#WarOfWords2 Blank mirror by J-Quill

Blank mirror by J-Quill

Scene 1,

Tell me about a honest

Impostor,.smiling greedily

In a Pose like;Sizwe banzi

I mean

Polished Smiles

Rehearsed speech

Perfected etiquettes

Standing untop of rovers

Waving hands and at the 

Right price?

My vote is yours

Scene 2 is like seeing 2000 

Gentlemen,queuing for a 

No-gentle man's job of a Driver

In a cement factory were only

One driver was needed anyway

Scene 3 unravels the mystery

As seen in cemetery

Marred visions of the

Allu victims

Aborted projects of corp members, caught up in flames

Or shredded in pieces yet

United in the phrase

"Mass burial"

Scene 4 is having four-seen a

Success,and amidst ur thrust

Tryna reach out tryna get it

Like a flash!,an unforeseen

Phrase from within

"Na man know man 

World we dey"

So scene 5 survives the 

Episode of the improvise me

Whose five senses realize that

The glued revolution I seek

Eludes sages revolution so

Even gazing @ d mirror,

I don't see me,absurdly

I can't see me but a missing

Figure of me in the mirror

You know why?

Cos the change I seek is not

The face I see in the mirror,

Its the inner-me in scene 1,

To scene 2 who don't neglect

Talent to sap for colar jobs

Or enbark on jungle justice

As seen in scene 3 so

When I see 

"chop mama thank you "

Peers on scene 4 as a poet,

I'll let my pen bleed out

To stupor I mean,

My zeal for change

Would be the urge to purge out

The me within so

When the 5 scenes co-relates My 5 senses,

Then and until then can I be

The change I seek!

Check out the video via this link

#WarOfWords2 Blank mirror by J-Quill

http://youtu.be/y9tC5z1-aiI

#WarOfWords2 Whispers by Moses Ukam aka Youngflashy

Whispers by Moses Ukam aka Youngflashy

Hidden urge of secret identity discharged
Dripping like grandmothers licking roof. 
Resistance stabbed to bleed with two fingers poked into his nose to stop its breath,
Dis-countenance let rooms to gossip tenants,
Enthusiasm strangled by excuses,
Motivation slowly slaughtered by greed.
Pain caught in the act,
oh what have I done? It asked!
But later it said,
I was only doing my job to remind you,
you're still alive.

Incessantly enslaved by our orgasm 
Colonised by our itch-ness and tickles,
You never can tell when this virus has taken Over you like overdosed drugs
Can be lethal, you know? 
Trust me am the world strongest device in
Word created to oppose all words before or Next to me,
never to be a subject nor nether to my brother YES,my name is NO! 
See I live right in you but you don't use Me,
from the list you don't pay attention you're a debtor so you owe me. 
Yes! You're guilty am seeing you,
stop looking Around,
stop searching for a no me, I don't Exist, 
more like abstract am your
mindset on hind sight.

You can't find me in the corridors of
Power,not on newspaper or even in Grandmother soup pot.
See,you refused me in your hair Style, assent, smell, smiles, skin colour,
you're disgusting lie in disguise of truth. 
With just a tap from behind 
your thought went one step backward feeling the Irresistible smooth,soft and sweet 
Touches of my brother
YES I will instead of YES I do!. 
With such healthy procrastination 
Your truth loss weight to
Common sin instead of common sense.
Am not begging you but break up your Relationship with stagnant 
get divorce and Marry me cause am the right instinct for you
My name is CHANGE!,

I live in the street of your decisions,
I can't wait for you cause time is jealous.
My girlfriend nigeria cry all night begging to Return to my arms,
Locked up in the cage of
Freedom it's dangerous
Dating un-repentance just to
Keep your bed warm,madness! 
You know how much you need to
Get away with this repeating steps but yourself unforgiving wouldn't let you,
Gushing through the eyes of your thought, 
when will you loss grip on comfort for once? 
Watching pleasure laid in the coffin to be buried,
Remorseful goose bumps sparks
With had I known common
On the lips of your mind,
Compendium of dreams thwarted just to Rebuffed a drop of buzz.
See I am you!
Discover me cause am right within,
The change you seek,
It's an outfit, wear it!.

Check out the video here

#WarOfWords2 Whispers by Moses Ukam aka Youngflashy

http://youtu.be/15EYX0uZ9Ac

How to Win a Poetry Slam Competition.

How to Win a Poetry Slam

Poetry slams gained national prominence in the 1990s after originating in the mid-1980s at Chicago's Get Me High Lounge, USA. 

These contests, driven by judges and audience members, pit wordsmiths against each other in a competitive round of performance poetry. 

Poetry slams are boisterous events that sometimes incorporate elements of hip-hop rhythms and themes into the performances. 

Try these tips to win a poetry slam.

Instructions

1. • 
     
   • Perform like you mean it. Poets and poems bursting with vitality, anger and other strong emotions win high scores at poetry slams. A subdued or shaky performance won't cut it with slam judges or audiences.
   • Set your timer. Slam poets are judged on the length as well as the content of their performance. Poems three minutes or under are given the highest scores. Longer performances are penalized by half a point, up to three points for poems over four minutes.
   • Hone your skills. Try out a variety of poems, reciting everything in your arsenal, from confessional pieces and political commentary to angry rants and risqué humor. Give plenty of readings before participating in your first slam.
   • Engage your audience. Poetry slam audiences critique poets during the performance, not after. Heckling, foot stomping and booing are common if a poet is deemed unsatisfactory by the audience. If you handle hecklers with a witty phrase or comeback, you may win back the audience.
   • Make lots of friends in the poetry slam world. Get to know slam organizers and judges, and bring lots of your own friends to poetry slams. The more fans you have, the better chance you have of winning a slam, since the contests are based on audience and judge approval.
   
   

   Tips & Warnings

   • Do use poems that address oppression. Angry or socially conscious poems are popular at many poetry slams.
   • Don't use props or costumes at a poetry slam. They are forbidden by slam rules.

   
   
   Source:
   
   
   http://www.ehow.com/how_2060270_win-poetry-slam.html
   
   

Submission of Videos for #WarOfWords2 is now extended by 2 weeks.

Due to popular demand, the submission of videos for War Of Words Season 2 is now extended by 2 week. Therefore deadline for video submission will now be midnight of October 27, 2013.

The fifteen finalists that will compete on the War Of Words stage in December 2013, will be announced in the 2nd week of November and also on November 23, 2013 during WORD UP Volume 6 http://wordup411.blogspot.com/2013/10/word-up-volume-6coming-soon.html. 

Go to http://wordup411.blogspot.com/2013/09/war-of-words-season-2-begins.html for the details of video submission for War Of Words Season 2.

Up for grabs:

1. $500 for the winner 

2. The top three poets get to perform at the next edition of WORD UP in February 2014 alongside the best Spoken Word Poets in Naija.

The competition is only open to Poets that have never performed at any WORD UP event.

Stay tuned to 

http://wordup411.blogspot.com/    and  http://www.wordup411ng.com

Follow us on Twitter:          @WORDUP411 ,  
Like our facebook page    https://www.facebook.com/wordup411

#WarOfWords2 Be the Change by Tiana

Be the Change by Tiana

You blame it on the government every time you gather in your tent

Still bent on the fact they aren’t executing their assignment

Yet causing the society a serious dent

And how every supposed enjoyment

Turned into a great torment

How they could not even refund the money they lent

Well, I’m glad to inform you ladies and gent

That the solution to this predicament lies within you, me and every one in our environment

Even though we think something is missing

Yet we take no responsibility doing nothing

Action is needed so lets get something doing

And stop blaming our leaders for bribery

When you've always paid your way

Stop blaming the country for scarcity,

When you've never closed your eyes in prayers for economy supplicity

We all agreed our politicians are greedy,

But how generous are you in giving to poor and the needy

please let us stop this nagging sense of dissatisfaction

cos you've added nothing to bring about solution to the present condition of our nation

If you think everyone around you is tired.

It’s high time you retired

In order for our prayers and desires to be answered without going haywire

Good turns they say deserves another

If we as individuals

Young and old of every family member

Including the farmer, street hawker, banker and company mangers

Would make our ways right and proper

Join hands together

Going to the top won’t bring about any disorder

I assure you we are already the change we want to see

Check out the video via the link below

#WarOfWords2 Be the Change by Tiana

http://youtu.be/BoD1aSUIUlE

#WarOfWords2 GOOD ACTOR, BAD SCRIPT by Slimzy

Unique, inventive and nice.
She fine too :).
She just stepped it up a notch higher.
At this rate, it can only get better


GOOD ACTOR, BAD SCRIPT by Slimzy

The only thing that is constant in life is change.
That gives a bit of hope.
At least with time the dishes in Nollywood's menu might change,
Probably with the likes of Emeka Ike playing Jack Bauer in Nollywood's
version of 24
That aside.
Just the other day I overheard kids discussing.
It's almost like their beginning to see what my grandpa sees without climbing
an Iroko tree.
They had a picture of the life they wished they had.
But the paints and paper in their hand produced a picture of rage.
My ears took note of every conversation that took place in that
seemingly impossible conference room.
The design was quite worthy of note-for sure.
Drainage flowing with waters that infuse little drops of death within seconds
Pile of dirt formed a great pyramid,perfect tourist attraction.
Never before has my nose been treated to a first class hospitality.
Fragrance of heated up stink welcomed my smell organ to its humble aboard.
Poverty!
It's not just a word; it's a person.
See,
He stones my Saturdays and waste my Wednesdays
Snares my Sundays and toss my Tuesdays onto thorns
Freeze my Fridays and milk my Mondays
My Thursdays,he tears up into pieces.

But the question is,
What if you never had that jean sagging?
Maybe if you run on bare foots dirty rags all day 
Do the one zero-zero pattern of feeding
Swim in the ocean of mosquitoes and get relaxed in the spa of malaria 
Maybe just maybe you would receive sight to see the writing on the wall.
For me, It's simple!
I don't like what I see
So I
Clean up the mess that begins with me
Have a little chit-chat with myself
Arrange a proper talk show even if I'm my own audience
Never wait for the government to sign me up for some contract
Give my best to the very thing I love the most even though it's made worse
Exchange thoughts with geniuses to give life to the picture in their head.
Fact is,
The cleaner your attire, the better your chances
Quit playing the casualty and save your society.GOOD ACTOR, BAD SCRIPT.

Check out the video via the link below

GOOD ACTOR, BAD SCRIPT by Slimzy #WarOFWords2

http://youtu.be/0nlBIZAsMJs

#WarOfWords2 Winds Of Change by Yetunde George

Winds Of Change by Yetunde George

Hear us,
We are the frustration and the hunger,
The pinch in your shoe size,
The lies that you don't buy,
And the things that you can't try.
Like bloodhounds the fresh scent of blood burning flesh excites us...
The tribes of wailing distress invites us...
We are the raging fire of sea and ice...
We consume what we see for a price...
We are the vultures of men!

But My constipated mind won't let go,
Won't let loose,
These ideas of mine,
Coming slow...
Of history,
Of times,
Come and gone...

The time is near,
The hour is at hand...
And as I put my pen to paper
The ink of my tears bear me witness.
Of wars lost and won,
Of things seen and gone...
Of time and space...
Of name and grace...
To find a balance...
To find a face...

But I feel the earth shifting,
A new generation drifting,
Away from our tales of woe,
To times of old.

So the fat, rich and famous should get lost or get bossed out of the positions they held with impunity!
A new age has come and what we need is unity!
Why are you still sitting down there listening to this eulogy?!

Don't just sit there, stare and  act like you don't care,
Because I know your innermost fears!
Awaken the spirit of consciousness!
Rekindle the hope of "Nigerianness!"
For we are what we are because of who we are!
We are where we are because of how we do it!
We are the Wind of Change!

Check out the video via this link

#WarOfWords2 Winds Of Change by Yetunde George

http://youtu.be/8zXyJpndbm4

#WarOfWords2 Emancipation by Foursyte Bogani

Emancipation by Foursyte Bogani

The evil wind came, ranting as darkness began to reign/

Pages of my life flew like birds up the sky/

Dangling in friendly canticle of nature/

Humiliating my indolent eyes/

Hot and breathless i sat/

judging every moment/

Watching every moment/

now,i remember what the old old man said/

in a crackling tattered voice/

my pikin, suffry, suffry catch monkey/

Person wey sleep for planting season go surely hungry when harvest time come/

I kiss this gift of wisdom with passion/

bury ashes of fear/

Sacrifice a lamb beholding salvation/

Mr. jailer how long will u keep me/

my dreams can not be manacled/

take your bread is forbiden/

hunger is nothing i have seen her nakedness/

let this pain eat up my flesh/

Bury my bones in the world of strangeness/

our fate will never change/

Chain and unchain i see mortals lying in the corridors of change/

is amazing God's blessings rest on all age/

i speak to those who care to dream/

the child that never sleep,battling reality all for a dream/

in the eyes of penury,confusion,misery,segregation,genocide,mutiny,grief/

no one knows when life will be no longer/

Walk with time,earth is home/

We are all strangers/

Rise above disbelief be the change you seek/

Check out the video via this link

Emancipation by Foursyte Bogani #WarOfWords2

http://youtu.be/6ju92ZtYhV0

Spoken Word Poetry don "fly" like "Pidgin."

He was one of the crowd's favourite at War Of Words Season 1 Slam Poetry Competition. Though he did not win, (he was the 1st runner), his performance left a lasting impression cos his unique brand of Spoken Word Poetry.

"If Dis Lines na Xmas rice? English Fowl too cost Na it make me buy pidgin"..

At Word Up Volume 5, he flew in from Calabar and showed his skill was no fluke. It was pure "Pidgin Spoken Word Poetry" at its best, no dilution, no disruption, no corruption. He just dey flow like say he get diarrhea of the mouth :)

His name is D-Ray, "the Pidgin Spoken Word Poet." 

Check out his video and tell me what you think. But please note, he said, 

"Hearing Safety, I dey talk carelessly with pidgin so wear ur seat-belt"...

D Ray on stage at WORD UP Volume 5 (First Anniversary Edition) 

which held on August 17, 2013 in Lagos, Nigeria. 

WORD UP is the biggest Spoken Word Poetry event  in Nigeria. 

It features A-list Spoken Word Poets on the same stage.

#WarOf Words2 BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK by Poetstreet

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK by Poetstreet

I want to be the perfection to the flaws of our government
Put an end to the suffering of the masses and end their predicament
I want to be the light shining at the end of their tunnel
Fill them with oil of hope even if they have no funnel
Break myself into three, taken as a three-square meal
Cos to me, feeding Nigerians remains a big deal
I want to run, not for elections but in public taps, bathrooms and toilets
I want to be the Naira, not Pounds or Dollars bouncing in your wallets
I want to be the constant electricity running in your homes
Light up the streets of Nigeria, beautify it like Rome
I want to be the affordable fuel you queue to buy at filling stations
They removed subsidy, play us like Nintendo and Playstation
I want to be the freest and fairest election like we had in '93
So Nigerians can have something to celebrate at 53
I want to be the sanity and morality in the minds of our youths
They lost these to civilization and abandon their root
I want to be the integrity we once had in WAEC, JAMB and NECO
I represent the Nigerian student, their pains I echo
I want to be the end to senseless ASUU strikes
Elevate our tertiary education, make the standard so high
I want to be to be the ban on the importation of generators
Revive the power sector sabotaged by these predators
I want to be a religion that preaches Jesus Christ and Mohammed
And tell their worshippers that both prophets are sacred
I want to be a voice that shouts Allahu Akbar and Halleluyah
Put an end to senseless killings as if we want to make suya
I want to be the first book that contains both Quran and Bible
Connecting the two religions like a USB cable
I want to be the world cup trophy for the Super Eagles
And let the world see the glory of African struggles
I want to be the much-anticipated cure for HIV/AIDS
And be administered to infected people for free without getting paid
I want to be a good job for those graduates on the street
Who are searching for any job just to make their ends meet
I want to be a home for the homeless sleeping under the bridge
So they can have a home, while I preserve them like a fridge
I may not be Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa or Zik
But Lord, help me be the change that I seek


NON-ENGLISH WORDS USED & THEIR MEANINGS

Allahu Akbar-God is great
Halleluyah-Praise ye the Lord
Suya-Grill
WAEC-West African Examinations Council
NECO-National Examinations Council
JAMB-Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board
ASUU-Academic Staff Union of Universities

Check out the video via this link

#WarOf Words2 BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK

http://youtu.be/lW8wWPCVpDA

#WarOfWords2 THE NIGERIAN EQUATION by Scriblerian

THE NIGERIAN EQUATION by Scriblerian

Listen,
Listen closely to this conversation,
Between a father and a son,
In Africa's most populous nation,

Father,
Father please resolve for me this equation,
For I donot understand how,
Oil, mineral resources, and fifteen million people,
Can equal: hunger, poverty and a dry nipple,
For when I added the bloggers and tweeters,
A million critics on facebook and newspapers,
I still got the same answer,
So I deducted the pastors and imams,
Reverends and bishops,
For their piety ends in bustops,
But still no change,
Hunger, poverty and a dying people,
So I looked down in frustration at the steps,
I've followed to this answer,
And they echo the erratic steps of an insane dancer,
So I have brought you this equation,
For there has to be a change to the status quo,
An ebb to this mad flow,
Well son,
The final solution, is quite the revelation,
I shall tell it with no disclaimer,
So in order for me to be safer,
I suggest you put away the pen and paper,
See,
You have to subtract the bloggers and the tweeters,
For while their words the internet litters,
Back in Aluu when the four were killed,
All they were, were screamers,
You have to deduct the poets and the writers,
Who pen and speak change,
Then go back home to wives and sisters,
Till olulu arranges the next stage,
For,
How long shall we craft rhymes of woes?
When shall we start selecting our hoes?
Stare blindly in the mirrors,
And not see the correction to our errors,
How long,
Shall we claim the tags of victims,
And not get on with the necessary business of healing?
For,
Our biggest problem is not leadership,
For a second,
Our biggest problem is followership,
Leadership is second,
Let's stop this meaningless prayers,
And pry off corrupt layers,
Start looking inward not upward,
Forward not backward,
We are the disease,
We are the cure,
Stand up from that chair of criticism, son,
Stare closely in the mirror without cynicism,
What you see,
Is the change you seek,
Now pick up that pen and paper son,
Make all necessary subtractions,
Take hard work, integrity and honesty as additions,
Add to it, diligence, creativity and dedication,
Now divide your final answer,
By holy, pure, true religion,
What do you see?
Father,
I see change, yes I see change,
So we have to stop speaking change and start being change.

Check out the video via the link below

THE NIGERIAN EQUATION

http://youtu.be/zkbJUELUjEQ

#WAROFWORDS2 IT'S IN YOU BY CHIEMEZIE IBE

Rhymes and reason,
two things that came to mind as per this piece.
Simple and straight to the point,
two things that I like about this piece.
Is he good? and can he win?
two questions that will be answered soon enough.

IT'S IN YOU BY CHIEMEZIE IBE 

Tales of woe,you tell about your country

A land so blessed flowing with milk and honey.

Like the sands of the desert, resources abound

But in  lack and hunger, your people are found.

Working on a stomach that is empty,

and suffering in the midst of plenty.

In search for  solution, I call you by name

and quicker than lightening you are to complain,

of how things  are no longer the same.

You say the corrupt system drives you insane,

but a key player you are in the game.

What a shame!!

From your eye first, remove the log before you look

for the speck in your brother's, says the holy book.

The Change you seek cannot always be given to you.

Look within, for that which you seek is in you.

Why don't you bring change by the things you do?

Check out the video via the link below

IT'S IN YOU BY CHIEMEZIE IBE #WAROFWORDS2

http://youtu.be/d9ly0rsQbmI