The World Affairs Council of Harrisburg thanks Honorary Nigerian Arts Ambassador Ibiyinka Olufeme Alao for a fantastic keynote at the 2014 International Poetry and Storytelling Festival.
Congratulations to the 1st place winner of the International Poetry and Storytelling Festival, Daunessy Pen.
Miss Pen’s winning entry:
[sang]Strange fruit
Hanging from the poplar Trees
Blood on the leaves
Blood on the leaves
Black bodies hanging from the trees
It’s next to her it’s sleeps in between her consciousness,
restlessness leads to selflessness and now
it’s apart of her flesh. Love fled and salvation
bled from wrists split by a sharp silver tip held
between fingertips tainted, the Mona Lisa was painted
and when done she fainted too much blood lost for love
and her life would be the cost or so she thought.
Loving eyes stare at her face pale, bare yes
they do love but they never really do care her life need
not be spared silently she hated GOD for putting her back here.
Now, her dress is sheer heels high, make up just right
she smells just like a woman should smell as she steps
into hell and sits with Lucifer.
Again he holds something silver but it’s heavier
this time she knows she could end life if her aim
is just right. She holds the piece tight, freight seeps
in as she thinks of the sound but she can’t put the gun down,
she drops her jaw and puts it in her mouth no she’s sick
she doesn’t even want her own death to be quick, she would
much rather suffers she remembers her lover the one who now
refuses to love her. Her hand lowers the gun she remembers the
love they made from the dusk to the rising of the sun.
Make sure the gun is loaded she remembers how her
emotions imploded when she was scolded for being in love,
she remembers how it was gun pressed between her breast no
images in her head nothing to take back all she wishes to see is
all black so she cocks back and sends her heart to where her lover is at and lets go.
Snow, it’s white as snow behind her eyes and then fell the
darkest night she opened her eyes to red, white, and blue lights
again they try to save her life but in her mind it’s not right so she
fights to die. She’s alone now with the walls the sheets and the
socks she wears on her feet a small bible faced down and a single
chair on the ground nothing but piercing silence all
around, nothing in her mind she can’t even cry no way to end
her life, kill the strife. Just white walls and silence her loud mind
falls silent and memories begin to echo where does an insane mind
in love go? How does confinement let love go?
Time …moves ..so ..slow…..
A sheet, a chair, a fan and a plan love will not
kill her it will be by her own two hands on the chair she
stands ties the sheet to the fan love had her convinced that
she will hang legs now as firm as they’ve ever been its dark now
so the cameras can’t see her sins, it’s lights out now so
she has to win. Love has her determined on her knees she
begged for love at the brink of she covered up on her spirits
she relied and in those spirits she died. In the secrets of love
she sank and now for death for relief for peace she gives thanks.
