nude female

The Foolishness Of Love

ninartz Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When I think about you

I remember the foolishness of love

I build walls and you build bridges

You tear down my walls and you find me

I lock the doors and you come in through the window

I walk away and you run right after me

I can’t live with you and yet I can’t live without you

Like flesh on bones and skin on flesh

We have become inseparable

I have tried to set you free like a bird that needs to fly

But you always fly right back to me

I am writing poetry again because you have given me back my voice

I shut my eyes and still I see you

When I sleep, I dream about you

We kiss, we make – up and then we are at it again

Wallowing in our own foolishness

The foolishness of love

 

Copyright  Nina Fabunmi 2016

For more updates on my work please visit my website http://ninafabunmi.com/      Follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/Ninartz follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ninapicasso/ like my Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/NinaFabunmiFineArt/

Thank you for your patronage

Care Mistreat

ninartz Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SONY DSC

Where peace of mind is hard to find

And you hope that the world will be kind

When care turns to fear and you quiver at the very thought of him

You look in his eyes and all you see is lies

The lies buzz like flies on a huge pile of shit

Offended by the filth!

The stench is lethal you have to flee

When your heart becomes like a tennis ball

Bouncing from racket to racket

Till its smacked down hard on the ground

The victorious cheer at your expense

When you close your eyes in sleep

Tormented thoughts

They turn into nightmares

And still you have to summon courage to face another day

Care like wear and tear

Exhausted you combust

Like a grenade about to explode

With all the load you’ve had to bear

Finally, you have to abort

Less it kills what’s left of you

Your care turns to a glare as you look back at your life

Flush strife down the toilet drain

Thrive on the gain of pain

Sowing in new soils

Praying for rain

 

©Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

 

 

 

 

Surge Of Sadness

ninartz Poetry , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SONY DSC

So swiftly so suddenly, I feel a surge of sadness

But yet it seemed, a moment ago, that all I had was happiness

My mind has began to wonder again

That which I ended I want to begin

And that which I began, I want to end

For it seems as though, I am coming to my end

I am weary of wallowing in my own confusion

I am sorry for those who once had my submission

For it seems I am as a pendulum rocks

Back and forth and breaking the rocks

That which once held me steadfast in love

I mend and I break and I mend and I break

Shattering the hearts of those I once loved

Loving again until I break

And breaking again yet wanting for their love

And when I have it, I break again

I break again only to begin again

Hearts are shattered and I am battered

Then again comes the surge

The fruit of all that I urge

The surge that makes me begin to purge

Wallowing in my self inflicted unhappiness

In a surge of sadness

 

©Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

 

Arise ‘O’ One Eyed Snake

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

sdc15340

Arise ‘O’ one-eyed snake sleeping in the calabash

My hair is let down

My body bare

And I am playing my flute

An enchanting tune

That you may rise from your slumber

‘O’ one-eyed snake

I have began to swish my hips from side to side

The air is filled with music

And I am calling out to you

That you may arise and dance with me once more

I fear that you may be seriously ill

Decapitated and dead

Cursed to condemnation

Suffering from the poison of another

You lay there weak and feeble

Not even able to raise your head up

Soon the chilly wind befell me

And took my melody away with it

Out in the cold

No one to hold

Finally I fell to the ground

I have surrounded myself with more calabashes

Soon I will be lifted up

And I will play my tune again

That another one-eyed snake may arise from a clay calabash

And dance to the tune that I play

Someone to hold

Gone with the cold

We will dance like we could never stop

Air filled with music

And when the wind comes

We shall sail along with it

‘O’ one-eyed

 

Ⓒ Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

My Emergence

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Colourful Life by Nina fabunmi, Acrylic on Canvas, 5x2.5 ft, 2011

Sucking on a dry fruit and forgetting the taste of freshness

Then, before me, dangled a juicy red apple

Like the temptation of Adam by Eve

I took a bite and I felt alive again

My land is green

My soil, nourished and rich in manure

Yet you won’t plant in me

Perhaps your tools are defective

Like a farmer without a hoe

Or your seeds are like blank bullets that miss their mark

Your restless insatiable soul

Constantly looking for that which you already possess

But then came the ardent seeker

He scatted his seeds in my terrain

My garden has turned into a rich wild forest

Thick roots and broad green canopies

My waters run from rivers to oceans

Filled with passion, desire and plenty

Endless abundance of depths that go on for forever

I followed a trail that ended in a wall that I could not penetrate

I tried to break it, but it wouldn’t fall

I had to change directions

I hopped unto a cloud

Soft as candy floss

Floating into oblivion

Angels whisper kind words in my ears

My dreams are real

I heal and I feel

The sun came to greet me

And the moon comforted me by night

I have seen stars

It seems so peaceful over here

I think I will stay

This is my emergence

 

©Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

That Dead Horses May Rise

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Under the Golden Moon , Acrylic on Canvas 38x33 inches by Nina Fabunmi 2011

I planted a mango seed, expecting an apple tree to grow

I walked through dry and arid lands, and there I chose to cultivate

What was thinking, I ask myself

The well was dry yet I cast in my bucket

Still expecting it to be filled

Sitting on a roof top gazing upon the night sky

And waiting for a shooting star to fly by

That I may cast my wishes upon it

Yes!!! I believe in magic

I put water before thee

It’s supposed to quench thirst

But it does nothing to satisfy you

I have made you a meal, that you may hunger no more

But you can’t even smell its aroma

I took a stick and beat this dead horse

Hoping that it would awake

I hit it, over and over again but to no avail

I didn’t stop till my stick was broken

And finally, it broke me

I am broken

My horse is dead

I lay by its side and cried upon its lifeless lump

Looking up into the sky once more

Embellished in shimmering shinny stars

Waiting for that shooting star

That it may take my wishes with it

That your eyes may open and you may stand

Your head crowned with the horn of a unicorn

And you may be adorned with pretty white wings

And take me away with you

To a place where dead horses may rise

But I am just a dreamer

And you are just a dead horse

I am facing the reality in front of me

My wounds that never heal

My tears that are ever flowing

My heart in its tortured state

Believing in magic like a fool

Waiting for a dead horse to rise

 

©Nina Fabunmi 2016

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Trophie

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SONY DSC

I made her out of my own hands

Juxtaposed her posture

Choreographed her composition

Her gesture, intentional

Lighting, drapery and skin

I formed her in black and white

And when she was ready I added color

I poured my emotions into her

That she may speak for many others and me

And when she was ready to go

The right man came along

He paid the price

And he took her home

And I felt nothing but contentment

I am the third creator

God hath endowed my hands

Blessed my heart

And garnished my mind

I have applied mimesis

And I have replicated his creation unto canvas

That she may be admired by the eyes that see her

Adored by whom she will be owned

And he shall make her his trophy

 

©Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

I Have Nothing Else To Give

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SONY DSC

I gave you an extra leg

That you may find your balance

But it wasn’t enough for you

Till I gave you both my legs

I gave you an extra hand

That you may carry more

But you asked for the only hand I had left

And I gave that to you as well

I gave my eyes that you may see better

I gave my ears that you may hear better

I gave you all my senses

That you may feel the pain I endure for you

But that did not satisfy you

You asked for my organs

And I gave that as well

You have rendered me an empty shell

I have nothing else to give

You decided you needed wings

That you may take to the sky and soar

I have no wings to give you

And now you are chasing birds

You decided you needed fins

To swim amongst the fishes in the ocean

I have no fins to give you

And now you are chasing fish

You are in a deep dark forest

Chasing a monkey for its tail

A bear for its claws

A lion for its roar

A crocodile for its hide

And a beast for its deep dark heart

Your insatiable appetite has rendered me crippled

Now I watch you from a distance

On your un-ending quest for more

With nothing else to give to you

 

Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

Our Perfect World

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Waiting For Him

I have kept you in my dreams

Trapped in a world that only exists in my false reality

A place where I can share you with no other

And transient things are not a bother

I spend the nights in your arms

And I awake in your embrace

I have a script for everyday

It all goes according to plan

I have you in my thoughts

When I close my eyes you smile at me

You lift me up and swirl me around

You whisper sweet nothings and make me merry

In a world where all is perfect

Where unicorns fly and homes are like floating clouds

We are like gods and goddesses

Eternal, peaceful and beautiful

My slumber is deep

I dare not wake

Less I be compelled to face my harsh reality

Where my tears flow like waterfalls

And my heart has been battered to a pulp

I spend the days waiting for night to come

So I can fall deep into sleep

To be with you once more

In a place where unicorns fly

Where we float on clouds like gods and goddesses

Our perfect world

 

Nina Fabunmi

http://www.ninafabunmi.com

To Have And To Hold

ninartz Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SONY DSC

Woman is like a treasure unto man, a measure of success, an affirmation of fulfillment in life. In Africa, a woman is often used to measure a man’s status in society. A woman adorned with precious jewels, pampered and clothed in the finest fabric would be a confirmation that her man was well to do.

In Christianity, God advises that a man love his wife like he (God) loves his church and in turn you will have her submission.

She will devote herself to you,mind body and soul.

Nudity is seen as humility in Art history and the Renaissance period.

This piece titled “to have and to hold” shows a bare African beauty, presenting herself on a platform to the man who has won her heart. She is his, to have and to hold.

‘To Have and To Hold’ , oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches, is currently in my solo exhibition , March 6 – April 25th at the Joyce Gordon Gallery,406 14th Street, downtown Oakland. For more information please visit http://www.joycegordongallery.com and http://ninafabunmi.com