Peoms that will daze u

Profiting from death

2011-12-29T07:57:00.002+01:00

Lagos is where I live
And some other 15 million souls
I'll tell you a little tale
I once had a neighbour
Who profits from death
Selling hand made coffins
From woods that rot fast
So this faith-ful day
Having prayerfully secured a customer
He was suddenly given the delivery job
The coffin must be delivered that night
He rented a ghost of a car
That wasted half its fuel on unnecessary sounds
And vibrates a little less than my grandpa's alarm clock
After three hours on a 6km road
With more work done in getting ready that moving
He came close to the delivery venue
Just 200m away from the Police station
And behind the station lies the cemetery
With the deadman's relatives already gathered
And the newest undertakers in town
Just recently hired and trained at the cemetery
And not forgeting the man of the day
Who was brought in the same ambulance
That was headed to the nearest morgue
But on his brother's suggestion
Was made to pick some family members
And finally halted at the cemetery
Suddenly the car stopped and wouldn't bulge
My neighbour had to carry the coffin on his head
On getting to the station beside the cemetery
A policewoman stopped him for questioning
Knowing how troublesome the police can be
He told her he was relocating
That the placed he had been buried was too noisy
And so he decided to relocate to this cemetery
The next week he had to furnish another coffin
For the family of the police woman
The words she heard had stopped her heart

Life here never ceases to amaze me
We are all like moths
Forever drawn to this fire
Our daily lives is a miracle
We live in a mine field
Yearly deaths here will halve Gaza
From the air we breathe to the roads we ply
Everything pulls us on to a sure death
And at a record breaking rate
The rich is no better than the poor
We all live in this expensive slum
Only that the rich is happier
He bothers more about his car-ffin
Leaves on a desert beside a stinking lagoon
And the poor only bothers about the police
Our most innovative comrades
We are all like my neighbour
Profiting from death
The death of the law
The death of humanity
And the death of our sanity

Not a little loved

2011-12-20T09:50:00.005+01:00

I am of most men most fortunate
An object of numerous affections
A source of ceaseless infatuations
A point of innumerable considerations
A recipient of unmerited accolades
A focal point of several love
A store of overflowing delights
A castle of spoken beauty
A channel of hidden charm
A mist of eternal swoon
Extremely dear to many
Constantly reminded by few
Never made to see my flaws
Believed in beyond reason
Trusted way too much
And not a little loved

It is time that changes and not man

2011-12-20T09:40:00.000+01:00

The capacity to change is beyond man
That a monkey learns to walk like man
Never makes it any less a monkey
No matter the brightness of the moon
No one will ever dry his clothes in it
Even if the night be made brighter than day
The period of sleep will hardly notice
Though man's dreams ceaselessly change
And his desires are no less change freaks
Yet his self and needs have not altered once
All that embodies a man remain the same
Ingenuity, social interaction and survival
It isn't man that changes but the time
The time dictates our dreams and desires
The time keeps revealing his creativity
The time emboldens his social needs
The time leaves unchanged his need for survival
It is time that changes and not man
If an early man be fetched and installed amongst us
Once he's accustomed to the time now here
He'll be no bit different from the rest of us

A pleasant numbness

2011-10-31T10:56:00.000+01:00

I am struggling to breathe steady
My feet have never felt this heavy
My head feels incredibly light
My eyes are about to pop out
I can't seem to change my gaze
Oh my! I can't even feel my arms
Even my mind is gone blank
There is this tickling in my stomach
Geez! My ears are twitching
I can see only one thing
And then she said, "Hello!"

Bad things do happen to good people

2011-10-30T21:11:00.000+01:00

If there was ever a man
Too gentle to hurt a fly
Too shy to think an evil
Too kind to keep a grudge
Too caring to neglect his shadow
He must have been me

If there was ever a dream
Too pure to be stained
Too big to be packed
To great to be neglected
Too beautiful to live without
It must have been my dream

Everyday I work extremely hard
Building up a life to match that dream
Having for the mortar, impeccable integrity
For which I make unending payments
And for the bricks, hard sacrifices
Baked in the kiln of determination

But it is never enough
I am often forced to pay more
I keep facing evils beyond me
Troubles in proportion no longer fair
Leaving me with but one consolation
Bad things do happen to good people

Pouvez-vous deviner la ville?

2011-07-19T10:15:00.000+01:00

J'ai peine couvert 2 Km en deux heures
L'embouteillage est fidèle comme d'habitude
Bienvenue à ma ville
Tous les jours, je me lève à 4h20
Quand le coq est encore ronfler
Je sors avant le soleil se réveille
Je passe plus de temps sur la route que dans le bureau
Ma ville est située dans le sud-ouest du Nigeria
Elle est petite géographiquement, mais énorme démographiquement
Nous avons tout: les trains, les routes, les bateaux, les pauvres et les riches
Mais nous essayons garder notre santé mentale
Chaque jour, nous marchons à nos tombes
Poussé par les embouteillages, le stress et nos voisins
Pouvez-vous deviner ma ville?

Why is the future this far?

2011-05-31T11:02:00.001+01:00

All my castles are built in the air
Which is quite a great accomplishment
In the reality of the age now here
Where it is no little achievement
To become a full time motivational speaker
Selling overpriced well furnished airborne castles
To multitudes who keep buying the same thing over
Possessing more of an illusion than the parcels
So to have built mine from the scratch
And taking me about half my lifetime
To furnish several with no match
Is in my heart a source of joyous chime
A chime that resonates through my whole being
Making me feel as important as the pope
Leaving my intercession with reality thin
And my head pumped big with balloons of hope
Hope built on knowledge of a coming future
A future that will start with a relocation
An occupation of my castle, a lifelong treasure
The heralding of my most glorious earthly transition
But today I moved close to reality, and could not
But ask, "Why is the future this far?"

My Newly Found Obsession

2011-04-18T08:27:00.003+01:00

People bottle me in a first impression
And clone me out of my first expression
They know most of me after a first encounter
Claiming intimacy with my very character
But after the encounters are a few more
And their impressions gone on a number tour
They run out of suitable bottles
And the initial clone crumbles
Still they work hard like I carry a bet
To fix me somewhere in their mind's cabinet
And to my great disappointment
I end up in a file tagged 'different'
The harder I try to change the file
The more I get stuck like a tile
Though I'm getting used to the label
I still consider it an unpublished libel
I limit my activities to what is common
And try hard to be like everyone
But no one seems to notice my progress
They all have me laid like a game of chess
So I gave up and told myself
Since I get to shock no one but myself
I am quitting being like everyone
I am moving on to the uncommon
And fulfilling this new resolution
Is my newly found obsession

Elebele, a home to all

2010-11-10T17:44:00.002+01:00

Like a diamond streaked with earth
Whose beauty is concealed beneath
Like a tiny twinkling star
Whose greatness is above par
Like a ship that dots the sea
Loaded with treasures only few see
Such and more is Elebele
Having a history beyond a ballet
Though with a size that shrinks a town
Yet has a most humbling brawn
Like a city set on a hidden hill
And from within others look small
The hometown of many great men
Men whose lives make them a gem
A big heart, and to strangers well psyched
Playing host to strangers and companies alike
And like a dream waiting to be born
Is very peaceful with hardly a turn
Everyone knows everyone like a joint
Even an awkward description will hit the point
Here everyday is a new day
No one's got time for yesterday
Everyone lives in a fluid harmony
Whether you have too little or too much money
Even the clouds and rain do testify
Though at a rather alarming frequency
And through the heart of the town is a stream
That flows right through the back of every home
And unknown to the many that travel through the town
Who do not see beyond the structures and busy crowd
Nor beyond the Shell, Bayelsa Palm, AIT and plastic industry
Nor the numerous stores and small scale retail industry
Is that this is a land flowing with milk and honey
Though in ways unusual and yet lovely
The milk of friendliness and opportunities
And the honey of dreams and pleasant realities

My adventure to Nembe and Brass Islands in Bayelsa state

2010-09-28T01:48:00.000+01:00

As you'll most likely know (if you have read my previous posts) I am currently running my compulsory one year NYSC scheme in Bayelsa state as a Mathematics teacher in a community school, Elebele. Well, towards the end of the month of July, the school rounded up for the session we (both teachers and students) were given a two months holiday. Though, I spent the majority of the days in those two months in my lodge, I managed to summon enough courage to withdraw all my allowee for the month of August and go for a daring adventure across rivers and sea to Nembe and Brass Islands in Bayelsa state.

So in this essay of mine, I am only going to focus on the 10 days out of the two months that I spent on this adventure. I am not going to bore you with lots of words but with pictures.

DAY 1

It was a Sunday, after service I took the life jacket I had borrowed for the adventure and a small bag containing a trouser, 2 undershirts, shirts, phone chargers for my 2 phones, two combs, over 10 batteries and my Samsung S630 point-and-shoot camera, and headed for the dock. I took a speedboat to Ogbolomabiri, Nembe Island. The journey was one hour across a very might river, during the journey we had to move from one speedboat to another right in the middle of the river! I slept over at the corpers lodge.

DAY 2

I hard arrived at Ogbolomabiri in Nembe a day before (Day 1), so in the morning I headed for Bassambiri, Nembe. I slept over at the corpers lodge there.

DAY 3

In the morning I headed for Twon-Brass in Brass, I decided to rest and prepare for the next day. So I didn't snap much pictures.

DAY 4

I stayed indoors chatting with fellow corpers and watching movies

DAY 5

I attended their community development service (CDS) programme for the week. Then, I went to the much talked about AGIP terminal where Corpers are given free daily meals morning, afternoon and evening.

DAY 6

I went to the fishing community in Imbikiri town. I was told if I come back in October, I will eat lots of fish to the extent that I will loathe fish. And I was amazed to see a white garment church where the sermon is conducted in Yoruba language. Most of the fishermen are from Ilaje, Ondo state.

DAY 7

I went to the popular Okpoama, the hometown of the current Bayelsa state governor (Timipre Silva). It is also popular because it has a very wide beach where parties hold every Sunday night. I slept over at the corpers lodge in the police barrack (the lodge is actually one of the blocks in the police barrack).

DAY 8

I went for church service at St. Paul Anglican Church, Okpoama. After service, I went to see the beach club, it was been cleaned and decorated for the party that will happen that night. Later in the evening, I went back to Twon Brass. I also made up my mind to go back to Elebele (where I am serving and my lodge is) in order to stop living on the fellow corpers like me who don't even earn up to me ('cos I do a lot of small businesses and private teaching) but are feeding me heavily.

DAY 9

I had a tough time convincing my hosts that I had to travel the next day.

DAY 10

I finally prevailed over them to let me go back to Elebele. They all followed me out of the lodge, we snapped pictures on the way and also at the dock.

It was actually my first time across water on a boat and I ended up spending about 3 hours aggregate onboard the speedboat. I also experienced the sea waves splashing against the boat as we journeyed to and fro Brass Island.

Can this really be me?

2010-07-08T21:13:00.003+01:00

I know that I am a bunch of surprises
Surprises that leave my friends dazed for days
I know that I am quite unpredictable
Though majorly in ways quite desirable
I know very well that I'm a change freak
With a mind that flutters with each clock tick
I'm convinced my mind has its own mind
Though now I do not seem to mind
As long has it stays within its bounds
And is quick to perceive the outer sounds
I know I think way to much
Though with efforts not much
And my thoughts daily shape me
Into the man I desire to be
Though the changes occur very slowly
In ways observable to me only
But today as I looked myself in the mirror
Examining the last six months and more
My exclamation couldn't help but be
Can this really be me?

A dream come true

2010-07-07T21:10:00.003+01:00

My life is fraught with dreams
Collections of well coordinated stray thoughts
Aspirations made more fluid than streams
Wishes in the fjord of reality caught
Desires seeking expression in my future
Dreams I daily run through in my mind
Constituting my second most valued treasure
And to the world have they made me blind
But surprisingly, I discovered today
During my daily meditation routine
After thinking back several days
Analyzing my life and looking within
That one of my dreams, a weird one
A really funny self-aggrandizing dream
That makes me feel nobler than King John
But has a chance of fulfillment that's slim
And now it has come true
Even truer than in the dream
Giving me hope of seeing more dreams come true

How I spent my mid-Term-break

2010-06-01T10:33:00.002+01:00

How I spent my mid Term break First. In the morning when I was asleep my mom wake me up and told me to go and take my baet and I woke up and took my baet and I woke up and took my baet dress up and my father and mom tuok me and go to yenegia. First thing I sour is Children dancing. Not only that I sour my friends. So day told me to dance. So I danced and win a prise. called Clock I was so happy I have fun and I see more than that my mom also took me to misstabiss I eat and drink with my friends many many fun that I have I sweem in sweeming pull God I so much love my perence because day give The best thing in life I have much fun. I sour father Crissmass two mony things. that is How I spend my MID TERM BREAK,
God buy

A very funny essay by one of my students

2010-06-01T10:14:00.001+01:00

My name is eluina Afuga I am in J.S.S.1B I am writing on How I SPENT my MID-TERM Break. I went to Church on Sunday on Saturday I went to the market to buy somethings and on Thursday I went to Lagos and sent my children day on Thursday 27 of may we went to misser Beans in lagos and in paperoni I eat Chicking and fieaded rice and we dance in lagos we saw ninienia in lagos she sing a song I like are vioce and we went home on firday we eat rice and beans I went to visit my friend her name is mary she like me we play to gether and eat together in lagos I Like lagos because I have many of my momin friend they buy me a doll too. the childre play and dance I saw my friend Ruth Naomi and franka Joselin I se sailas I went to the Zoo I saw a elephat, horses, chimpaze and lions monkeys and griffe

NYSC PLATOON THREE MEDITATION: JEALOUSY

2010-05-03T18:51:00.002+01:00

Jealousy, it is best described as a cancer
It starts small and grows big overtime
It is simply the bad side of envy
That seeks to destroy what it does not have
Jealousy is as old as mankind
It made Abel kill his brother Cain
It destroys nations, families, friends and all in its path
The cause of the bloodiest war in heaven among the angels
The cause of Hitler's hatred for the prosperous jews
The reason for France, Portugal and Britain's colonization
The driving force of Napoleon's mission
The foundation of Nigeria's recurrent internal crisis
That nearly cost us our nationhood in 1967
Leaving a big crack in our wall of unity
It is the cause of many political assassinations
Robbing us of the brightest and most willing minds
It is the source of man's most cruel hatred
Leaving families and friends irreparably damaged
Ruining lives and unborn generations in ways untold
Though nothing is immune to its corrosive touch
It relies heavily on lack of understanding
And cannot exist where there is love and hope
So as our nation's hope and future leaders
We must avoid the mistakes of our predecessors
We must deny Jealousy the environment it seeks
We must develop healthy interpersonal relationships
And in all ways eschew this evil called Jealousy
GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

I have never been this confused

2010-03-07T22:28:00.000+01:00

The past three months were unusual
I was very bothered about my NYSC
About where my posting will be
Where my state of deployment will be
I knew what I do not want
But was confused about what I want
I got a plum job offer at NSN
A job worth maneuvering for
I felt like lobbying for Lagos state
That was the beginning of my confusion
“Is it right or wrong to influence my posting?”
Though I felt it's not very very right
But I concluded that it's not wrong
As long has I do not bribe anyone for it
But will my desperate parents know that limit
“What does God think about all these?”
Have faith and do only the right thing
Now this led to the peak of my confusion
I believe influencing is not wrong
And so must be right
And doing the right thing is not being faithless
Not influencing is more right
But folding my arms is very hard
Having faith is of many levels
One is to abandon everything to God
Another is to submit everything to God
But both involves God taking control
Not influencing will be abandoning
That I won't even bother about the posting
Influencing will be submitting
That regardless of my efforts only God's will be done
And in my opinion both are alright
But I prefer the later
The later will involve my parents and other people
Whom I have little control over their actions
And they all have high tendency to bribe on my behalf
This makes the option I prefer
Most likely not what God will desire me to choose
And now I am most confused about everything

My greatest treasure

2010-01-19T17:55:00.000+01:00

There is one thing I treasure greatly
Far more than all other things
The only thing I cling to closely
Its joy in my heart daily rings
My life without is unimaginable
It is the essence of my life
Its importance is simply indescribable
The source of innumerable repreive
The hope I daily walk in
The comfort I never lack
The fortress I live in
The strength beyond my back
In it lies my aspirations
The dreams of who I ought to be
The reward for my perspirations
The assurance of who I will be
My light in every tunnel
My map in every wilderness
Though in it we quarrel
We are quick to seek redress
It might not be the best it can be
But its the best I've ever had
To be so dear in another's plan
The closeness that makes me glad
And it is my relationship with God

NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE TO CHANGE

2010-01-14T03:30:00.002+01:00

The last eight months have been change filled for me
I've been experiencing changes at a rate that dazes me
My entire belief system has been almost totally restructured
My perception of what is Right and Wrong has been altered
I seem detached from my world in a rather more intimate way
A little happy and a little sad are the extremes of my mood sway
I am more concerned with what happens around me than within me
The me I see in my dreams of the future is sometimes uneviable to me
I try to bridge the gap between who I am and who I want to be
I am more moved by what I read and hear than what I see
I constantly neglect the promptings of my emotion
To always enable me make sound and reasonable decision
Though I know cannot keep neglecting it forever
I just don't know if it will be the same me or another
Even my mind seems to have a mind of its own
stealing me away with its unique thoughts and tone
The world seems larger and larger each day
And I become more insignificant in its way
Though I like the man I am growing into
But I do not like the world I am moving into

The World, my generation and history

2009-10-31T14:29:00.002+01:00

I remember all the talks about changing the world
That it is my destiny to stand out in my generation
And nothing can be more glorious than rerouting history
At first I believed all these even to every single word
And linked it to the purpose of my existence and creation
I began building my life on this grand appealing theory
But one day I started to examine my life more critically
And I discovered that this theory has got many faults
Infact, I fell for it simply because it promised fame and honour
How can I change the world that runs dismally?
How can I stand out among a group of schmaltz?
Furthermore, history casts lots to choose those it honours
There is more to my existence than changing the world
The world is already experiencing more change than it desires
It will be miserable for me to try to always outwit my peers
Rather, I was created to be a part of the world
To be a responsible citizen with very modest desires
And to be the very change I desire to see in my peers

I can only imagine

2009-10-21T14:28:00.001+01:00

I have stopped thinking of the future
The part packed with the most adventure
I've quit looking ten, twenty years ahead
Daydreaming and inventing pain to my head
Trying to peep into my later years
Inserting, in order to make real, some tears
Not that I do not desire a great life
Nor that I care little what I'll be God sparing my life
Not that I do not desire a great life
Nor that I care little from where my greatness will come
Not that I am complacent with no ambition
Nor that I give my future little attention
But looking back ten years and my dreams then
Of what I would be in some years, say ten
And considering who I am now when the years are past
It is futile to dream of days mentally overcast
Days influenced by factors encompassing as the sea
And of which I am uncertain to see
I would rather think and learn from what has happened
Rather than ache my head over that which won't happen
As for my days of ageing
I can only imagine

I remember then, but now...

2009-09-25T11:46:00.000+01:00

I remember about six years ago

When I to the LORD came alone

In full surrender and self-crucifixion

Accepting God's redemption and salvation

The spiritual awakening and passion thereafter

The loss of my friends and the pain I caused my mother

How daily I deeply immersed myself in God's word

Desiring a growth that is out of this world

I remember my first lessons on faith

How greatly I desired to be a man of faith

To live a medication free life

To turn things in my favour without strife

Really, I gave all I had in me

But some level of faith seems beyond me

Regardless of the times I miss my goal

I will keep my faith as a burning coal

But now my Christian life is no longer the same

Not that my passion and faith no longer remain

It is just that they are now borne out of soberness

No longer out of energy packed impulse and eagerness

My joy and peace comes from the things I give up

And not from self comparison or the things I take up

Though sobriety gives me great resiliency

But at the risk of a latent complacency

Nobody Knows

2009-08-13T11:10:00.000+01:00

No one knows the troubles I've seen
The pains that be as sharp as from a pin
The gloom that often befalls my soul
As though I be beaten by doom's pole
Forcefully making me depression's acquintance
With no hope of permanent acquittance

Only God knows the trouble I've seen
The terrible situations through which I've been
The depth of depression into which I've neen plunged
And the outer fires that have had me scourged
But with great joy I endure every hardship
As God's greatest confirmation of my sonship

Are you in or out?

2009-06-10T16:29:00.001+01:00

Day in day out, God is working

Working for your salvation

About two millennia plus a decade ago

He gave His all, I mean His all

His one and only son

His express image and wisdom

The embodiment of His word and glory

Of whom prophet Isaiah said –

Wonderful counselor, Mighty God

Everlasting Father, Prince of peace

I wonder what will remain of God

If Jesus had fallen to satan’s temptations

God would have lost his one and only son

His express image and wisdom

The embodiment of his word and glory

In fact, God would have lost all

I mean his all

And He did not stop there

Ever since the ascension of Christ

He was been giving his all

I mean his all

He has given the church

His physical representatives and ambassadors

Making some missionaries

Many pastors, some evangelists

And others interceding for your soul

So many lives have been sacrificied

All in a bid to bring you salvation

From the times of the early apostles

Through the time of the pope supremacy

To this time of great corruption and discrimination

On daily basis, lives are lost

Lives that God could transform like Enoch

Or gloriously call home like Elijah

But rather in a bid to bring you more help

He let them suffer the world’s persecution

And the humiliating sting of death

What more do you want from God

To convince you that He truly cares

And that He is your best option

Why do you frustrate God’s efforts?

In the book of greatness

2009-06-10T16:27:00.000+01:00

There is an innate desire God has put into everyone of us, the desire to be the BEST. If you doubt this, then consider this: Why do you feel sad whenever you end up in a second position in any competition?

I remember when I was very much young, probably five years old, I wanted to be the best in everything including very dangerous activities like jumping from a tall platform. Even when I watched cartoons, I see myself as more powerful than Hercules, braver than Aladdin and more adventurous than Gulliver. But as I grew a little older, I realized that I can not be the best in everything. For instance, I do not mind having the poorest performance in outdoor games, but I feel very bad if I do not emerge as a winner in any board game. Succinctly put, I love to be the best in the things I am good at. But as I grew much older, I realized that I do not need to compete with other people before I can satisfy my desire to be the best.
The second strongest emotion in a person is this innate desire to be the best, second only to sexual emotion. When it empowers and fully possesses you, you will tend to see others as a threat to your success. For instance, consider our politicians, they think that they are very popular, highly regarded and more qualified for a political position than any of their fellow contestants. They let their second strongest emotions get the best of them, so when they lose in an election they find it hard to accept their loss because it makes them feel inferior to the winner. They regard elections as a means of sealing their confidence in theirselves. Indeed, to me, they are psychologically miserable (their fulfillment depends on their acceptance by others).

Dear friend, what about you? Do you rely on the outcome of a competition to satisfy your invincible desire to be the best? Competitions are meant to reward excellence and not to give fulfillment. All that you need to be the best and be forever fulfilled is to make a magnificent appearance in the book of greatness with the special aid of your unique skills. The way to make such an appearance is by seeing other people as your pathway to greatness. Every person is a line in the book of greatness, if you do him harm he will not give you space in his life (line). For every good you do him, he will put a dot for you in his life (line). If you invest in his life and help him find joy, their will be big dots for you in his life and the lives of his children till the third generation. And guess what? Your dots have a unique colour, so when they are present in many lines of a page (which is a generation) they form a beautiful pattern on that page in the book of greatness.

Never forget that seeking fulfillment from competitions will only make you psychologically miserable. Involving your second strongest emotion in any competition makes the competition unhealthy since it will run down the runners up. Rather than relying on the competitions to make you the best, give your best in all you do and you will become the best, simply because, you can not sow your best and reap less. Remain blessed as you remember your creator in the days of your youth.

PLAYING THE POOR SON OF A RICH KING

2009-06-10T16:26:00.004+01:00

When nothing seems to go right
And life has never been so slight
When all hope fades like a beam
And breath has never been more slim
When friends seem to be of no help
But always as irritating as a kelp
When thoughts put you on a slippery slope
To scope things that kill hope
When you always fake a fine countenance
At a high cost of sustenance
And living in God's promises is as in a fool's paradise
Like a fool betting his life on a ship's merchandise
When consolation in the bible makes you like an aramean
Who with a fool's head came and went back with twain
When righteousness is like a paper chair
And sitting on it leaves you with no cheer
When God's word seem to rigid and ideal
Too spiritual and supernatural to be real
When God seems farthest from you
Never has he been nearer to you
When God has never been farther
He really has never been nearer