The Arts-Muse Fair

SEASON OF WAITING Grateful that I have graves to kneel before and spit prayers on to put flowers over them Grateful that I have graves to sit on and spend my season of waiting that my waiting is not the sort where I sit on my bomb ravaged land waiting for my daughter and wife to be freed from the hold of Boko Haram for them to show me the inerasable scars the got between their legs to recount to me how they breath the same air with the demons who find joy in Haram in the making of men rams on Big Sallah day. My waiting is of the time when my shroud will be measured to join my daughter and wife As I wait, I spit prayers on their graves. Grateful that my thoughts are not of whether my daughter chants my name as she's being raped My thoughts are of the sound of the bullets driving into my wife and daughter's bodies, of the gushing blood. Grateful that these thoughts don't slice my heart with their knives when I see I'

Waiting... A trail of red roses heralds his coming The stars guide him The moon ushers him Even the trees whisper his name. She rushes out breathless, Calling out, reaching out Making moves,taking steps Her gentle smile melts him Her wit amazes him Her aura thrills him She holds out her hand He looks at it and turns away She holds out both hands This time, he takes steps towards her Oh you! Dreamer, dream her way dream away Oh you! who sings fervently whose laughter is contagious Whose gaze is soothing Tend to her Take those steps Hold those hands Echo those thoughts And crown her your queen.. Amina Saidu Abubakar is a graduate of Mass Communication from Bayero University Kano. She hail from Zaria, Kaduna State and has worked with the NTA Kaduna. She believes writing connects and transports souls to another world and simply won't allow her paper and ink be wasted. Amina writes short stories and poems, loves travelling and photo

**** BEAUTY OF UNIQUITY **** The silent sea waved across the land Emitting the calmness only known to man Kissed in the face by the golden sun rays Rising up firmly to face the world in trace Behold, the flowers in different blee Caressed by the zesty wind of charm Swinging to themselves in all the glee A beautiful creation in full charisma Arise, young brooding birds in love Sing with the sweet voice of yours to the world Filling the heart even without a single word Gifting the soul with calmness, peace and love ***IMPRISONED TEARS*** Stuck in the beam of tears Between the window of pain in the eyes With a feeling that surge through the edge Of a very long ripped heart in vain The night is cold But my tears still flow With a pale face, broken heart and shattered soul It’s a feeling that will never go I looked deep into the barren night As a silent whimper escaped my lips, tight With so much pain, sadnes

Our Arts-Muse Fair Poet-Today's love for her fatherland is unmistakable. We see this in her laments of the state of her nation.     Senseless Heroes In just a day Hearts felt bitter, sunken and led astray Fathers have clumped their way out the city gates Singing songs and dragging sons along It is May! The rains have found a home among us and he is ready to stay Who then would plant our grains? Poor scanty fatherland running down its hay Brothers becoming brother’s own adversary Blindly following the path of a lost course They bought doomsday and Death is the price to pay. Returned We are back Thudding our way on the sore back of the aching earth It is our knack Generously inflicting oneself with flamboyant pains is our quest It is dark Hearts in dread yet glad. The earth is black And cold Tired of our aimless digging as if in search of gold. We lack Our sanity had betrayed us. Lunacy is our happy leader.

The Niger state chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors will tomorrow, Saturday, March 11, 2017 host Poet Zacham Bayei at its Writer's Spell. The Spell is a forum where established and promising writers critique the guest writer's work. It aims to imbue the work under critique with high craftsmanship to achieve better literary quality when published.  Zacham Baiye Zacham Bayei was born 34 years ago in Og oja, Cross River State of Nigeria. Shortly after his birth his parents relocated to Lagos State, where he did his elementary education. After that, he proceeded to Command Secondary School Kaduna, and later Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria, where he did a pre-degree (IJMBE) programme and gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, to study Literature- in- English.  Later he obtaine d a Post-Graduate Diploma in Intercultural Communication and Conflict Resolution (PGDIC) from the University of Abuja, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), N