Grey's Book Club

Author: Zahra It was your fake smile that spoke to me the way your eyebrows never drew in I was always supposed to leave But even nature finally had to bow. Your heart sang to me I had never heard such melody Your words; they wound like vines In your hands, my soul wept in jeopardy. Reality snuck in like a night thief from a broken window, your emotions escaped My love sought for you shouting in pain But you'd grown wings and flown. Still here, my heart wide open for you My ears are ready to listen to your lies So I'll keep on walking towards you Perhaps you'll realize you also have to stay. Pieces of my imagination, my unfounded hope You don't exist, and things will change Maybe you do exist, and my life is unfair But I'll wait with unguarded faith till you're mine. Picture credit: www.tumblr.com

In the sands of time there my name will be imprinted After history turns me to books and the ultimate promise turns me to dust. In the hallway of life there my memories will be pasted After all moments of facade have passed and the day of truth reckons. What will be when time is no more? What will remain when all is gone? After the body has been captured by sand storms when there's only imagination in the heart of earth. Over to a place far away where there are talks of living again an otherworldly place greatly spoken of maybe time will keep to her promises. What will remain after history? When everyone will march with a fear of judgment Who will save the son of Adam? From this great storm that is brewing. Picture credit: www.eduthinktag.it Author: Zahra

Show me a man with a bright smile I'll show you one with a tired heart but on and on he goes through life never faltering in his steps. Mirthless laughter, soundless screams a misunderstood man with big dreams but on and on he goes through trials never lacking in his commitments. High atop the mountain sits the majesty of a fountain that will spill gold for him if he stays on this path of his. He will fall down and ache He will fail and cry but one day, he will rise If he treads this road to the end. In the breast of the valley that place wherein lies the balance of the beauty of life and its unfairness lies the fruit of all his labours. If he will only continue on this path. Picture credit: www.twitter.com

Creeping grasses, sweeping winds Healing music, bleeding hearts Songs of freedom in our eyes Just as the clouds turn gold and the half moon starts to show. Despair in the tears they shed From the pain of broken promises The vows taken when the moon was full Songs of freedom in their eyes When the lone star comes to protect. Honesty; the reason men hurt A dearth of lies; why they live but it is in you and I to believe Our hearts are nothing without faith Let's sing songs of freedom with our eyes. Chirping crickets, passing nights Growing old, being forever young Songs of freedom in his eyes just before his skin starts to sag the rare moment all prayers are answered. Picture credit: www.bloglovin.com Authors Biography

Cast me in the shadows God forsake the demon's dark Leave me atop the mountains in Eden The end of every journey. “Show us the way,” they cry the voices of our dreams beyond Invite us to dine at his table the one in charge of life. On these paths, we trod Full of thorns and full of light At the end of the tunnel, we turn Farther again is Eden. Peace, oh peace, we beckon that feeling of freedom just below our chests where the breaths we take in soothe and all our shady encounters fade. These are my dreams of Eden A place of eternal promise On top of that mountain; my living destiny That place where my words won't die. Picture Credit: www.pinterest.com

Like an out of body experience  I watched my life pass in front of my eyes unable to do anything but gape at the changing scenes.  Fearing for my soul I prayed a strong wind would make people hear the cry So, I at least could say I tried.  I closed my eyes and shut my mind It was easy to succumb to the fear I listened as people passed by and hoped one would care enough to stop But they all scurried away as if they could not see me oh, I at least could say I tried.  I wished I could face my past and chase the demons instead I rose to face the fear I ran because I wanted to live and I chose to rearrange the puzzles of my life  It might never be complete for perfection is a facade But I at least can say I tried.  Picture credit: www.shutterstock.com

If the sun touches me, I might die. I might burn from the earthly fire before I visit hell. Mama said the walls are my friends. She said if I find the light, I'd end up dead. I believe mama, She is so good to me. She said life is nothing but trauma Staying close to the earth that gave me birth, is good for me. Mama doesn't feed me, it is bad for my soul. I live in an underground heaven ever since I was a day old. She is the only human I know. She is the only human there is, or so I am told. Mama is beautiful, she has a beautiful voice. She puts a finger of peace over her lips and tells me when I speak, it is terrible noise. I am to stay forever silent in my humble abode. Let the shadows keep my company, creatures like me have no choice. Mama said I am not a child, Mama said those words very mild. She said I fell from the sky, She said i'd be like this till I die. Oh mama, so very kind. She is letting me live in this heaven because she is wonderf...

He's an hustler in search of nirvana He has cravings and some crazy wants it's a bid to match society the need to be somebody. It's his race against adversity the bid to steal some of life's warmth It's the dream he has of being rich and he knows it might not come true. Treks for hours and make a second's earning but come the next day, and he does it again Needles, pins, threads and wounds Some scars just never heal. But then, there's a light at the end perhaps if he keeps on trying one day, he'll mend the gold shoe and earn a king's pay. It's his hustle the reason he stands up everyday to walk around on rumbling stomach and meet strangers who don't care for his worth. Author's Biography

                  It was not the fall that broke bones but the one that killed senses Happened one night the world was full of ill Splat! My heart went. Some stolen kisses, some fleeting glances Time stood till, it was all in my head Just like a girl yearning for love I fell, my reasoning went numb. “Catch me, please catch me,” I begged while cupid watched with a knowing smile on his plump face Life had come to play its game. My lover turned his back Unfulfilled were his unspoken promises How soullessly fleecing his affections Love owes me a debt. Cupid, little cheat, he chose wrong An unworthy lover he was surely, I deserved better but I fell, just like a girl. Author's Biography Picture Credit: mymodernmet.com

Free me, let me live sins of the past, demons of now Free me, let me be intricacies of the future, uncertain as it is. Like a beautiful bird, she's in a cage slowly, her feathers fall Lines and creases of age everyday her smile fades. Expectations, huge as they are fill her soul to its core A dream and a reality so bleak that place she just can't reach. Stuck in a loop, confining it is victim of people's beliefs Afraid to have a  mind of her own sacred to think for herself. When will freedom come? When will she ask those questions? the ones that lurk like monsters the questions of her sanity. Perhaps in this world before she goes or maybe in the next one if it does come something will give, a thing like change and she'll realize she is her own cage. Author's Biography Picture credit: pexels.com

In the absence of the moon bright stars come out to play If the stars can love me so why can't I be human? By the place where the sun rises and where it sets I search for hope so my dreams can live I write letters to destiny, surely that might help If my fate is wrong, maybe my prayers will be right. It is in the afternoons I wonder everyone with painful stories to tell but with a smile, they live It is then I think the sun is smiling Its glare burns so hot, but beautiful I know it is reminding me to be human Some dreams come true, they are supposed to Some dreams do not, I suppose they shouldn't I have searched far and I have sought wide And I really write letters to destiny, surely it will help One day, fate will smile on me. That day, my prayers will be answered I hope I can sit under stars that shine bright that remind me to just be human Surely my letters will get to destiny. Picture credit; shutterstock.com Author's Biography

Blinding fear gripped my soul so, I struck blindly at the monsters in the shadow only the monsters did not exist and my imagination had played on me I remembered when father said people can be captives of their thoughts Striking myself a blow so hard I wavered I realized how true his words were. By allowing my fear overtake my senses I became defeated So, I set on a journey of salvation only to find the path unpaved and marred by thorns But my destination was not so far Almost thrusted into the familiar darkness I remembered mother said perseverance can take one to where dreams live. I fought creatures and shed my blood My dream place was elusive When I had to cross a bridge whose line was narrow I remembered the faces of those whose heart sang of love so, I gathered my strength and sought for hope Then, I flew and was at the other end. With a great determination to reach the lair of my dreams the blind faith that I would get there I opened the gates of wher...

Heavy breeze blew tonight the kind that steal souls. It followed lightening so white the kind that steal sights. Rain fell against the walls it pelted the roof. To her it sounded like heaven's song nature's own musical. Thunder rumbled and sparked fear it was a sound that travelled the sky. Clearly, it's the choir of angels the reason kids dream. A little girl in the corner of her house wondering why her mouth sang along. Oddly consoled by the song the song that had no words. She discovered truths that shatter. Her heart is in tatters. But why did the song sooth her wounds? Nature's own musical. It was really cold, she shivered. There was no escape, she whimpered. Heaven was mumbling and she was stuck therein nature's own musical. Picture credit; Dreamstime.com Author's BIOGRAPHY

My hero never showed me his face. He was the man in the cloak; he was always running the time race. But I saw his hair; the shade of oak and his eyes; the hue of sunrise. He first came to me in a dream when my eyes were hooded and barely open. The moment before night fills to the brim. Just that time when earthly sounds signal the coven. We were so close, I could feel his soul rise. Nobody to tell; I didn't want to seem mad. He felt so real, his skin smooth like silk. Shutting my mouth was hard. I kept mute for fear of being cast from the ilk but I saw him, that was my prize. Once, I wanted to lift his mask. The torture his faceless self wrenched. Hopefully, in his handsomeness I would bask; perhaps a sight might show and in memory will etch. Yet I held back, that was my price. Oh heart. Foolish heart; it fell for the man with the red eyes. There never was a story his lips told e xcept for a lot of reasons why But I waited, to hell with pride. Aut...

Written by Okunola O. Zainab When you are confined to four shrinking walls in stark darkness alone without a shadow, with nothing but your conscience, you tend to get fascinated by the oddest of things. You listen for the faintest sounds; the walls have their own noise, the drainage pipes echoes loudly, the darkness manifests, and it snaps your sanity like a dry twig. You seem to forget about survival, you just want to die because death seemed like an easy escape. The hole (solitary confinement) was designed to make you an enemy of yourself. Your conscience, your subconscious and your inner demons gang up against you to break you and torture you with memories that you tried so much to bury deep in your mind. In solitary, all I could think of was Lucky. I needed to make sure he was okay, I needed to be sure that no one from the Rhinos got to him but, the dagger kept flicking on and off in my mind. Orthellio was back and was going for the one thing I was created to protect. I n...

I could never sleep at night afraid of the monsters that lurked in my mind I would pray for a day so bright perhaps the next one might bind. Every morning I would open my eyes glad for the sunlight that stayed the memory But night still came after the rise when the monsters fed on my sanity. Smile, laugh; they told me all those who couldn't understand the pain And so, I smiled and laughed as they told me even though it was never for my gain. Zahra, you always look lost then they say it is meant as a joke But, even I know my heart's full of frost so much that no light can poke. I long for a day my smile will be true for surely, that night will soon be due When the angels will form a crew and accept me as leaves, the dew. Author's BIOGRAPHY Photo credit: Twitter.com

When the day grows hot and then cold When the bright yellow ball turns gold The flies go to rest and the crickets rouse It's at the end of day when the young gather. Not to be heard till dawn is the cock's song All imaginations still rest in the mind's crook First is a sliver of moon to be seen And then the old woman's hum to be heard. The sky now turns dark; twinkling stars therein Night forms and swallows the day Little kids race to the miracle's feet Their minds; blank as canvases, at her mercy. When the light dims And the leaves softly dance The passing breeze sighs and calls They wonder at the moonlight. But morning comes and they forget The dream land traps their fantasies Maybe it's not a dream land, but where dreams die Yet, come the end of day and they start again. Author's BIOGRAPHY Photo credit: Pinterest.co.uk

Absent are the stars from the rippled sky Blood red moon hangs high A stillness to the world as angels brood. Tonight is the night the unknown does not mean peace His mouth posed questions, all of them unanswered But if he could choose, he would pick life. Darkness wound round his heart Curled in a mist so white, they tackled The shadows lurked and bide their time. He stood at a point where he could tilt good or evil Voices whispered in his ears To shift his balance, they whispered. As if the demons in his head could not destroy Fear number his mind The world was truly cold for him Wherever he went, however bright the light The warmth eluded him; even though it floated around in a blinding fog He still had to struggle to catch some. The demons dived on contempt They were of rotten soul; perhaps they had none They fed on bitterness, so much he had in him. He considered closing his eyes forever It could be a form of freedom Perhaps by dying, he would choo...

Photo credit: www. insightsolutionspro.com Immortalized through time Branching sturdy as monuments They stretch to the sky And their children bow to the passing wind. Songs of hope blared in despair They whistle along with the midnight breeze But, they stretch tall In the beautiful shade of earth mother's green. Remember to dare, then dare to dream They are rooted in magnificence and beg to preach Yet, the children fall as time changes To honour the earth mother as she births. Through rain, it will remain Through sun, it will stand As the planter's hands become dust and bone Their own deaths will not come. They breach the promise of mortality Through ages and eons, with earth as their anchor And the heavens as their witness The illusion of forever. Author's BIOGRAPHY

WAR DOGS OF ANGULA Click to view AUTHOR'S BRIEF BIODATA