Pray bY oyindamola shoola

3/3/2019

This poem is an excerpt from an anthology titled "...But Here You Are." that will soon be published for free download as a PDF file by Authorpedia (WRR) towards April 1, 2019.

When my brother felt the world
closing in his throat,
you told him to pray.

After my sister’s house was broken into
by the branches of other men's bodies
you told her to pray.

When you wanted to take,
you preached that it is good to give
but when we needed, you told us to pray.

If part or half or the whole of what I have written
makes the blood of your belief scorch the net of your veins
please kneel too and pray.

God has heard people like us
pray for strange things
yours won't be the first.

Click to read Oyindamola's Biography

11 Comments

Adepeju Adenuga

11/3/2019 11:19:30 am

Tarry in the place of prayer as to pray gives the satisfaction that whatever we ask we shall receive.

Omugbe Prisca link

11/3/2019 12:54:11 pm

The power of prayer can not be underestimated. Prayer is powerful and our assurance.

Ayodele Olaitan link

11/3/2019 01:00:47 pm

This first two paragrahs gripped me like leeches on my skin. The fourth paragragh pierced my heart. A firm reminder of the golden rule "Do unto others as you want them to do to you" and when we pray with all sincerity and pureness of heart, God in his infinite mercy is ever ready to answer our prayers. An amazingly penned, beautiful poem

Grace Agu

11/3/2019 02:57:18 pm

I felt deeply connected to this poem.
It captures humanity in it's form. We are told to pray even when the person telling you to pray can help. Spirituality is not all.

Aisha Oredola

11/3/2019 03:02:08 pm

I like this poem because majority carry issues that have to be dealt with with efforts to God, pretentiously, without any belief in their hearts. They ask you to pray when even God knows that not using any medicine for your sickness will kill you. They ask you to pray, when, even God knows that an ulcer patient should eat, not fast. They ask you to pray with tongues full of words yet hearts full of maliciousness. God can not be deceived. Yet I also like how the poem paints prayer as the major tool for someone who is oppressed and has no other option. Beautifully written piece of art.

Raymond Bamidele Oluwalola

12/3/2019 03:00:48 pm

There is beauty in every line, and so I pray...that words never cease to find soft landing in the soil of your heart!

Amazing!!!

Ceejay

12/3/2019 06:55:36 pm

Again, Shoola has communicated the major challenge facing so many people, especially Africans. Though prayer had its efficacy in our lives as long as we live here on earth, it has been so religionised (if there is a word like that) that we hide under the pretence of "pray about it" to take the place of "work towards it".
It is pathetic how we would ask or work for a thing but ask whosoever asks us for same to pray -hypocrisy.
Good penny, thumb up!

Funke

12/3/2019 07:52:42 pm

I am torn between appaluding you for a poem well crafted and covering my heart in shame because I am guilty as charged.

Too many times we get caught up in our web of thoughts and we fail to genuinely reach out to those hurting.

We try so hard to sound spiritual merely just to fill in the gaps

Thank you for helping us reevaluate ourselves inside out.

Samuel

14/3/2019 01:27:05 pm

Lol.. I can't stop laughing. It's the sad truth though. We often tell others to pray when we could actually be the answer to their unuttered prayer in the form of request. Nice poem

Osamu Ekhator link

29/3/2019 09:19:59 am

Mhen!

I've been rereading this poem for more than 45 minutes. Every line is important and every verse is just enough water and not enough at the same time to quench the thirst for the next line.

This is beautifully written, and now I can't wait for the chapbook.

Sobogun Mariam Modupe

7/4/2019 07:15:08 am

Prayer is a sword. We work like we never prayed and pray like we never worked. More muse to your pen. This poem is beautiful

Pray bY oyindamola shoola

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Copyright @SprinNG 2023

Pray bY oyindamola shoola

Leave a Reply.

Copyright @SprinNG 2023​

Copyright @SprinNG 2023