Grief...

In a season of sorrows and remorse
In times of lost love and recourse
In a summer of burning sweat the lids churn
In a winter where hearts numb and minds turn
In a spring where tears run and memories return
In a land where hope becomes the only value formed
In a desert where you reach,
Yet, what you aim is beyond
Wishes, wonders, imaginations and regrets are born
...

Lingers of despair
Lingers of lost
...

Flee flee oh moment flee
Flee oh times of woefulness and bereave
Return dear beloved,
return to me
Come back oh days of gladness and ease
Come back oh moments of joy and peace
Come back oh dearest
Come and set me free
Whither and I pray...
Whither shall we meet
Oh and I crave
Oh do I seek
...

Alas...
Now, and I know, that no one is left un-beat
For the end, as I go, is always behind my feet
And lest I forget, that "Patience" shall remain my treat
For one day, or the next, I too shall meet my deed...

Ibn Adam

(Dedicated to my mother)

If Only...

If only I could see your eyes
Hold onto you
and relate to you my cries...
If only I could earn your smile
Just one more time
And enjoy that pleasing sigh...
If only I could read your mind
See your reason,
And perhaps find a meaning of life...
If only I could hear your heartbeat,
clean your tears
and gladden your eyes...
If only I could rest your mind,
End your whine
Be at right by your side...
If only I could hold your feet
End your grief
And be that which you seek...
If only I could turn moments to times,
realities to myth
And wishes to finds...

*Sighs*

At last!
And I ask why
Why you are at a distance,
A distance so far and wide...
And why am left with memories
Memories of times alive...
Would I ever get to hold you, again,
and share those stories we like to hide...
Could I get a chance, again
To hear your breathing
Inhale your chuckles
and "wonder" those gleeful eyes...

Alas!
Now only hope could strive,
For, indeed, fate has taken its chide...😍💖😘

Ibn Adam

Blessed...

One moment of birth
One next of growth
Mumble-jumble speeches,
Tumble-stumble walks
Who could fathom little you in ribbons and dress
Someday all grown and bold in a gown
For a brief, everybody's adoration
For the next, everyone's hope
How time flew like lightning,
How days went like storms
Blessed be you, Oh Mama's gladness
Blessed be you, Oh papa's pride
Yours' is a day in a season of winter
Yours' is a day in a season of love
Would you rise today and glitter
Won't you walk your way and glow
Smile, Oh blessed
Gladden the world like a singing guitar
Laugh, dear beloved
Awaken the world like a beautiful 'doh'...

Happy Birthday!

Ibn Adam

(To my lovely goddaughter princess Afrah Salihu Jarmajo)

Word...

Foremost, you must know,
If you believe in nagging, whining
or cursing
Then 'do know that' the world is a trash
And its deserving treat is the thrash...

This world is a swing
Lucky is the one whom gets to fling
(As for) he whom gets not a fling,
Fate shall repay perhaps with a wink...

And you must know
That your personality is a title
For the wise it's a mantle
For the cautious, it's a grace
For the careless, a trouble...

Certainly, the world is an attire
Whether it be a "thawb" or "'regalia"
Your dignity lies on how your hat squires
Whether it be a "bola" or a "taxi driver's"...

If your occupation, sir, is farming
Then (better) pick-up your tool and start harrowing
For slacking is not your own thing
And when you turn around and see work remaining
Then do know (that) your tool needs a firmer gripping
Coz you won't earn a break until you meet an ending...

Do know (that) the world is a grain farm
It doesn't enrich until it reaches the barn(s)
It makes its value only when it's winnowed
And It's only consumed when it is siloed...

If you're good today, the stage is yours'
If you're not tomorrow, it's someone else's
Your "Guru" or "laya"
Can't make you have their places
Except if you're a ruler,
whose tyranny thrives above justice...

Do know that this world is a home
A Palace to whom is contempt and prone
A Dungeon to whom is content with (his) cone...

If you're an egotist
Whom prides of knowledge,
Beauty or wealth
Or perhaps you're a menace,
whom causes corruption on land,
or even on the oceans
Then do know that this life is a safari
Its path crosses above the peak of a valley
It poses a glamorous facade from the alley
(But) At the verge of it, is a pitch black "Bali"...

The world is a rollercoaster
Its measuring scale is a silky thread
If you tie it today, it loosens
If you let it be tomorrow, it flees with the breeze...

If you're enslaved by lust and desire
Then for a surety knowledge is required
Prudence and perseverance must be hired
So long the struggle is truly admired...

Of course (the world), is an oscillator
One day it stops on a rocky crater
Another day on a fluffy foam...

Hence, you must know,
If you awake to meet a desperate situation
Then the "Buzu" is your standing station
A call towards the "Qibla" is your obligation
Indeed your salvation is in 'His' predestination...

Finally, (do know that) the truth is a one way path
It shares no boundaries, it has no match
The moment you tilt then you have strayed
Whomever follows it with an intended trail
And stayed upon it with a clear trait
Then God will surely grant him bail

This "Word" is a fare for the wayfarer
It cannot be repaid even by the debt bearer
So pay it forward for the fellow farer...

And may we all hop on the guided trailer...!

Ibn Adam...

Jawabi...!

Da farko dai ka sani
Idan junin ka rãki ne,
magiya ko tsaki dai,
Toh duniyar ma yàyi ce
ma'ajin ta dai júji ne...

Kuma dai ka sani
Ita duniya lilo ce
Ga wanda ya d'ale ya dace
Ga wanda ko bai d'ale ba
Ga 'kadarin sa zai fanshe...

Kuma ka sani,
ita Hali inkiya ce
Idan ka gane tsari ce
Idan ka kula jari ce
Idan ko ka 'kyale musiba ce...

Tabbas duniya Tufa ce,
Malun-malun take ko 'yar shara dai
Mutunci ko, na daga sakun hula ne
Damanga take koma dai 'yar sa'ki ce...

Idan kai malam manomi ne
Toh maza d'au garma, yi hud'a dai
Don dai jinkiri ba taka bace
Idan ka waiga ka hango da saura dai,
toh fa ka sani, sakin 'kota ba naka bane
Don bakka hutu sai randa ka 'kare...

Ka sani fa ita duniya gonar hatsi ce
bata arzi'ki sai an girbe
bata 'kima sai an bushe
Ba kuma a cinta sai an tsince,

Idan ka iya, yau kai ne,
Idan baka iya ba, gobe wani ne
Gurun ka ko laya dai
baya baka hakki nai
Sai dai in kai Sarki ne,
mai mulkin tir da adalci ne...

Ka sani ita dai duniya gida ce
'Kurkuku' ce ga wanda ya dace
ga marar rabo ko aljanna ce...

Idan kai malan maji Izza ne,
mai alfahari da ilimi ne,
kyawu ko dukiya dai
Ko juninka ingiza fasadi ne,
bisa doron 'kasa, koma a daji ne,
Toh ka sani wannan safara ce
Mahayinta dai tsibiri ne,
masau'kin ta ko da kyawu yake a sarari dai,
A zango ko mai ba'kin muni ce...

Hakkun ita duniya Juyi ce
Mazarin ta dai silki ne
Idan ka ninke zai kwaye,
Idan ko ka 'kyale iska zai yaye...

Idan kuma kai bawan buri ne
Toh tabbas ilimi tilas ne
Ha'kuri da dangana ko haddi ne
Muddin ka fito jihadi ne...

Kwarai, ita duniya mayawiya ce
Idan ta sauke wata rana zuma ce
wata ran ko mad'aciya ce...

Don haka idan ka farka cikin rud'u ne
Ka sani matsayar ka bisa buzu ne
Kiranye ta maso 'kibla dai shine
Mafitar ka dai a 'kudirin SA yake...

Ita dai gaskiya hanya ce,
Bata da wãri ko a zance
da zaran an karkata toh an kauce
Ga wanda ya bita da niyyar dace
Ya kame sani ba wani zance
Toh Allah zai masa 'Alam nashareh'

Ita wannar Jawabin dai guzuri ce
Baka biyan ta ko a rance
Sai dai ka mika ta gaba don wani ma ya dace...
Allah yasa mu dace...!

Ibn Adam...

Whispers...

...
Give me hope, I breathe

Give me reason, I reach
Give me love, I wonder
...
Is life a raging thunder
Or a bubble of my own blunder
Or a daze from human slumber
Or a doze of imaginative wonder(s)
...
Is death an aging comma
Or a sanctuary for the soul to ponder
Or a solace for the mind to meander
Or a dungeon for the body to winder
...
Could conscience be found in sunder
Amidst a tormentous summer
Would consciousness be regained in tender
At the verge of a dazzling winter
...
Is Man a seed of reason
A source of knowledge and wisdom
Or a fugitive of ultimate treason
Behaving in a manner displeasing
And so he marvels in pretence
Of his purpose in an ordered existence
But could he attain his intents
Without the aid of a higher pontence
Could he dictate his freedom
Anoint for himself an embellished Kingdom
Then whither, and I solemnly ask, lies the final season
...
Alas
Hollow is the voice I seek
To Whisper to me which path to heed
For gloomy is the fate I see
And grave are the days around me
So Praised be the One and Only Supreme
For He alone can set me free
From my own bondage,
Which I and men willfully decreed
...
So give me hope, I breathe
Give me reason, I reach
Give me love...

Ibn Adam

The Paradox...

I am a Beginning, I am an End;

I am a prey for Circumstance to dent

I am the Living, I am the Dead;
I am a boundary between two Depths

I am a King, I am a Slave;
I am the servant who's Loyal yet Knave

I am the Young, I am the Old;
I am the reason Wisdom unfolds

I am the Good, I am the Evil;
I am the Encompasser of the modern and the medieval

I am Now, I am Then;
I am but a Moment in history's den

I am the Enemy, I am the Friend;
I am the Smith whom breaks and mends

I am War, I am Peace;
I am the domain where Chaos sleeps

I am Love, I am Hate;
I am the home of an 'Unknown Fate'

I am Sadness, I am Joy;
I am just a character in Satan's ploy

I am the Right, I am the Wrong;
I am the Weakness created strong

I am the Foolishness, I am the Acumen;
I am the Virtue whom loses in argument

I am the Blessing, I am the Curse;
I am an entity of countless Spurs

I am the Coldness, I am the Heat;
I am the Condition which changes all feat

I am Above, I am Beneath;
I am a Judge whose verdict bequeaths

I am Bondage, I am Freedom;
I am the choice between Faith and Reason

I am Noise, I am Silence;
I am the Solace of every violence

I am the Oceans, I am the Lands;
I am the Wilderness that wildly expands

I am Punishment, I am Mercy;
I am the consequence of an 'Ultimate Legacy'

I am the Pleasure, I am the Pain;
I am the Feeling forever strained

I am the Unknown, I am the Certain;
I am the product of an 'Ultimate Bargain'

I am the Deep, I am the Shallow;
I am the design so Empty yet Halo

I am the Brave, I am the Coward;
I am the Hero whose victory's devoured

I am the Body, I am the Spirit;
I am the Creature whose essence has no limit.

I am the Solitary, I am the Diverse;
I am an Empathy in this whole universe

I am the Ample, I am the Brief;
I am just a Fragment in an eternal breeze

I am the Rich, I am the Poor;
I am the Beggar whose benevolence serves more

I am the Patient, I am the Desperate;
I am the menace whom Destroys what he can't create

I am Darkness, I am Light;
I am the Nexus that links up time's might

I am Dusk, I am Dawn;
I am the Noon whose Evening has gone

I am the Truth, I am the False;
I am a Contradiction upon which Nature falls

I am the Guided, I am the Lost;
I am the Traveller whose destination is crust

I am the Healthy, I am the Ill;
I am a Miscreant whom desires' tranquil

I am the Hope, I am the Doubt;
I am the Sailor whose voyage ends in drought

I am the Humble, I am the Proud;
I am an Emissary whose Message is simple, yet Loud

I am the Real, I am the Myth;
I am the Legend whose power has no width

I am the Miracle, I am the Script;
I am the Prophecy whose quest never quits

I am the Son, I am the Father;
I am the Inheritor of this mighty Mother

I am Human, I am a Being;
I am the Paradox whose existence is keen...

Ibn Adam

Oh Ramadan...!

Oh Ramadan,
Oh thee place in time
Oh thee home of Salaam,
Baraka and 'Amaan'
Oh thee vanquisher of sins,
withholder of evil, shielder from 'Dalaal'...
Oh thee Mother of all 'Haqq',
Posessor of the 'Light',
Beholder of the ultimate 'Guidance'
Oh thee conveyer of the Rites,
the Path, and the ultimate Parlance
Oh thee bringer of Respites,
moulder of the Scheme,
and the Righteous Clearance...
Oh thee distinguisher of Truth and evil,
Right and evil, Good and evil
Oh thee fortress of hope
Of whose path leads only to the bounteous Abode
Oh thee in whose domain belongs the 'Night of all Possibilities'
Oh thee bringer of faith, greatness and absolute peace...
How do I praise thee, brace thee, embrace thee so thine grace and mercies begets me?
Art thou a kind stranger,
a generous guest
or a benevolent wayfarer?
Art thou a giver of glad tidings,
or indeed, a time-warner?
Art thou a witness of good,
or a restricter of bad manners?
Does one celebrate thy coming or mourn thy leave?
For certainly, those whom know thee care thee;
and those whom don't, fare thee...
Indeed, the invisible 'Rahmah' thee be
For why else would some crave thee whence others wave thee?
Alas!
'Woe is to him whom resent thee'
-as thus claimed thine Prophet,
may Peace rests he.
Thou came and with thy coming
the lucky art set free
On whose souls thine peace and mercies art mine humble pleas...
And if I'd wish a wish,
would thou accord a deed
That mine path also ends with thee,
And on the day of Reckoning,
to thine and mine Lord,
thou be a 'Dear' witness to me?
For indeed, 'Abdun Salih
is all I ever seek to be...
At the end, may I bid thee,
'Salaam, bil '£ouda ya Ramadan',
And in earnest faith I shall crave thee...

Ibn Adam

Hope...

Lost,
in thick black darkness
Wandering,
in dead cold silence
Uncertain,
desperately searching...

Thence, the dancing breeze ceased,
like in a mysterious dream
Thence, all thoughts froze,
like in a horror stream
Thence, everything I know,
seems to be negating me
Thence, everyone I cherish,
turns to be refusing me
Thence, doubt embraced love and rage,
birthing emotional cacophony
Thence, I reached,
but my arms kept failing me
Is what I seek, perhaps, beyond me?
Or, is it time that withholds my destiny?
In grave fear!
"all lost... all gone... dear God,
who's gonna rescue me?!"

Wait!
Here comes the dim light of dawn towards me
Look!
there goes the cold misty haze away from me
Listen!
I hear voices,
perhaps of them whom I seek
Aren't these faint footsteps of those whom I need!...

Alas!
Life, it is said, ends before it begins
It is a rotating order of dawns after dusks
A chaotic jumble of grimaces, scowls and grins
A turn of crass misfortunes,
in bits after bits
A circle of bricks on a roller spin
A fluctuation of merriments,
like the occasional drummer's kicks...

Thus,
at the very moment one is about to give in
Whence the lungs gasps for air to breathe in
Finally,
you realise something amiss within
It is dead, nay it is living
It is that subtle craving
"Hope..."
That which longs within...!

Ibn Adam

Moments

Long,
yet not gone
Shared cheered moments
seeming quite lost
Cherished days of amusements
all seem scarce
A willing heart
A tending mind
Seeking,
what lies behind the curtains
Yet seems afar...
Craving,
That inspirational voyage
Those adventurous quests
Hidden within mesmerizing rhythms
That melodious heavenly flute
Those magnificent elegant portraits
Muffled within conveniently arranged meters...
Slow passionate dreams
Honing,
a little more oomph
Wondering,
How much more would one need
To raise those curtains
To see,
yet once more,
The beauty that awaits
Yonder those lids...

-Ibn Adam