Poetry Contest Winners
For the 2025 Mariaceline Ayozie Poetry Contest titled “Encomium of African Motherhood and Resilience for Youth of African Origin.” We proudly celebrate these outstanding voices whose words honour African motherhood, sacrifice, faith, and resilience.
Aderonke Elizabeth Ayeni
Poem Title: A Song I Know by Heart – A Mother’s Sacrifice
A Song I Know by Heart – A Mother’s Sacrifice
Her back tired with collections of scars, each one a poem to recite;
With swollen feet, she bent to grind our sorrows and season our joy.
Iron speaks through her veins — a sight that stirs our tears.
O Mother Africa, your intentional love is a song I know by heart.
She resurges before the sun resumes — a trailblazer at dawn.
Her warmth breathes a will of its own, hands worn yet tender.
She brushes away the fragile burden from her offspring;
O Mother Africa, your intentional love is a song I know by heart.
They thought, alas, she would one day walk bare upon the threshold of their markets.
But who would let these ones know? Motherhood bears its own brief madness.
In her fleeting madness, Africa exercises its immortality.
O Mother Africa, your intentional love is a song I know by heart.
Her voice gathered silence and silences the unsilenced.
She sways to the rhythm of her resilience,
Every backstroke, a harbinger of what tomorrow brings.
O Mother Africa, your intentional love is a song I know by heart.
Her diary drains her tears, but restores them as rivers of a brighter reality.
We live because she stabbed death — right where it hurts.
She taught me to fly, whispering with affection.
O Mother Africa, your intentional love is a song I know by heart.
Meme David
Poem Title: Motherhood, the First Religion
Motherhood, the First Religion
By Meme David
Motherhood is the first religion,
where every child learns the language of love
before they learn the alphabet of life.
O Mother, river that never dries.
Her back is an altar bent in sacrifice,
her hands, twin scriptures that write mercy on our skins,
her voice — a psalm that tames our restless storms.
O Mother, river that never dries.
She is the sun clothed in flesh,
burning herself so others might grow.
Even silence cannot swallow her prayers;
O Mother, river that never dries.
To name her is to name the dawn,
for in her eyes, light first learned to walk.
To embrace her is to embrace eternity.
O Mother, river that never dries.
And even when time folds her body like worn paper,
she remains a cathedral of strength,
a hymn carved into bone —
O Mother, river that never dries.
Nathan Ofili
Poem Title: Mother, You Are Good
Mother, You Are Good
Mother, you are good, steadfast and sure,
You loved and gave love to all who would receive it,
You bore suffering more than your fair share,
O Mother, your strength is our sunrise.
Mother, you are good, that is all you’ve strived to be,
Deserting yourself for your children’s sake,
Standing by us when the world fell away,
O Mother, your strength is our sunrise.
Mother, you are good, a good Christian,
A faithful wife, a guardian of culture,
Wading through life’s waters with courage,
O Mother, your strength is our sunrise.
Mother, you are good, but too good for yourself,
Your own dreams laid down for ours to rise,
Scars carried in silence, love carried in strength,
O Mother, your strength is our sunrise.
As a result of your tireless, unseen care,
A legacy blooms beyond your youth’s imagining,
Our Africa stands taller because of you,
O Mother, your strength is our sunrise.
Ugwoke Daniel Soromtochukwu
Poem Title: Ode for African Motherhood
ODE FOR AFRICAN MOTHERHOOD
Mothers! Indeed, are the visible gods of our African homes.
They are loving, caring, selfless, courageous, faithful, patient,
resilient, hardworking, and diligent in all they do.
Hail! Bravo! Hail!
To the strong supporters and companions of our African homes.
Mothers cuddle, protect, guide, correct, console, and praise.
They teach, pray, bless our handworks, and trust God for success.
Hail! Bravo! Hail!
To the strong supporters and companions of our African homes.
They endure oppression yet remain resilient, hopeful, and courageous,
knowing challenges are meant to strengthen, not defeat.
Hail! Bravo! Hail!
To the strong supporters and companions of our African homes.
Mothers — the Iroko tree of the family,
moral and financial supporters, the giant pillars of the home.
Our prayers, love, and support for you are unending.
Hail! Bravo! Hail!
To the strong supporters and companions of our African homes.
