Daddy

My father, The Rev. A .S. Akpan (!940-1995)
Passed on First of July, 1995

To catch a falling star

Is beyond a poet’s art

Still I’ll knot a handful of notes

From the string of my broken tones

Make strung chords rise like octaves

And pitch for the comet’s tail

If life was a fairytale

Who’d be the fairy godfather

But you?

If I was Aladdin

Who’d be the genie of the lamp

That’s stays true?

You are every father’s envy

An oasis of raw healing scenes

A star that keeps falling falling falling

I reach for you there

Where men cease from care

I long to catch a falling star

And bathe in the rain of sparks

An lift my face to taste your charm

Sometimes I catch on to your grace

Like vibes from radio waves

There’s nothing better than that

You do not sit in your armchair

                                  anymore

And tell me of the Savior

Who took my place on a cross;

You showed me the worth of my words

Taught me to stay creative

Much’s been said ‘bout fathers

Daddy, Daddy

You best that.

Akpan

What's the Meaning of Akpan?

It's a two-syllabled name,
Got a web-sustained fame
As a search engine hit,
But that in itself is ironic
Because Akpan spells V.I.P.

When you talk title-names,
Akpan has got game.
First name of first sons
Akpan is the Ibibio firstborn.

What's the meaning of Akpan?
First it's a dead ringer for Arkham.
What does Akpan mean?
It reps persons, places n' things.

Akpan is the most celebrated person,
Akpan means the most exceptional thing;
Akpan is the most remarkable place.
Akpan means, on the low down, the ace.

Akpan

Rule of Ku

Ku v. (coo) An Ibibio word which means don't.

You may swim a river uphill
And ride a chariot on the wind
You may tap dance on red-hot coals
And scream like banshees hi on dope.

But whatever you do
You don't ignore the force in you.
Ku says believe in who you are,
Ku says listen to your heart,
Ku says no matter what you do
Ku says the answer is in you.
Just before you play the fool (stop),
Remember the rule of Ku (and don't).

You don't need wings to touch the sky
The answer lies in heaven's eyes.
Ku (don't) depend on things you may see,
It takes skill to lead from within.

Akpan

The Road Most Traveled

Courtesy: rabbisacks.org

One road forked at the intersection

Like a Y with its own wherefore.

There, perched on the tail of the twin lanes,

Drenched to the leather of my skin,

I was found yet lost in the chance game.

But it wasn’t as tough as it seemed;

I’ve been here before and I’ll be back.

My whole life has been shaped on this track,

I’m versed in it like the lines on my palm,

Every gravel, pothole and streetlamp.

There’s nobody knows me like the road.

If I should stray, the road will find me

And hold me and point me towards home.

I’m always on the road even in

The darkest part of the darkest cove.

It’s beaten its path thro an alley;

I rode its trail right thro a valley,

On the road, flung on the wings of love,

I foray into a strange matchless world.

I’ve caught thorns with the sole of my feet,

But the road’s been faithful thro the heat.

Even if prospects turn bleak I’ll go.

Two roads, two destinations, one me;

The road most traveled takes me home.

Akpan

Mushroom Boon

I just wanna take the time to wish you blessing

The variety that proceeds from peculiar lessons,

That point where you can trade your pain for gain,

And still reach out in the rain and capture change.

Yeah, I wanna wish you a happy new year.

I’m sending this shout out cause I really care.

I pray your joys and victories will mushroom,

And may you be geared up when they find you.

Akpan

Mma Mi

My Mama, the Deaconess Eka Akpan celebrates one more

year on God's Earth today. Happy Birthday Mma.

"Mma mi" (/hmm ma me/) is Ibibio for My Mama.

Love needed no reason,

To set me up with a special person;

Love’s only reason was love itself,

Mma, having you translates as blessed.

I’m gonna write my manger story on you;

A prose on how faithful love beat the odds.

Wise men found a star on the night of the first Yule,

Mma, you are that ancient star in human form.

You were my anchor when I stormed thro a fog,

Your voice was the oil that stilled my troubled sob,

No room in the inns Mma, your heart was my pod:

A tested refuge from the cattle of this cold sod.

Akpan

No Questions Asked

Happy Birthday to my Mama and a great woman -
Deaconess Eka Akpan

Mma

If that name ain't the sweetest thang like a lump of sugar.

I was going to say you taught me everything I ever knew

But then I reflect on the times you broke me off the horns of a dilemma

And it's like damn near impossible to make who you are more beautiful.

Mma

Your love is like a story that keeps unspooling long after the tome is closed.

My heart explodes with untamed emotion but words fall just shy of expression;

How do I even begin when you are my beginning, I'm lost in your shadow.

My affection knows no bounds; it's as wide as the breadth of the ocean.

Mma

Just the thought of you sets an avalanche in motion,

Your pure devotion takes my breath away, like a blast of golden gas.

If I had to do this over, if I had a choice in my own conception;

Mma, I’ll root for you and I’ll do it in a heartbeat no questions asked.

Akpan

Superhero

Dad passed away on first of July, 1995
He is my very own superhero. This poem is to his memory.

You stirred a flare for reading in me.

I recall crawling into the confines of your private library

Hounded by classics assuming names tricky to remember

Sometimes I call up images of your cloth-bound hardcovers;

‘On Aggression;’ ‘Try Anything Once;’ and ‘The Governor.’

On every first page a date underlined your peculiar signature.

I still picture you waving ‘English Without Tears’ in my view.

It’s hard to visualize I rode your backtrail without meaning to

Most amazing of all is how you honed my obsession for books

Makes me proud I was raised on books by an uneducated you.

I wish I could paint your face on cosmic canvas

Convey to the world your unique colors.

I wish I could spray your qualities over the horizon

In smoke Dad, may I do the sweet honors?

I got this feeling where my heart resides

That when we meet again away from this body

I’d have earned the privilege to look into your eyes

And say simply but firmly, “I am my father’s kid.”

Meanwhile, I hope it would delight you to know

That I have etched your face on everlasting stone.

Akpan

A Toast

I raise a toast to the man who bent the impossible to his own will;

I give a standing ovation to him who threw himself into shaping me;

I declare you a father of fathers and hoist your fame on a plinth;

I raise my glass to all you stood for; ideals taught me from the crib.

Talons of time cannot claw the memory of you off my mind.

And since you did not quit on me I return the favor in kind.

If I live four score and seven years I’ll give each moment in time

To celebrate a gift that was the sum total of divine and sublime.

Akpan

Phenomenal Man

My Father: The Phenomenal Man;
husband, father, uncle, brother, grandfather

I like to think of you as my very own superhero,

As the one who had my back from ground zero.

You had a charm about you it made you a special person;

A quality that set the strobe light on you lost in a crowd.

I’d love to hear the timbre of your voice while I give a listen;

The man I lost dishing the man I am the lowdown.

You commanded respect so crystal folks perceived it.

You were a gift to this world and I only wish they knew it.

I’ve always wondered what it takes

To stamp a foot in the prints you left behind.

It never fails to amaze me how you raised the stakes

When you presented the gift of your champion mind,

You had the inbuilt timing which made your moves flawless.

You knew the right words and the fact made me speechless.

You set a standard from which a young dream was launched.

You didn’t assert perfection but you gave it all your best shot.

Akpan

Sir

Sir (The name I called my father) was translated to glory
on July 1st, 1995. This poem is dedicated to him.

Sir, you…

Never said to stir up trouble;

Never said to walk away from a good fight;

Never said I wouldn’t take a tumble;

Never said change won’t rain in the nighttime.

But above all the things you said

As well as a million others left unsaid

(And it’s the greatest of all thrills),

Is that I’ll never forget how you made me feel.

Never said any worthwhile cause comes easy;

Never said it will be fine if I didn’t give it a try;

Never said to welsh on my dreams;

Never said to take my eyes off the prize.

Never said I’ll be writing this with tearful eyes;

Never said you’d be gone before this sun would rise;

Never said to see you smile again I’d go back in time;

Never said you won’t be there when I… when I…

Akpan

First of July

Rev. Akpan Sam Akpan
My father who I called Sir, passed away on July 1st, 1995.
This verse of poetry is dedicated to his memory.

I’d like to tell you a thing about this man I called ‘father.’

Take a seat, cross your legs yeah, make your burdens lighter.

He moved on 20 0dd years ago but still I found no other;

There’s nobody can claim my father’s place no, not ever.

Let me tell you how he gave my story a new vista.

Walk you step by step thru the genius of a master.

I really wish you met him; you’d have been bettered.

He made me the man I am so I can defeat life’s drama.

He was the kind of man who redefined ‘phenomenal.’

A man who stood by his word thru fire and thunder;

Always made time for me; he was there for my brothers.

He was a kind man who never raised his voice at Mama.

I wish you knew the story of the man I called father.

You’d battle lions wearing smiles as wide as summer.

He was the greatest of them all; a true-born soulja.

In him I found my hero, now, always and forever.

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 16: Considering the Alternative

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 16 Prompt:

Two objects sit before you: a golden hammer and a cup of what seems to be water. A note on the wall says: "Go ahead, make your choice. The outcome will decide whether you're ready or not." Ready for what? What is this place? Why these objects? Which will you choose? - WritersDigest.Com

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 11: Stuck in a Flawed Groove

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 11 Prompt:
You sit at the same coffee shop sipping vanilla lattes watching the world go by, one day a female barista asks you want you think about as you watch the people walk by, you respond with 'Do you wanna know?' — REDDIT

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 9: The End of One Episode

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 9 Prompt:
During your trip to Turkey, you check into an old hotel. After settling yourself you notice a weathered chest in the corner. Upon opening it, war relics from the First World War and the Ottoman Empire lay before you. What stories do you find? — WritersDigest.Com

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 6: Chalk-Writing in a Storm

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 6 Prompt:
You are a private investigator who can travel through time and to parallel universes. You are hired by people who want their "what if?" scenarios answered. — REDDIT

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 5: A Choice of Deaths

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 5 Prompts:

Use this plot in a short story: Darkness held a vague terror among these people, even the bravest among them. - Chinua Achebe

Write a story about the end of the world as we know it in which the undead - vampires, werewolves and zombies - dictate the scheme of things. But somehow, one group of the undead gains the whip hand over the others. - Akpan

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

IntShoWriMo 2015: Day 4: An Eternity of Nights

You went to bed like any other night and were out like a log in minutes. But when you woke up, you weren’t at home. You were in a car (that wasn’t yours), wearing clothes (that weren’t yours), and holding a bag full of money (that wasn’t yours). Suddenly, a police car turns on its lights to pull you over. What do you do? — WritersDigest.Com

Write about an ancient gypsy curse. — Writing.Com

Word Count: 2k+

Akpan

Day 30: Kensinsi

"Kensinsi" (pronounced /ken sin see/) in Ibibio/Efik (a Nigerian dialect)
translates "forever."

By the way, that's not yours truly in the image above. It's Dad and Mom
who my brothers and I fondly call "Sir & Mma." 1st of July marks 20 years
of Sir's passing. I thought I'd start off celebrating his life early this year.

Kensinsi

You are a never-ending story,

You bought my respect thru the dreams you made real.

Kensinsi

I dedicate my life to illustrate the lil things

You set in motion which turned a simple life extraordinary.

Kensinsi

You are my hero, my shero; you taught me to believe

So I can stare failure between the eyes and still find reprieve

And it's always been that way with you

And me as a kid running around without a clue;

You are the reason I always managed to pull thru.

It will take kensinsi to show I appreciate you.

That's why I owe you,

Kensinsi

Ain't nobody gon' take the place reserved for you, kensinsi;

In my heart I raised two thrones and crowned you King and Queen.

It's all about you can't you see?

With me and you it's kensinsi.

I love you kensinsi nsinsi. (Forever and ever)

Akpan

XIV: Dare to Dream

“Anything that works against you can also work for you once you understand the Principle of Reverse.”

—Maya Angelou

The radio announcer did lend a certain degree of weight to the phrase, “Come with your babe or don’t come at all.” I didn’t have a girl and I figured I couldn’t just pick one and play boyfriend and girlfriend, (the act would have fallen through with a shearing sound) I’d gone on and attended the event alone. Well, my decision did ruffle a handful feathers. The guy-at-the-gate’s for one. I gained access into the venue after a short and terse tug of words—in which I spoonfed him lessons on my peculiar situation.

It was October 1st; the studio was packed with radio DJs and upcoming acts. My teeny-weeny voice carried on the airwaves to fill ears of God knows, how many million Nigerians as I performed a solo number in acapella to honor my country’s Independence Day.

Way back in the early 90s, (I was in senior high school then) I started taking tours to TV and radio broadcasting stations and that’s besides the frequent visits to major recording studios of the time. You see, I had “waxed” this demo (that's demonstrational tape, for the uninitiated) a couple of months into senior high and you know what they say about youth and zeal; I couldn’t wait to get it published. In that when, you could still cut a music deal with a demo. If only I’d heard about singles earlier, eh?

Soon enough, I got burned out. It took a modest length of time but it did occur to me talent wasn’t the chief prerequisite when you set your sights on the showbiz industry. Cash, on the other hand, wasn’t everything but its claws dug deep into a good deal of everything. See, I didn’t have a lot of that to throw around and it pretty much drew a line between me and a spot in what was once considered the key arm of mass media. Good thing for me, I didn’t quit writing altogether, even when I had no idea how I was supposed to pass on those write-ups to an audience. I drew pleasure from my craft and my passion for it fueled the courage to keep at keeping on.

Enter the World Wide Web and Google.

Browsing became my fetish the very first instant I delved online and ensuing days had me investing infinite hours surfing the web and harvesting reams on reams of info via printouts. Months later, during one of such escapades, I googled the word, “writing” and from the top of the first page of the search results, like a love waiting there with outstretched arms, the link to what is possibly the greatest website for writers leaped out at me. I posted a poem or two in my portfolio (that’s what you call your personal page on writing.com) then I left off for a little bit. Sometime later in 2009, I revisited the website only to find that my account had been deleted. Some dude probably hacked into it and broke the site’s ground rules. I signed up for a new one and this time, I went deep. Somewhere down the line, I got involved in a writing academy on the site. This blog crawled out from beneath the loins of that little elbow grease. You know how the rest of that ball of yarn unwinds itself.

Life sometimes gives you a second chance and when it does, by God, you take it and run with it. I know the weight of freedom the web has thrust into my laps. I’ve had the privilege of taking my talent and turning it this way and that trying for new ways to put it to use effectively. I’ve also learned the heart sees further than the head—mine had been awaiting the coming of the internet and thus kept my back to the grind scribbling sometimes in a fever at other times, totally wracked out of my mind. What was supposed to work against me did cut me loose. From late January 2014, my blog had visitors from over 106 countries in less than 365 days. Do you think any of those media houses (or record companies) I stalked way back could have afforded me such a rich and diverse audience?

But hey! It’s a new year to break new grounds and new records. I’ll see you on the other side of 2015 and we’ll exchange notes. But until then, have a happy record-breaking new year.

Keep your pens bleeding.

Eneh Akpan

January 2nd, 2015

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