GOLDEN MORN

Like an enemy trying to overthrow a fortified wall,

The light pushed against my closed eyes.

I could almost feel my pupils constricting… shuddering at that golden force.

My face felt pleasantly warm and I assumed those were the sunrays washing over me.

I let out a silent scream; a yawn, betraying my fatigue which was ironical since I had been in bed all night.

I finally opened my eyes and just like in fairy tales, a little white bed sat on my window sill chirping away a tune I had never heard before.

The leaves on the branch just outside my window were clothed with the morning dew that escaped to the ground below in steady drops.

Termites that would have had me disgusted suddenly looked regal as they marched in a train up the tree, carrying bits of what I couldn’t really make out.

A moth flew by and I could almost swear I saw specks of color.

“Now my head’s really messing with me” I thought as I snapped out of my daydream.

I soon relaxed again after I remembered that today was a holiday.

The churning of copiers;

The absent-minded flight of papers;

The groans that accompanied the stretching of tired workers;

The sound of the pen tip on a desk as my boss asked me silly questions to which he already had answers;

All that would not interrupt the serenity that came with this beautiful day.

I looked outside again and began to watch as the rays from the rising sun turned the surfaces of cars into mirrors.

The cars that sped by carried a blur of reflections that intrigued me.

I wondered why I had never noticed all of this before.

My eyes caught a cloud shift and just as I looked up at it, carefully avoiding the sun itself that was gathering strength with each passing second,

I felt a brush on my back.

“Are you alright” my wife asked

Her voice was low and throaty. It sounded like a groan only it was sweeter.

I looked back at her.

She sat up halfway with her elbow anchored on the soft mattress as it gave her upper body some support.

She wasn’t insanely beautiful but she drove me insane anyway.

Her extremely full afro looked like a halo with jagged pieces hovering over her head.

Her dark skin glowed and her bare lips stayed slightly parted as she stared at me with what I can only imagine, was worry.

How couldn’t I be alright?

I was falling in love again, just like I did every morning. I could never look at her and not fall in love over again.

I caught her hand as she reached for my face, kissed her palm and drew her close.

She sat still, her body perfectly curled into mine like the right piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

It was different. This morning was different.

On every other day, I fell in love with Muna but it was as though the elements were never in support.

The birds never helped me sing her a song.

The termites never went on a parade.

The moths never thought to look beautiful.

The sunrise was too soon and too bright.

She never sat still in my arms looking into my eyes as though she were searching for some lost treasure.

There was never the time to notice that my wife of ten years still smelt of crisp apple and vibrant poppy just like she did on the day she said those first words “Clumsy idiot” to me.

Or maybe I never noticed.

And then she did what she always did.

She heard it; the voice in my head.

She read it; the words my pupils heard. She always knew.

“Give it a title” she whispered.

“Huh?” “Give all of this a title”, she replied as her lips twitched with subtle amusement.

Just as I was about to reply, we heard a deafening honk.

As we both turned towards the window to see what the intrusion was, we saw a large van.

On it was a huge picture of a little girl smiling heartily as she ate every Nigerian child’s dream cereal “Golden Morn”.

“That’s it” I laughed. “’Golden Morn’. This is the perfect golden morning”

She let out a husky laugh. “Is that ridiculous or what!”

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I apologize for not being here. I've been really busy, but I promise it's gonna get better. I cannot possibly turn my back on you guys. Yes, my readers are that amazing!

P.S- I wrote this for my 'bowl of marshmallows'. At first, I thought this piece was somewhat ridiculous but he said it isn't. Plus, nothing's really too ridiculous to be said. [Let's not even start analyzing that statement]

P.S.S- Don't leave this page without dropping a comment. I always wanna know what you have to say. 

Have a wonderful weekend

THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT

I know we Bowenites are supposed to be worried about the closure of our school and how it affects us. Fortunately, today I had such a great day, I couldn’t be bothered. As at yesterday when my friends and I got to Ibadan, the plan for today was to go to the movies and hang for a couple of hours. Good plan ey? Well, today the plan turned awesome.

I got a call early this morning from a close friend. Let’s call him ‘M’. So M called me this morning and said a couple of our friends were planning to hang out at Premiere Hotel. They wanted to swim and wanted me to be there. Since the plan was different from my Shoprite-Cinema routine, it sounded like a good one. Besides, A and T were gonna be there. There are some of my closest guy friends. I then called my twinnie to ask if she was interested. She got the consent of some of our other friends including A’s girlfriend. All of us were supposed to meet at the hotel by 1pm.

At 1pm, my phone was constantly buzzing with everyone asking me where I was. Unsurprisingly, at that time, I was just getting out of the bathroom and struggling to put on my makeup with all the sweat trying to make sure I couldn’t. Eventually, my friend, Franciara and I left the house to the venue. Of course, everyone else was at the hotel.

To cut the long story short, we got there and met our friends eating, drinking and swimming. None of us girls wanted to swim so we sat watching the guys who swam a bit, came back to us to play, gist and drink, and returned to the pool. Some kids were brought by staff of a swim school and it was a delightful to watch them learn. Some of the kids in the advanced class shamed me as they swam with such grace at the deepest end. I must learn how to swim and stop wasting swimsuits.

After about an hour, one of the girls went to the playground to swing a little. The rest of us didn’t give her any thought until we heard her squeals. One after the other, we left our table for the playground and that’s where the fun started. All of us forgot that we are final year university students and played like crazy kids. Everyone tried to swing the fastest and highest and my goodness, we girls can scream our lungs out. The merry-go-round was just the icing on the cake. The boys did the pushing while we did the squealing and unconsciously made the ugliest faces known to man. One of us fell in the bid to jump out cuz the speed scared her so much. Luckily, she didn’t get hurt and her boyfriend was there to carry her up and cuddle and bla bla.. Talk about love! The seesaws were amazing as well. We took a lot of pictures and tried to limbo. It was fun! The last time I played this much, I was in primary school and it wasn’t this exciting because it was a norm. We didn’t care that we are adults or that we are supposed act in a certain way. We stole the damn show with no regrets. Afterwards, we all left the playground and got plates of Asun (severely peppered chunks of goat meat). I dunno who ordered our murder but the pepper was deadly. Bottles of water were downed in less than 3 mins yet everyone kept dancing funny and fanning their open mouths with their hands. It was a funny sight to behold.

After we all parted ways, Franciara and I went to the mall to get a box of pizza before heading home. We ended up buying the pizza and a huge chocolate cake called “Black forest”. I also bought some other personal items. So much for getting just pizza *rme*. We then went home to make dinner and devour our purchases. The pizza was awesome while the Black Forest was more like bread with icing. The icing and topping were great though.

I’d say it was a great day; the best I’ve had in ages. It was different from the regular adult fun. I dunno who else had a great day but I’d say there’s something about today. I was reminded that once upon a time, I was free with no problems and that I can still feel that kind of freedom despite adulthood and the hard times.

I hope you all had a reason to smile today. If you didn’t, I hope you were affected by the joy in my tale. J

P.S: I'd have loved to put up all the pictures but for some reasons (*listing 'em in my head*), I'll leave you with the three at the top. I didn't put up any with the ugly faces I mentioned earlier; was scared I might send y'all running, and I need my readers. :D

Have a great weekend!

Xoxo,

Nazzy

DaRk sMiLeS

I see the antithesis...
I know the irony yet I'm the practicality.
It's not denial and its not a lie,
It's a struggle and it's a wish.
Pain locks your jaws against laughter and the sadness hides your insanity
And amidst the recurring tragedy called 'your life',
Only heroes like us find the will to smile.

Leaning on nothing,
Believing in the non-existent,
These are steps you must take to finding you
Only sometimes, these lessons are just too hard to take in.

This is my story:
Everyday, I strive to walk past that dog into the light I see...
Every new year, I pray the last page will hold a different tale...
Every month, I pray I don't have to pray this no more...
But somehow, some things have stayed constant.

Hell!
I am not ungrateful for everyday, I seize the time to sing, dance, talk and pray
And I take the time to smile just to disappoint my problems because as dark as the smile may seem, it is what it is.
The import of the joy I seek to express is an illusion...at first
But then, it spreads through me like a cancer as it becomes reality,
And that stir of hope becomes a light that darkness cannot comprehend.
The fog is lifted and pure joy remains...
And then I fight not to reach the light I see because in me, it has its place.

Let more tell you why I take my time to smile:
It's the start of happiness and the end of sadness.
It's infectious, protective and illuminating.
It's a shield in a war of emotions.
It's the lie told by a failing heart but the truth told by the healing one.
No matter how pained or toothless you are, every smile brings a ray of hope and a ripple effect, no matter how little.
Only let it come from your heart and not just be on your lips.

I may not live in abundance
But everyday that passes comes with enough for me
And maybe all He deserves is my gratitude because I am never without.
The smiles of the happy are a ritual
But it's the dark ones that are potent enough to save you;
The outcomes of your hope, faith and gratitude.





-For my parents and I

xoxo,
Nazzy