Unlike Some People

Courtesy: @Flawolffie (Twitter)

People have no shame

They talk a good game

And stockpile the blame

Then when the winds change

They switch places

And turn on the hypocritical phases.

Their verbs are tame

Their fight is lame

Their manicured voices

Produce empty words

They feign noesis

With views twisted to absurd.

These people

That have no shame

Are becoming the staple

For throwing a shade.

Can't get their acts together

Cause they're strung one on the other.

Some people have no shame

It's why they still in the game

Long after the ovation fades.

They trade one excuse

Only to promote laws that confuse,

And when their gang of losers lose

They jump ship and ditch their crews.

I don't know, mate

But some people have no shame.

Akpan

03/13

Breonna Taylor was shot dead by cops
while sleeping in her boyfriend's home
 during a botched police raid. No police
 officer was convicted for her death.
Photo Courtesy: @Berniceking (Twitter)

Taylor

My verse for Breonna,

Weave it on a tapestry of valor

This scene be like the setting of a thriller,

A real-life nightmare on the rocks,

Cops come creeping all up your block

Yous in there sleeping but still get slugged.

No conviction for the killer in the cops

And the system that endorse the corpse

They shoot and shrug it under a copse

Of their flawed laws.

But louder than shots

In the still of the night

Is the voice of my words:

Now's the time to get it right,

Now's the time to hit the lights.

Come, take out the logs

From your moral eyes

And see the desolation

Your denial did device;

This is a stand

For the race of man,

A fight for justice for Breonna,

Because black lives matter.

And if somebody mutters,

'Is he for real?

That brother he just dreaming.'

Tell 'em 'Please, don't wake him up.'

Cause I won't stop

Till I get to the mountaintop.

Akpan

Moment-A-Real-Ly

Courtesy: Twitter

I'll have this moment.

I live in servitude to this moment,

My exhales, my dreams, its figments.

Remove this moment and this life is torment. 

I'll take every adversity as compliment

And each cuss as a positive comment.

And yeah, I'll battle a flood of ailment

Just to get paid with an overflow of this moment. 

I stand on the ledge

Of a pal​i​sade but I got an edge;

The gift of this moment.

All the stages of my becoming;

The dregs of my unbecoming

Assumed maturity as a state of being

And exploded into this

Full-blown special thing:

A capsule of panoramic fluidity.

Forever, I'm into this moment

Like the mountain is to Mahomet.

Akpan

Mr. President

Mr. President Barack Obama

How smooth I view you groove

The world moves whenever you move.

Your heart is true, your faith is strong

In you millions found rhythm and a song.

Courage’s snug in the bosom of a true friend

For you elegance has adopted a new name

You ease yourself into a task with pure grace,

You tackle it like it’s a game you was born to play.

And now you’ve gone and added beauty

To the color of black and all of humanity.

I’m cut up to say how you did the things you did,

But boundless time testifies to the glory of your story.

Akpan

Ground Zero

Courtesy: Twitter: @Patricia_Braun

I live in a time when this moment is a memory,

Where all of life enfolds you in the warmth of family

And your dreams lead you by the hand into euphory.

I live in a time where my hope is your reality;

When from within your walls busts a chorus of rejoicing,

And peals of laughter rip your kids’ throats continually.

I live in a time when every sunrise declares your peace;

When the tips of your towers slice the clouds rising still,

And nations marvel at the bounty of your beauteous bliss.

Akpan

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When We Bleed

If I needed someone

Would you be my redemption?

If I needed 100% and nothing less

Would you offer the best of yourself;

Spooling till there’s nothing left to give?

And would you not do it free and easy

Would you bleed when we bleed to death?

Would you freeze the Atlantic to erase the threat?

Before terror brings a nation of millions to her knees?

Won’t you help us?

While there’s still an “us” breathing oxygen?

Won’t you help us?

If I came crashing down,

Would you catch me before I hit the ground?

If I called to you on a clarion,

Would the answer in the wind convey the nostrum?

Would you walk with me thro a landmine?

Can I trust you with my heart in my darkest night?

Won’t you help us?

Won’t you help us?

Won’t you help us?

Won’t you help us?

Akpan

Amandla!

Mandela Forever!

                                    They said it was impossible

                                    But the word don't mean zilch

                                    To eyes that visualize the invisible.

                                    Because to you impossible was less than nothing.

                       

                                    It always seems impossible

                                    Until faith trundles in with the outcome,

                                    Can’t no Robben stall the inevitable,

                                    You proved it when you broke free with a song.

                                   

                                    That’s why we call you Mandela!

                                    You are the one true Madiba,

                                    The vindicated Giant of Africa.

                                    Madiba! Mandela! Amandla!

                                   

                                    Akpan

                                   

                                    

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Lyrical Assassin

The Lyrical Assassin
You don't wanna mess with him

Here I stand firm

Deleting daunting doubt; tumbling walls

Of fear, taking trophies on my own terms—

Defying consequences, kicking Fate in the balls.

Here I stand firm

Skillfully slugging opposition’s industrious crew.

Constantly chasing down fools with clear intent to bring harm

Annihilating every appearance of a threat with tried tools.

Here I stand firm

My position locked and confirmed

Aiming lethal verbs about 9mm in your direction,

Pumping my Glocks pushing you to the verge of extinction.

Here I stand firm

To whom it may concern:

I stand true

And I shall not be moved.

Akpan

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Does a Fantasy Setting Need Its Own Language?

Inscription: "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"
quote from "Wolves of the Calla" by Stephen King

A good fantasy series does not need its own language. There is simply no reason for it to exist unless the author has a penchant for linguistics because any time it would actually appear in the book, it would have to be translated into an actual language, thus mitigating its usefulness as a distinct language. There are a few conceivable exceptions, like a short phrase or message that is presented in a native form, that is left concealed until later events. However, this usage is no different than a closed door or a locked chest in terms of plot devices.

Any fantasy author, by at least throwing in a few words and phrases in a made-up language, can communicate to the reader that multiple nations or multiple culture-groups exist in this world, which helps to make it believable.

Language is deeply tied to culture so when trying to create distinct cultures or subcultures within a fantasy novel it (language) can be a very useful tool. Language and culture are so inextricably linked that creating a language is essentially creating a culture and doing this really helps to flesh out and define a culture and particular characters from that culture.

Basically language is great for an epic, a story in which we see different cultures. GRRM (George R. R. Martin) does this well in A Song of Ice and Fire, because he uses it sparingly.

It becomes less and less practical to have one common language as the geographical and cultural scope of the story increases. Having various languages that work will also show that the author has put extensive thought into how their ethnic groups have developed—trade languages, regional dialects and divergent forms can all hint at how civilizations have progressed given their relationships to each other and to any observable barriers.

If a distinct vocabulary has been established, the reader might also be able to see distinct cultural values given the right opportunities. Do family names come first or second for individuals? Is poetry terse and succinct or long and flowery?

“

The area of Wheel of Time was somewhere between the size of Europe and USA. Nevertheless, all people spoke the same language with only few unique phrases per country. In Song of Ice and Fire the Seven Kingdoms are the size of South America, but there is only one common language.

”

In Stephen King's Dark Tower Series. They all speak English, but in Roland's world if you want a quick snack, you don't have a sandwich, but rather a popkin, and when your grandfather was a kid, he didn't walk five miles (uphill both ways) to get to school, he walked three wheels to get there. Frankly, ‘ka-tet’ sounds a lot better than ‘group of destiny-linked brothers-in-arms.’ However, when you are creating a new race or species, I don't think it's farfetched to come up with a new language.

Hope you learned a thing or two from all the suggestions. By the way, these were all clipped from comments from a post I published a few years back. I thought turning it into an article would make the whole thing an easier read. You can get the full gist here: Should You Create Language for a Broad Fantasy World? Knock yourself out!

Keep your pens bleeding!

Akpan

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100 Similes I Grew Up With

My Grade 5 Teacher was fond of adding an English proverb or two at the end of her notes (especially, in a subject called, Moral Instructions). My interest in these gems was spurred by this favorite pastime of hers and lucky for me, my brothers had this English reader called Student Companion. I started collecting and memorizing similes. My love for them never diminished and this post is proof enough.

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