A LIBERIA POET COMBATS COVID-19 WITH HIS PEN & PAPER

Amid this dreadful pandemic, Mr. Bestman has join hands with other poets globally to use his poetic ability to carryout out awareness and Instill hope in everyone that coming in contact with his writings.

He’s an award winning poet who believes in the beauty of African Literature.

He recently quoted
“I JUST WANT TO MAKE MY CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN LITERATURE”.

We hope his poems will inspire you.
Few of his COVID-19 poems are as follows:

Dear corona

Here I am again
A friend of curtains and bed sheets
Talking to myself as if I am my own consultant
And thrown between the pathways of life and death

You are of no religion
Neither ethnicity, race or color
Sadly, you’ve appeared leaving our sons and daughters in fear
And the news about you on various sites are frustrating

Not only Italy or China
But the world is in ruined
Our loved ones are whispering goodbyes on a daily basis
And it’s hard to live in a difficult world on a sad day

Mr. Corona
Haven’t you heard about the numbers of death?
Even our doctors are disappearing
We are afraid to touch those sick of malaria, typhoid and more

It’s obvious you don’t practice racism
You’re breaking dreams into ashes,
Striking our homes with lightning,
And turning yourself into a “Boss”

Because of your deeds,
Must we close our churches?
Forget our savior and watch you paint our city with dark clouds
No! I don’t think so

Even though our world is now a funeral home,
But our God is not as dead as yours
He’s omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient

Mr. Corona
With the power vested upon me as a servant of the living God,
May your reign over the atmosphere be broken,
And your eyes burst into tears

I cause darkness to visit your home,
Curse to sleep on your face,
Sadness to behold your day and night,
For you’ve touched the anointed ones

“Beware”

From the hill-top of mount Nimba to
mount Wologizi
To every beautiful part of this cold world
Let us wipe corona out through our front and back doors

If we have given death ears,
let grace fall upon us exceedingly
And open our eyes to see the lives we
have lost
For corona virus has murdered our son, daughter, husband, wife and love ones

What if we stay away from crowded environment
What if we avoid close contact with those who are extremely sick
What if we avoid shaking hands and
knock our feet together

The virus is traveling from place to
places roaring like a ruthless lion
But let’s not allow ourselves to become
a victim
For prevention is better than cure

My dear Africa,
Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Europe,
North and South Americas
Let’s work while it’s day and the night is away

Overall, let’s wash our hands always
A message from my emotions
United we stand, divided we fall

“Blood on the wall”

Here we are again
Losing our loved ones
It’s raining harshly in our city
COVID -19 ruining our homes
And tears rolling off the window pane

Silent screams!
Different voices playing in our heads
News is heartbroken and soul-wrenching
The streets of Monrovia are helter-skelter

Mama voice penetrates our ceiling with deep emotions
Stay home! Stay home
Handshakes are avoided
Sadly, our elbows or feet are meant to show gratitude

Through our rise and fall
They have been our only friends
But night has befallen before us,
And sadness sleeps on our faces

We are losing our grounds
Innocent sheep falling to the red earth
Siblings soak into absolute agony
Touch one touch all is not our religion any longer

BBC breaks our hearts into pieces on
a daily basis
Sleepless nights!
Good news has stepped out for days,
And COVID-19 is the devil in fine linen

“Home”

We once had a beautiful home
A home filled with love and affection
But here comes Covid-19 in coloring suits
Destroying dreams and precious stones

A home where handshakes were
a beautiful religion
Sadly, this is not anymore
Our fatherland has become a funeral parlor

We once had a beautiful home
Where hugs were seemed as a normal routine
We debated at teashops and intellectual forums Now,
Covid-19 doesn’t practice racism

This home of ours has been ruined
Naked, flooded and threatened
A baby mother is afraid to breastfeed her child
She now lives in the confinement of fears and disaster

Absolutely nowhere to run or turn
Loved ones lose their breath on a
daily basis
It’s like a family war, nobody wants to come in contact with one another

We wash our hands, mask our faces
Wear bulletproof jackets
Sadly, social distancing has held us completely under his arms

Tears hidden in our eyes, every day and night full of pains and sorrows
Blood seen on these broken walls
As of now, we lift our heads up to the heavens for rescue

“Not my Africa”

Corona embraces hugs and handshakes,
So, loved ones avoid each other,
And baby mothers afraid to breastfeed,
As nations turn into introverts

She travels rapidly from China to different places,
Destroying families whether rich or poor,
Leaving our doctors and nurses into silent screams,
For she is filled with no love

Now a vaccine has been found,
Found to lead her into hopelessness,
Shame and public disgrace,
But researchers need Africa as a testing ground

Why Africa?
When she originated from China,
Murdering hundreds of thousands,
When she was seen loitering on its principal streets

Why not Asia, Europe or America?
Are they different from mama Africa
Or their inhabitants are more precious than ours?
For life is a choice but death is a decision

Listen!
Are there more cases in Africa than America, Asia or Europe?
The answer remains “NO”
Our continent didn’t give birth to coronavirus

Africa is not a guinea pig,
Nor a testing centers for pandemic,
Let’s beat these messages into the lungs and eardrums of the world,
For Africa is not a testing environment

‘Lock Down’

Here we are again
Trapped in our shops and homes
Surrounded by pillows and bedsheets
Drinking water that slides off the rusty rooftop

Covid-19 steps with an extraordinary smile
Destroying fruits from our mother’s womb
We are frustrated and lost
Free but everywhere in chains

Poverty is another deadly disease
Dressed in black like a pallbearer
Provoking our lips and tongues
While the grave craves for our skin

We are locked down
Neither food to swallow nor data to browse
We are cut off like three days free calls
Sadly, our companies have thrown out consciousness

Market areas are completely shut down
Yana boys and girls awesomely befriend bitterness
We crawl on our knees yet the gov’t is asleep
Covid’s cage is pulling our neck tightly

They say “Stay home”
When electricity frowns on our houses
When the internet trips like a broken lover
And they want us to sleep when night has not come.

‘Though stripped but she will rise’

The clouds have clapped its hands
While the stars bowed to honor mama
Her lakes and rivers are fountain of my thirst,
Like the sun, she rises from west and settles in the east

Though she has been severely tortured,
Served with pains and frustrations
Raped and pushed against her will
But mama shall prevail against hands of darkness

On her beautiful skin,
There are millions of precious minerals and resources
And her hips are made of weapons of mass destruction

Mama will surely rise again From torments and selfish dictators
She will kill animals without using bow and arrow
She will wrestle with intruders and fight war of words without bloodshed

From mount Nimba to mount Wologisi,
There would be celebration throughout the land,
Her children will sing and dance to the beat of her drum,
Because light has crawled into dark places

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Edwin Olu Bestman alias Magical Poet is a young writer of eminent pedigree from Liberia. He is a multi-award winning poet, philanthropist and a civil engineer. Edwin holds an associate degree in civil engineering from the Stella Maris Polytechnic, and currently a Bsc candidate at the institution.

Moreover, he is a member of several national and international platforms. Some of which include: The International African Writers Association(IAWA), Poetry City(PC), We Write Liberia ( WWL), Liberian Poet Society(LPS), Motivational Strips (MS), World Literature Academy(WLA), Poetry Abilities(PA), Home Of African Poetry And Splendid Stories(HAPSS), Global Literary Society(GLS), PoeMarium, Inspire and get Inspired, Poetas Unidos(PU), Best Poet and Poetess Group( BPPG), Literary Greetings In The Soul(LGS), and many other literary institutions.

He has won several poetry competitions, and awards.

Motivational strips
Certificate of membership
Silver certificate for literary excellence
Certificate of foundation for literary excellence
World Poetic Star Honour
Global Literature Guardian Award
Liberia
Liberia Research Networks Development Award
Best Poet And Poetess Group
Gold certificate
Platinum certificate
PoeMarium
2× blue quill certificates
Literary Greetings In The Soul
11 certificates of literary excellence
Poetas Unidos
33 certificates of literary excellence
Home Of African Poetry And Splendid Stories
Certificate of Adulation
Best Poet of the Week (3x)
Inspire and get Inspired
Certificate of Adulation
Certificate of Gold
Literature Lover’s Association
Certificate of bronze

Moreover, he is a member of several national and international platforms. Some of which include: The International African Writers Association(IAWA), Poetry City(PC), We Write Liberia ( WWL), Liberian Poet Society(LPS), Motivational Strips (MS), World Literature Academy(WLA), Poetry Abilities(PA), Home Of African Poetry And Splendid Stories(HAPSS), Global Literary Society(GLS), PoeMarium, Inspire and get Inspired, Poetas Unidos(PU), Best Poet and Poetess Group( BPPG), Literary Greetings In The Soul(LGS), and many other literary institutions.

He has won several poetry competitions, and awards.

• Motivational strips
• Certificate of membership
• Silver certificate for literary excellence
• Certificate of foundation for literary excellence
• World Poetic Star Honour
• Global Literature Guardian Award
• Liberia
• Liberia Research Networks Development Award
• Best Poet And Poetess Group
• Gold certificate
• Platinum certificate
• PoeMarium
• 2× blue quill certificates
• Literary Greetings In The Soul
• 11 certificates of literary excellence
• Poetas Unidos
• 33 certificates of literary excellence
• Home Of African Poetry And Splendid Stories
• Certificate of Adulation
• Best Poet of the Week (3x)
• Inspire and get Inspired
• Certificate of Adulation
• Certificate of Gold
• Literature Lover’s Association
• Certificate of bronze

Edwin works have been featured in international magazines, Anthologies and other written papers. Some of them include: The Writer’s Space African Magazine( Feb 1, 2019 edition), Motivational strips Anthology(Spark of hope, Volume I and II), Poetry City Anthology( Circle of wisdom), Spillwords, Eboquill, and Poetry Soup.