That Nigerian Girl

Look through the past And maybe we can forecast The unpredictable days of the future, Tyrants past and decades of anger later We must decide Young boy..young blood I admire your courage with a smirk To the last drop of your blood Is a sorrow unbearable after the first draw The elders have refused to take away the blinds Or tie us back with the rope that binds They inherited lands green and fields white We received lands red and rivers black Old man...old fool You poisoned with your words And sent souls to graves with your deeds, I was told you can see what I can't, even on a palm Lost sight or deliberately ignoring the fight? You have created an Abaddon From greed, corruption and injustice Who knows not the creator or the subjects "Young people's energy and  wisdom of the elders" Seems not enough to stir a nation against these waves Foundations have to replaced. Love and unity have to be embedded in actions Resp

I saw the beast  A s I squeezed my eyes shut And prayed silently for the millionth time That I was in a nightmare. They said he was a male of my kind Made me doubt myself for a moment, For I am a kind...of white wings and halos. I picked up what I had left..clawed and in shreds The blood I touched was mine, I realized. They said it was my fault I shouldn't have worn my pretty red dress, It showed too much of my femininity. Shouldn't have walked alone They forgot about my crushed soul Chose not to remember, Demons had no place where angels walked. My pink fortress had been raided And I was left with nothing But myself and determination, To heal and rebuild my Queendom. When justice was denied me, With my sore hands and weak feet I polished my diamonds and sparkled again, For a diamond can barely be broken Nor a Queen conquered.

I knew her story before it was told I saw her Bouncing up and down, itching to play A beautiful little girl Tugging and pulling 'Let me out' she says Full of energy no one could contain. I saw her She rushed past Beautiful young lady I couldn't believe she grew so fast Yet another interview She had to get a yes this time. I saw her How could I not recognize that smile Beautiful woman Haggling with the plantain seller Carrying her little girl on her back Whispering 'everything is going to be okay' I was too caught up...I didn't see Everything happened in a blur I didn't see her fears and confusion Or get a whiff of the tension Didn't hear the abusive words I am most sorry I should have looked more closely What happened to all that energy...bouncy little girl? Beyond her perfect smile I didn't see the tear stained cheeks Covered carefully with layers of powder Or the finger prints...covered perfectly with her hair. I s

Mother taught me to love I learnt not only from her words but her actions She took strangers beneath her warmth Smiled and called them family, no retraction You remind me of mother For I could see in you that ebony, curvy, curly black perfection God truly never made a mistake at creation I wonder if you were ever taunted for it, like she was In a heartbeat I called you sister And so when I stepped into your home I had no need to fear I trusted you like sister to sister Amazed at what you had accomplished I stood in awe of your beauty Perfection seemed to you an ordinary feat. Mother would be truly proud. But something has changed Your eyes no longer shine with love You extend your hand not with care, but rage When you speak about me Your words are filled with disdain Drums that once beat to our unity Have been replaced with disunity I woke up to strange faces looking down at me I could not understand what I had done wrong Woul

"Madam you need to be present at her school, your daughter is insolent". I can still remember those words. On another occasion mother came, She asked that I apologize, I stared at her and shook my head..."no". "You act like you're high class". I can remember a friend say. I am most ashamed now, Of the way I lowered my chin and walked away. "I don't like the way you walk with your shoulders raised up". Right now I could smack myself, for I found myself later, Walking with my head down, eyes focused on the ground. "You laugh too loud and deep" or was it..."you laugh too much and it's weird". I should laugh now, at the way her face was twisted in disgust. They never understand. "she too dey do sef". I heard their whispers,  I want to scream at myself, for being mute and wishing I wasn't the best. After all, other people could do it as well. I have heard s

I remember sitting And staring into the dark Nothing surrounds me Other than the sound of mother nature The waves hitting on each other Like two sisters who had a quarrel so bitter I remember looking And seeing the stars shine How far, yet they could twinkle Their bright light Contrasting with the dark night The brief second of peace and calm I could cherish through a life of storm I remember feeling  And saying to myself Nothing beats nature She invites and warns The truth of beauty she teaches Not too far, my love... You do not know the dangers of her depth I remember thinking This is her power She makes you fall in love Leaves you with wishes and imaginations You never know when you're lost In your dreams, flooded with thoughts But in your state of ambivalence She's the one Who makes you remember.

I love the mirror It shows me what I am What I look like It reflects exactly what it sees My scars, my pain, my aches... My marks, roughness My own eyes staring back at me I watch my tears flow down my cheek I see my tongue taste it Salty in it's own bitterness I hate what it shows me I like to think this is my greatest weakness Can I accept That the mirror doesn't truly lie? That it shows me what I really am? Or can I just blink it away Assume it was never there? Am scared that if I look away I become oblivious to who I am So I love the mirror It doesn't flinch or crack I like that it can't hear me It just tells me who I am Makes me understand how they see me Bitter truth sometimes...I must say I accept what it says I nod and believe ...It's just the mirror

          My tutorial teacher asked a question in class. She asked if any of us (students) would die for our countries. When nobody replied, she went ahead to say that in a class she had tutored earlier that day, a Nigerian had given a passionate speech.  A speech thick with emotion, on how he could die for his country (Nigeria).     All Nigerians in class immediately burst out laughing, I too laughed. The rest of the students had their eyes on us like we were crazy, but we seemed not to care. My tutor was not exempted as she starred at us surprised.     We as Nigerians in the class thought in our minds I’m sure the same thing. Can anyone really die for Nigeria? Of all countries! Some of my classmates (Nigerians) made statements like “am I mad?” “I never die for my mama finish”, my classmate beside me said she can’t even take a slap. But after a while in class I began to ponder, on what it actually meant to die for one’s country. How easy could it be? And what was it worth dyin