I Am a Poet
I was made to strum the chords of your heart
Your arteries are strings to my fingers
All these photographs, still I keep you snapping
I am how you get your picture perfect
I am collecting moments into stories
My becoming is a time heist
The unleavened, a body of work broken
For you to commune with your emotions
I am a poet
Unruly, rebellious like a song of protest
History unfurls at the tip of my pen
I am breaking out of the matrix
This piece is a chain reaction
I am a poet
It means, I am too lazy to get a job
My ambition is a broken compass, I am heading no where
It means my name will disappear soon
And if I become an activist, a hashtag will find me too late
It means I have to convince myself
That hopelessness is not the intersection between being an artiste and a black boy
It means that I have the audacity to be thorns in a field of roses
I am a poet
And someday, you will hear my name at the end of the world
My words will hold you captive
I will write blackness back to its glory
You will touch the prophecy of my existence
I promise, someday, I will make a believer out of you
Falade Kolawole, popularly known by his stage name Pariolodo, is a distinguished performance poet, creative director, and social advocate whose work sits at the intersection of art and activism. A graduate of English, he is a compelling voice in the Nigerian spoken word scene and a co-director at Orange Poetry, a vibrant multimedia platform committed to promoting poetry as a tool for storytelling, consciousness, and cultural reawakening. With an impressive track record as a multiple poetry slam winner, including the prestigious National Grand Slam, he has carved a niche for himself through theatrical poetry productions that are as bold in their artistry as they are in their message. He is widely celebrated for his groundbreaking spoken word theater performances: Love Is Not For The Broke, a politically charged production that weaves romance with biting social commentary, exploring the realities and disillusionment of Nigerian youth in a corrupt political economy. Mista Silas, a gripping one-hour stage piece that confronts the harrowing issue of violence against women in the workplace, told through the lens of poetic monologue and emotive performance.