People

The world is nothing without people
People are the sugar that makes the world sweet
My mother is the honey
That makes my life so sweet
My father is the mirror
That helps me to see who I am
My brothers and sisters help me to stand
My society teaches me to be strong

I am nothing without people
I am not an island that stands alone
When I fall
It is people that pull me up
When I call
It is people that answer me

The food I eat is planted by people
They are called the farmers
The tailors cover me with beautiful clothes
And make me look like a butterfly
The hairdresser makes me beautiful
Whenever I am sick,
it is the doctor that treats me
And in the classroom,
My teachers help me to learn
And become useful in life

When I become great in life,
How can I forget what people have done for me?
I will surely give back
To the people that made me strong
I will nor forget to put smiles on your face
I am who I am today
Because of the people I have in my life.

©Lawal Olajide

I am a Professor

I am a professor
Because I know my time
I am a professor
Because I respect my time
I am a professor
Because I don’t play with time

Time is life
Life is time
If you waste your time
You waste your life
Time is like a bird
Once it flies away, you may never see it again

I am professor
Because I spend my time well
I don’t sleep when duty calls
I don’t work when body hungers for sleep

I have my time to play
I have my time to work
When play becomes more than the ocean
You become lazy
When work becomes higher than the mountain
You become lonely

I am a professor
I have friends and families
I am not lonely
I am a professor
I work hard to live
I am not a lazy fellow

Only professors like me
Make the world a better place
If you are not a professor
Then you’re just a learner
Leaving responsibility in your hands
Is endangering entire humanity

©Lawal Olajide

Life

Life is a stage of war
Classified into various battles
Everyone is not without his own challenges
For some, it is a battle that must be won
Some others, an excuse never to do well
It is easy to throw tantrums
Blaming God and others for a perceived misfortune
The most difficult is the courage to rise to the occasion.
Some lose battles but finally win the war
Some lose both, dejected, frustrated and hopeless
Some win battles but never survived the war
Some win both battles and the final war
We all fight and must yet the faith keep
We fight to sit on a preserved throne.
May I not lose the courage to make happen the real essence of life.
Edwin, yours is a win
Yours is victory
Yours is an inspiration to never give in
Yours is an indication that all battles must be fought bravely
Yours is a map to win
You’re the beam of light that shows the path to victory.
I celebrate a hero of our time
I celebrate a valiant soldier
Who never fizzled out in the face of struggles
But swam against the tide
Up to the shores of impossibility
Where no bird but on eagles soar
I salute you, our own Edwin
You’re a pacesetter
You’re a winner
An achiever
We celebrate you as you become a mentor to many generation.

My ode is to a brother, friend, colleague and now a Mentor
Edwin O, Barrister and Solicitor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

©Lawal Olajide

Poem

My son kept a treasure for me
But not without a task on me
I have to find it out
What treasure does a little boy have to give?

Curiosity kills the cat, but I never mind
I searched everywhere for it
Determined to seek out what ingenuity has hidden

He wasn’t working but he kept me a treasure
He had no money but he bought me treasure
Now he turned me into the hero of an adventurous story
Seeking the hidden treasure behind an ancient cave

Soon I found it!
I shouted for joy like mother of girls who birthed a baby boy
My shout tore through the walls
Breaking eardrums of people miles away

Yes! I found the penny
Which my little son had kept for
It couldn’t build me a house
Neither could it buy me a house
But a heart of gold is worth more than this

What I found is not the penny
What I found is the heart of my little son
Who kept a wealthy mite
That no valuable treasure can match.
Thank you son for being so thoughtful

©Lawal Olajide
Dedicated to my son, Inioluwa O. S. Adelani

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton