow of fresh air
playfully caressing both scalp and hair
to be the awe in those wonderous eyes
as you behold that which is true and rare
to be both masterpiece and a surprise

I have five poems published by The Unconventional Courier. Kindly follow the link below to read the poems. Don’t forget to share

https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/five-poems-2?fbclid=PAAaZlyWInR05OMEpLX3pASwZK2y8UuMj-ml_Z0BxiduWy-easEVSMjykZmHo

Five Poems By Yewande Akinse (Twitter/Instagram: ) Time capture wombal canal heaves continuity within its chambers as a child is born ushering into immortality joy is here, ripened by the morning sun navel to push, cervix to labour orn gestational evidences of hope legacy, time captured kaleidoscope ma...

My poem titled “What makes a Country” was published by Moremi Review in their inaugural issue.
Kindly follow the link below to access the poem.

Yewande Akinse Yewande Akinse

Thank you Castle of our Skins for giving my Kwansaba a home!

I was interviewed by Konya Shamsrumi in the Poets Talk series where I shared details about my poetry, journey and hopes for the future.

Poet’s Talk: 5 Questions with Yewande Akinse Poet’s Talk: 5 Questions with Yewande Akinse December 6, 2022 December 6, 2022 Zakiyyah Dzukogi Interview Olav H. Hauge Poetry Voices Yewande Akinse

“knowing as beings in time
we do not merely become,
we are.”

My second book of poems titled, A Tale of being, of green and of ing is available for purchase at Patabah Books send a DM to get your copy today!