Day 30: Nanando

Updated: May 5, 2019

Na.nan.do n. (/na'nan‚doe/) An ibibio word meaning,
flawless, spotless, blameless, without guile.

This one's for the Chibok girl who touched the sky;
The one who was found buried alive.
Boko Haram, I spit on your pride.
We forget not to remember our kind.


Nat King Cole called you 'unforgettable,'
To Vandross, you were 'the one who holds our hearts.'
Tupac Shakur called you, 'untouchable.'
MJ called you, 'a place in our hearts.'
Martin Luther King called you, 'a dream,'
Maya Angelou called you, 'phenomenal.'
Lionel Richie called you, 'my destiny.'
Will Smith called you, 'the Taj Mahal.'
Joe called you, 'a song I love to sing.'
Boyz II Men called you, 'Beautiful Woman.'
Someone called you, 'the answer in the wind.'

But we call you Nanando.
A name worth its weight in gold.
You're the lyric of our magnum opus,
The theme of our never-ending song.
That's why we call you Nanando;
You're the synopsis of our anecdote.

Akpan

Day 29: End of the Line

Tho my walk takes me through
The valley of the substance of death,
I'll truck on with my tools,
And tackle my demons like a debt.
I'll straddle the eye of a needle.
My camel and I will slide regal.
I heard all about fear
And its companionship with evil.
I've been trapped in its snare
My encounter was no less lyrical.
Tho I maintain one step at a time,
I'll get there at the end of the line.

Akpan

Day 28: Unrhymed

Can I have a word with you?

Come away with me

And sit on this pampas grass.

Let us palaver

Just the two of us

Mi corazón.

We could talk the night away,

Until the constellations fall out.

We could build castles in the sky.

Or I could gift you the moon

In full bloom crowned with the stars.

Let's play the games we used

To play when we was children,

When innocence held its appeal

And we laughed and squealed

Without a single care in the world.

I want to look into your eyes

And forget about the worries

Of a universe gone to hell

In a hand basket.

I want to strum your heart strings

And let your words massage

My broken tones to buy back

The lost years and redeem

The children's laughter like prey

Snatched from the jaws of a bear.

But would we ever hear the

Simple sounds of child-like amusement,

Or recognize its cadence if it carries

Shouted from the mountaintop?

Akpan

Day 27: The Prosperity Preacher

I am rich.
And don't you forget it bitch.
I done carved up my niche
Anybody got beef best switch.

I am rich.
My program got no glitch
The universe is my reach
I shut down every snitch.

I am rich.
You punks can't call me Grinch.
Cause I practice what I preach.
Ain't nothing wrong if I filch.

I am rich.
I got no love for no leech.
I'll wipe you out with bleach
I'm connected like a stitch.

I am rich.
I'll wash sand off the beach.
I grease palms to scratch a itch.
There's no wall I can't breach.

I am rich.
When I spend I don't flinch.
When hard times take a pinch
I can still holla like a finch.

I am rich.
I dump poor wretches in the ditch.
Dollar is the salvation I teach.
I twitch n' whistle to that pitch.

Akpan

Day 26: Here's Tomorrow

This one goes out to the great people of Nigeria.


Here's tomorrow.
Take it, it's yours.
You're king of kingdom renown.
Take your throne, your day has come.
No matter what happens, you won.
Here's the future,
Signed, sealed and delivered,
Because you made a decision;
You're served what you deserve.
You raised yourself from the gutter.
Step through that portal
And create a lavish life
From laurels of a good fight.
You are sole entrepreneur
You are not allowed to demure.
Poetic Justice upped your game
Above all the ruins of today.
Here's tomorrow.
None may steal it, none borrow.
So step to the plate like a hero.

Here's tomorrow.
Take it, it's yours.

Akpan

Day 25: Still On The Sparrow

I'm stressed,
But I'm blessed.
Destiny's caress
Set my soul at rest.
I squared my limitations,
So I play my position.
Dusted off my butt
And strut my stuff.
I've counted my sorrows
Crossed 'em out with my blessings.
His eye's still on the sparrow
I'm bettered by the lessons.

Akpan

Day 24: Happy Now

I'm supposed to be happy now?

I guess you got me figured out.

You run my game into the ground

But I bought victory on rebound.

I'm sold out on a principle,

Your killer dream ain't worth nickel.

I'm supposed to be happy now?

You don't own sh*t so just bounce.

Can't talk your way around the mess

You created, you're more or less

Fiction running dirty bidness.

That's the new def of madness.

I'm supposed to be happy now?

Cause a loser can't hold it down?

What's there to be happy about?

Akpan

Day 23: I Must Be Crying

How many souls lost to terrorist attacks?

I bet we lost count?

How come the tears in my eyes,

When I see a lost Paradise?

How come this burden on my heart,

When there's word of you in a hearse?

How come I find it hard to breathe,

Whenever I watch the TV?

There's blood all over the reports.

I see your face on every corpse.

How come this lump in my throat,

When I think you on death row?

This ache tears at my inside,

I must be crying.

Akpan

Day 22: Dope

Hot like a solar ball,
Crackling like a lightning bolt,
Sizzling like a drop of palm
Oil in a smoking saucepan.
I can read you, ma.
Kinetic like an avalanche,
Poetic like Dr. Maya.
Ancient like the pyramids
Of Gaza, your résumé
Is a shot of Mead.
Potent like latent omen,
Dead-on loyal like tribesmen.
Gyrating like a whirlwind,
Whooshing from the jar of a genie,
You're a sight scene.

Akpan

Day 21: I'm Not Afraid

I'm not afraid
If tomorrow should fail.
My debts are paid.
And I'm posted like mail.

My roots are firm
And I'm thick at the stem,
Fear ain't worth a darn.
I got faith by the helm.

I'm not afraid.
Figures my mind's made.
I'm cut out to win this race.
On that word I rest my case.

I ain't scared.
I'm not afraid.
It's all a dare.
I am not afraid.

Akpan

Day 20: F.E.A.R

I don't like your face
I don't like your taste,
That metallic twang
Welling up to flood my tongue.
I don't like the unreserved place
Of honor the human race
Gave you to bring you fame.
I don't like your game
I think it all a total shame.
I don't like the craze
For flight when you raze;
I don't like the rat race
That bring amazing disgrace.
Ama be on your case
And stay focused in case,
You creep and you came.
I don't like your name
I don't like the choices we make
That put the icing on the cake.
We cede and it's how you maintain.
I'll be damned if that ain't insane.
I don't like the ace
You seem to weave like lace
Into the fabric of our days.
I don't like your trait
And I'm being straight;
The way teeth chatter,
And tongues quiver,
And courage shatter,
When you prey on the innocent.
It ain't no sentiment.
I don't like your face.
So pack up n' leave without a trace.

Akpan

Day 19: I Betcha

It's gotta break ya
If it's gon' make ya.
Any thang that shake ya,
Gon' alter ya future,
Shape the bigger picture.
No pain may hurt ya
And would not purge ya.
Cause it can touch ya,
Ain't make it torture.
Don't let stress 'reck ya
Make trouble erect ya,
It's gon' perfect ya.
What doesn't break ya,
Won't make ya, I betcha.

Akpan

Day 18: Know Your Business

You have to knock harder
If the door don't open on first try.
Strip down your dilemma.
If fate serves up stress don't buy.
Strap C4s 'round your waist,
Let competition know your business.
Set the record straight, ace
State your mission, show no weakness.
Ask and you shall receive
You may want to flash explosives.
Point is, don't be deceived,
You came too far to back down, please.
Rage is fundamental;
You seek with both hands on the metal.

Akpan

Day 17: Dead Reckoning

So tell me how you run a destiny
Is it like an automobile?
Like you gatto have a key?
Does it feature ignition?
And what about the engine?
I might suspect internal combustion.
Does it roll on wheels?
Is there room for two or three,
Or do you tunnel thro solo?
Does the route fly like a sparrow?
Or do you beat your own path
Thro the wild and hit a deadpan?
Can you stray from your itinerary?
Is maintaining focus a luxury?
D'you dig for it like buried treasure?
D'you master it like a signature?
Does it grow on you?
Keep you company, too?
Do you acquire skill
On how you run a destiny?

Akpan

Day 16: I'll Stand

It's my Birthday today! 🎂

This one's for all the kidnapped girls.
In all our hearts, you shine like pearls.



You drag me thro mud
But I stand tall.
You whip me with steel chords
But I'm straight ball'n.
You feed me with turd
So you'll hear me bawl.
And take me for a broad
But I won't stall.

But I'll stand
Tho you think I'll fall apart.
I'll stand
If only to prove I can.
I'll lift up my head
And wheel with the stars.
When you take me for dead,
I'll stand.

Just when you think I'm undone
I'll break my fall.
My faith's a loose cannon
Ama wreckin' ball.
You defile me for fun
But I recall.
You think the war's won
But I'm playin' y'all.

You think I'm gone n' out
But I press on.
You think you'll run me down?
So bring it on.
Who you think run things clown?
Got my groove on.
My cries are victory shouts
And I'm game on.

Akpan

Day 15: Rime Within Rime

Walk like a champion

Talk like a champion

Stalk like a champion

Decode like Champollion.

Unique like a drop of sunshine

Paradise resides in your eyes;

Subtle and sublime like moonshine,

Vibes crystallize in you like ice.

Sometimes, when you ride, you coincide

Like rimes within rimes of a multi-rime.

Divine design live and alive

A last line that vibrates thro time.

Akpan

Day 14: Shoe Nail

The worth of a timeless epiphany

May be weighed by a lost shoe nail;

The diligence in the search for a remedy.

Or one might be found wanting on the scale.

The magic needful for a fairytale ending,

May be in the goose that chucks gold.

Yet, if the fowl dies, it's all intestine.

And the trail to a sesame might go cold.

The angle that rings off the climax,

May be the fleecing of the golden sheep.

And toils of desperation might bring an axe

To hope till hearts are no longer at ease.

Akpan

Day 13: A Peace to End All Peace

I know that I have lost so much.
But would hope give hope respite from loss?
If I had a straw to clutch at
Would fate snatch victory from my grasp?
I have held out my hands all day
To a world gone cold in the month of May.
Would that my care and earthly chaos
Broker peace and mend my errors:
Never a peace to end all peace,
No terror to sell religion.
All I ask is personal release.
And the presence of mind and gut
To savor it with pomp and pride.

Akpan

Day 12: E.G

Take for instance,
I'm strung on this penchant
Tho I can't flow cause I'm peasant
So I'm a victim of circumstance.

Take for example,
I had a bite of the apple.
So I ride ingenuity's lapel.
But all around are hostile people.

Take for illustration,
There's this wide range of options
So I'm stuck for a decision.
But I wipe the program and toss caution.

Akpan

Day 11: Blank Page

Give me a blank page.
Create a writing space.
I'll burn on that page,
Verbs that traverse age.

Give me a blank page.
And I'll make a change,
From words that levitate
Off the page to engage.

For me a blank page's
Seduction uncaged.
Ere I bleed my rage,
Give me a blank page.

Akpan

Day 10: Reduced

Appearance is an uncertain guide.
I won't down talk, if you're prejudiced.
But I won't take that thorn to my side;
I ain't the sum total of your twisted lies.
And so I refuse to be reduced.

I stashed the past in the past.
I tossed my burden, the storm's passed.
Why y'all tryna me feel downcast?
Defeat's a mind-state, no questions asked.
And so I refuse to be reduced.

Akpan

Day 9: Burst into Sunshine

Up through the clouds
To burst into sunshine.
Like soap bubbles
Powered by projectiles.
Negotiate the hurdles
Straddling your blindside.
Command the chariots of the wind.
Leap, freefall, and spread your wings.
Up and down you bounce
And bump and slide on the clouds.
Like pollen, glide,
Survey the land, settle and thrive.

Akpan

Day 8: Money Answers All

Said the Lady to her lover:
'Honey, who the hell was that?'
'You mean on the phone?'
'Yeah, on the phone.'
'Uh, just the landlord.'
'What'd he want?'
'Guy was just talking a good game.'
'Was money in the details?'
'What's money got to do with it?'
'Honey, money answers all things.'
'Baby this ain't worth your bother.'
'I'll be the judge of that.'
'We talked business is all.'

'From 12 to their downside of one?'

'Been tryna reach me all day.'
'Has he?'
'Today was all the rage.'
'But ain't it kinda funny?'
'The long talk?'
'And tagging you like shark to blood.'
'Well, it's over. The deal's done.'
'But why he call you up at night?'
'We set up a meet. I didn't show up.'
'How come I'm feeling negative vibes?'
'Baby, I don't see nothing going wrong.'
'Ain't nothing going on with the rent?'
'Oh hell, woman! Give it a rest.'

Akpan

Day 7: Osmosis

Come closer let me feel your warmth
And absorb the molecules of emotion
Like the shore drinks of the ocean.
I'll sip on your courage on impact
Until it drowns out my vacancy
One touch can translate a universe;
A slight brush may quicken a heartbeat.
A miracle may come thro eye contact
With a stranger on a lonely track.
Open up your heart and make an art
Of reaching out to rock the distant.

Let me share your world as we hold hands.

Your smile brings me joy on a platter.
Your grace shields me from the patter
Touch me deep with words softly whispered
Kiss me and I'll learn true surrender.

Akpan

Day 6: Sorry

I'm tryna keep this affair low-key.
So long as we stay on the same page.
I'll keep my distance, you keep your apology.
Sorry, won't get fooled again.

I hope in time, you find your niche
Cause I intend to fine tune my pitch.
That 'Let's start over' thing is so lame.
Sorry, won't get fooled again.

And this face off means all debt's paid.
Try to forget the games we played,
Hope you get yours all the same,
Sorry, won't get fooled again.

Akpan

Day 5: Sail

You are a sail.
You just need to find your game.
Catch a storm and set up a stage.
When sea billows come to commensurate.

You are a sail.
Set sail like a float on high winds.
Tackle the waves with a vengeful rage,
Ride the tide and find your rhythm.

You are a sail.
You're slack only until your tuff is rough.
Rise when the moon pulls the waves,
Keep your head one notch above the chaos.

Akpan

Day 4: Shero

For Maya Angelou

Your girlish smile
Is hands off suicide.
In your quest to rise
You blurred the lines,
Blending the elements of black and white.
It's cold news that stays hot;
We live the dream and the hope
You stuck out your neck for.
Bringing in the sheaves on slave boats.
We believed what we was told.
Until you gave voice to stories of old.
Can't talk legacy,
Or browse the anals of chemistry.
One name dims the words on the pages.
Like a silhouette printed on rims of mystery.
The one woman haters couldn't decode.
The undisputed, veritable shero.

Akpan

Day 3: Be Seein' You Around

It won't be long,
I'll find my way home
Thro this dark tunnel haunted
By a specter of gray ghosts.

I reach out with a song,
To a end that knows me
Yet, defies the grits of my balls;
Ain't no mercy for the hypocrite.

I turn up the heat.
I'll ride this vibe into the ground
And come up strong indeed.
In time, I'll be seeing you around.

Akpan

Day 2: Shall I

Shall I go crippled to the gates of war?
If I cringe in fear, how shall I stand tall?
How shall I dance at the sound of gunshots?
Shall I go hard or go home when they go bust?

Shall I turn in my badge at the roll call?
If valor's genuine, shouldn't I be upfront
Dancing with wolves and busting Kalashnikovs?
Shall I compensate drama with A-Bombs?

Shall I tuck tail or set a date with terror?
If I'm a soulja must I not be a warrior?
Shall I go out with guns blazing or what?
Shall I, shan't I? Not if I want to rule the world.

Akpan

Day 1: Bomb

If I was a bomb
I'll work on a timer
And set it on repeat.
I'll floor my visual perimeter,
Spewing lethal shrapnel of prophecy.

If I was a bomb
The reaction would be total,
The repercussion confrontational.
I'll invade the mediocre mindset
And go boom at the threat of regret.

If I was a bomb
I'll obliterate a dare called impossible,
Pound a rubble out of obstacles.
I'll go nuclear only to turn the table.
Fools will bite the dust until they shrivel.

If I was a bomb
I'll disintegrate the toys of war.
I'll lend decibels to silent clouds.
I'll bring down the glass ceiling in a storm
Of shards the waking flood drowning the freaks out.

If I was a bomb
I know where I would touch down.

Akpan