Category: feature

The Courage to Evolve

This might sound cliché, but I think it takes a lot of bravery to evolve, to make a shift from what you’ve always done and try something entirely different from what you’ve always known. Think of it as embarking on a journey to a strange land all by yourself. The funny part is, you asked for it, desired it, believed 100% that your happiness lies there, and it’s all you’ve ever wanted.

Embarking on an uncertain journey to meet a new you.


So, you get on this journey; all you have and trust is hope. Hope, because you’re uncertain of the roadmaps, you’ve never met that version of you because you’ve never walked that path, so you don’t even know what the outcome will be – and it scares you. But it’s better to do it afraid because staying in a familiar rut will eventually tire you out and sicken you. So, you move… to the version of you you’ve never met.
Whether it’s a career shift, a new relationship, starting a family, or deepening your spiritual walk, growth happens outside your comfort zone. Until you take that leap of faith, you’ll never know your full potential. Yes, it’s daunting, but staying stuck is far worse. Don’t let fear hold you back; instead, let it fuel your courage.

An eagle as a symbol of courage

As someone who is currently navigating this journey, I understand the struggle. But I want you to know that it’s worth it. So, take a deep breath, look in the mirror, and tell yourself, “I can do this.”
Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and most importantly, believe in yourself.
You’ve got this! I’m rooting for you!”

My Honey Bee … To my daughter

Dear Honey Bee,

I prayed for you, and during my conversation with The Creator, the weirdest instruction came to mind: “Give her an animal spirit.” And so, I fashioned the character I hoped you would imbibe through the qualities of… the Honey Bee. 🐝

Why the Honey Bee, you ask? Well, I asked myself the same question as the thought flashed before my mind’s eye.

My first thought was that “Honey Bee” would be a great nickname for a girl, but my spirit pressed further.

Not only did the name appeal to me, but the essence of the animal itself… its qualities. It was based on those qualities that I became convinced this marvelous creature’s character was meant for you.

… The Honey Bee

Sena, I dub you the Honey Bee. You are my Honey Bee; you are The Lord’s Honey Bee. From you springs qualities of love, simplicity, sweetness, happiness, and kindness. But even more, like the honey bee that buzzes from flower to flower spreading pollen for the continuation of life, you, my darling, spread joy wherever you go. You have a light in you that could only have been put there by The Creator Himself. Always remember that, and use these gifts to make HIM happy—by making others around you happy. 😇

Sena, is it okay if I take a little more time to dig deeper into the character I have forged for you as a parent?

You see, Sena, in the kingdom of the honey bee—also known as a hive—there are three types of bees:

  • The Worker Bees
  • The Soldier Bees
  • The Queen Bee

Now, I say Queen because there is only one Queen at all times in a hive, while there are many, many worker and soldier bees. Isn’t that something?!

From all the classes of this magnificent creature, you possess qualities that make you the radiant being that you are.

  • From the worker bee, you inherit your energetic spirit—you are cooperative, an achiever, and a team player.
    Worker bees are known to nurse the babies of the hive, and from them, you get your extremely caring attitude.
  • As a Soldier Bee, you are physically and mentally strong. You are focused, respectful, selfless, and courageous.
    The soldier bee defends its hive against any threat or enemy, and just like them, you are devoted to loving and defending those around you. Thank you for loving and defending me. 😍
  • As the Queen Bee, you are unique, with a beautiful soul that stands out and attracts things of The Light.
    You are royalty, made by The Creator’s Hand and for His Glory alone.

Sena, I need you to always see yourself as the leader that you are. You are a servant to those you lead. Yes, you are a GOOD leader.

You are sweet! Just like the female worker honey bee that creates honey, you, my dear Sena, make honey through your infectious joy and laughter, your kindness, thoughtfulness, and humble spirit.

Finally, honey bees are key to flower pollination, much like butterflies that flutter from bloom to bloom, spreading seeds of life. You, my Honey Bee, are kind and ever willing to share—not just your physical belongings, but also your joy. You make others happy… you make me happy.

Always remember to see yourself this way, my Honey Bee.
Walk this path, and The Lord Almighty will continue to bathe you in HIS Light.

I love you, my Honey Bee… my Sena.

To Parents:

We have a responsibility to our children—to help mold their destiny. Why not start by blessing them with a spirit animal?
The purpose of this open love letter to my daughter is to show just how fulfilling it can be when a child is given character even before birth—and to witness all those qualities unfold as they grow.

… Speak into their lives, and then speak to them.

To Children:

You are special. You are loved. And you too have Character!

BOX by Dan Robert

Prologue- Remember?

Hold my hand please.

The rain doesn’t feel like rain anymore. It feels like…

Hold my hand.

When I moved, it moved; it swayed this way and that just like the car in that crash. Remember the car crash? The rain poured, and we watched, and the car came, and we watched, and the car swayed this way and that, and we watched. Remember the car crash?

Hold my..

I really want to, but what if it sees us. It thinks its had us, finished us for good. When I moved, it moved; it shifted this way and that. Why don’t we remain like this, shut our eyes and think thoughts? Don’t think about the car crash, think other thoughts. Close your eyes. Remember last spring when you..

Hold­..

You were exceptionally pretty that spring, Anastasia. And we went to the lake. Remember? We sat on that large rock. You named the rock Sir Wobbles because you believed it wobbled whenever you weren’t paying attention. I kept telling you I couldn’t feel it wobble. We had to agree you were imagining things. Just like you to think your imagination could move a rock. I never told you this: Sir Wobbles actually shook. I planned on telling you but I must have forgotten. Remember when the rain came and we rushed into the tiny shed and lit the stove? You looked beautiful in that light, Anastasia. Remember? Remember, Anastasia?

Anastasia?

Anastasia?

Ana..

Meet Dan Robert,
Dan Robert
Apparently a pseudonym but none the less the character in question, real. 🙂 The piece you just read is an abstract from a writing project of his.
Get to know more about Dan Robert at www.wattpad.com by clicking on his photograph, and for more from his book “BOX”, kindly click on the picture above.
Comments, Suggestions, Critique will ALL be appreciated… but lets keep it healthy shall we people ;)… and for updates on how the story progresses you can like his Facebook Page (link: Dan Robert)
I can’t wait for the book to be finished!… I get the first, OK the 2nd published copy and an autograph… Right Dan?! 😐
 
Well until next time folks 🙂 … Cheers! 😉

Our Meat by Odebala Irene Ese

On an empty stomach they expect us to smile
We open all thirty two like zombies
They throw crumbs at us from our own pot and we smile
Just for that moment all our troubles seem ages away
Then we realize we are hungry again
We run to them, they laugh at us
They dangle our meat before own eyes
Our eyeballs enlarge with greed
Our mouth water with expectation for that sweet taste
Our Adams apple gurgle

They tell us how they want the game played
We nod our heads like agama lizards
Ready to seal the deal with the blood of our unborn children
Just so they can give us a piece of our own meat
From our own pot
They tease us some more, dangling our meat before our eyes
Our eyeballs enlarge
They ask us to curse our fathers
We curse and even denounced them
So they know how serious we are
Just to get a piece of our meat from our own pot

They cut off our manhood, we are flat down there
We go about like an old feeble woman
A tired feeble woman
They ask us to give them our daughters
We oblige, happy that they found our daughters worthy
They dangle our own meat in front of us
And toss it at us, we eat it greedily
Not thinking about tomorrow
When the mirage is swallowed up
And everywhere is clear
We realize too late, we’ve eaten
Our future, there is nothing left for tomorrow.

By: Odebala Irene Ese

Meet Odebala Irene Ese!

TV content developer and screen writer here in Nigeria.

A wonderfully powerful political piece she wrote wouldn’t you say… It makes you think doesn’t it? 😐 … I received this poem a couple of days ago, but I decided to post it today, which marks the 52nd year of my dear country’s Independence.

I LOVE Nigeria with all my heart, but at some-point we her citizens with one voice, need to ask our leaders where THE HECK they are taking us! … AM I TALKING TO SOMEBODY???… 😐

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 9JA!!!! 🙂

Till next time pips! 😉

CONFESSIONS OF A SEMI-REBOUND GUY By Oludascribe

You came into my life
with that sunny smile and bubbly personality of yours
I wondered why someone so wonderful would just waltz into my life

I was there for you
I cared for you
I answered every phone call at all hours
I responded every mail and text message

I showered you with praise and attention
and never had an agenda or ulterior motive
I just enjoyed your company and every moment with you

It seemed like bliss, it all seemed wonderful
and then

You’d breeze past me like a hurricane
without even as much as a hi on your way to meet him
I thought he was the past
you’d stand me up even when you called for a meet and never apologize
I’d stand in the cold waiting for you’d show up with someone else
you’d zone out when it was my turn to talk
you’d call me by his name time and time again

The hurt the pain the confusion
so much time together, so many emotions
what does it all mean, am i over reacting, paranoid?

Your mind boggling question like a rubix cube with disco lights
Why don’t you like me?
Are you ashamed of me?
Why are you making me miss you?
She likes me; she likes me not
I can never figure out exactly where I stand

And then those words were uttered
did I mean nothing to you
all that time spent was in vain, meaningless

Was I just an emotional gigolo
a burn recovery ward for your hurts and fights
a surrogate boyfriend doing all the work and no rewards
a pacifier for when he was not available
a dealer to your Attention junkie fixes
only good enough when he’s not emotionally or physically available

I was everything you wanted, needed
everything inside that you wished he could be,
saying all the right thing being all the right things
yet I mean nothing to you because “there’s no spark”

Pardon Me
I should see you when he’s not around

WHAT!!!!!

That’s it , I’m done
I’m done, I’m out
You came into MY life
you said he was the past
I never asked much or pressured you
treated you like royalty
and this is how you do me!!
That’s who I am to you

I’m walking away
I should have seen you were trouble from the start
taught me so many lessons , about being with
“on a break” hearts
Jeze…you u have struck the final chord
This is the last time
I’d hurt myself for the sake of being with you
good bye good luck

Tick Toc Tick Toc
FAST FORWARD 9 MONTHS

Hello , Who is this, WHO
Oh , it’s you
I wondered why I was smelling brimstone
So, What made you remember me today Delilah
You want me to what!!
I should call you what?
Sorry, no more terms of endearment
That ship has sailed,
been given a Viking burial
and gone to Davy Jones locker
As I recall, there was “no spark”
Huh….You’re sad
He messed up, got tired of your ways and
walked away from you
OH I get it, shoes on the other foot now
2nd degree burn
I should meet you where?
You want to give what a try
Re Kindle what?
Woman please, Do I look like a glutton for punishment
It hurts so bad!!, Oh really!!
Cry me a river build a bridge and get over it
Slither away just like you slithered in
like crack cocaine flushed down the toilet
I wave Good Bye, but it wasn’t nice seeing you

By: Oludascribe

PHEW! That was a lengthy one, but a very interesting piece that I’m sure a lot of us can relate with 😉 … the perfect HATE mail! 😀 I pulled it off of a fellow blogger and friend’s page… with his permission of course.

Meet Oludascribe!

Berean -Scribe- Cinephile- Film Maker – Nerdasaurus is how he describes himself on his blog (Link: Oludascribe’s Blog)

He’s mostly into movie related articles but once in a while he gets his poetic groove on and voilà! You have a hate mail 😉

Naturally witty and possessing that Charlie Sheen/Ricky Gervais sort-of dry humor, which he infuses into his writing, you’ll love what his blog has to offer. So stop by sometime ok! 🙂

Next talent coming up soon 😉

Cheers! 🙂

Seasons by Davida Echetabu

So tickled, I giggled…
You never forget your first time,
Amazed, Amused, Confused, Contrite
In my arms rested a masterpiece.

Lips, hips, fingertips temporarily paused,
So this is what it feels like?
What’s that in my eye?
A tear drop?!

Hush child… You deserve it.

Blush-sunset-silk-lush-tendrils-midnight-orchestra-milk-leather-tissue…
Not quite adequate…
I’m lost….
for words.

So I reach out, I touch, Feel, Experience,
Smooth, Coarse, Receptive, Rejective
I drink in; my eyes wide open slits,
I taste the sweetness in my soul & the saltiness of my tears.

Hush child…. You are worth it.

Blooming & blossoming,
Polka dots & stripes,
Twinkles & jingles,
All things bright and beautiful,

I’m in the spotlight,
Twirling & laughing,
The sunlight is happy,
The breeze is clapping,

A girl once moved by a bouquet,
A woman knowing she’s a well tended garden.

Hush child…. You are just right.

By: Davida Echetabu

Davida Echetabu

I just love pieces like this one! You read it and can draw from it various interpretations… more like an open cheque for the imaginative mind 😀

Totally loved it Davida! ….I hope YOU did too dear reader! 🙂

Cheers! 😉

The Encounter by Queen Ewere

I watched his lips part
As I clung to his every word
In the sweet essence of presence
Swooning at his mercy
My eyes grow heavy
In betrayal too soon, dims

My heart drums up uneven beats
And I rumble into an ecstatic dance
My blood’s on a fiery course
Sweat breaks out on every pore
Yes, the world’s beneath my feet!
As my spirit sets to soar, I must be Alice

Shhh! Suddenly sublime
The crescendo comes to a screeching halt
“No! Please stay” I cry
And like a million others I wake.
Is this it? Did you feel it too? I search
Hesitant, yearning I rise from my kowtow.

Was that  you Lord, I ask?
An incoherent whisper,
“Maybe next Sunday I hear,
Just maybe Alice dear…”

By: Queen Ewere

Hello 🙂 

Its that time again so please join me in giving a big welcome to my newest feature, Queen Ewere 🙂

I read this piece off of her phone yesterday and it moved me. Its seemed like a verse out of songs of Solomon… you know, romantic yet spiritual. To me it portrayed a sort of spiritual ecstasy. What’s your view? 🙂

Anyway, thank you Q.E for allowing me share such a wonderful poem, and thank you reader for stopping by! 🙂

Cheers!

My World by Bisola Oladosu

To be free, oh to be free!
To be fulfilled, oh to be fulfilled!
To wake up in the morning without the daily worries: what will suit my taste buds for the day or do I look good in this, even if I do, does it make me feel good? “What will they say” has never been my creed, so what people will think is one less thing to worry about.

To wake up to a bright clear day,
To wish for the world and get the world (may be that is asking for too much, what would I do with it after all), at the very least to be able to indulge in those little things that give some of life’s greatest pleasures, like reading a damn good novel while reclining on a very comfortable sofa, watching a damn good movie (probably in the same position), savouring the sweetness of very nice chocolate, may be, no, D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y a bowl of ice cream; Each spoon sliding cooly down my throat, properly spiced chicken wings, a glass of “California White…“, reading an exceptional article by someone who knows his onions, feeling the rhythm and soul of inspiring music, enjoying a long, lazy day on the beach, conversing with the very brightest of minds…. Just being me without restrictions. The goal; be happy, the key; peace of mind.

To be free, oh to be free…. *Sigh*

By: Bisola Oladosu

Apologies for my silence folks! I have been pretty under the weather lately, but I’m doing MUCH better now and looking forward to feeling more pages 😉 …Thanking God for his MANY mercies! 🙂
NOW! still on the subject of celebrating “Girl Power” 😉 , please join me in saying a BIG “Well Done” to Miss Bisola Oladosu! :)
She sent me this piece just yesterday and I totally fell in love with it (Pardon me if I’m wrong, but I think its a perfect example of a “Prose Poem“). Just to think that I’m not the only one who’s got this dream of a perfect world filled with Ice Cream and White wine and Music and BOOKS! (Scratch that and give me a cinema hall with pop-corn and soda and all kinds of movie classics to go! 😉 )
Way to go Bisola! I certainly can relate to “your world” 😉 (Wanting it ssoooo bad! 😀 )
 

…Until next time people 😉

Cheers! 🙂

DISTURBIA by Tintin

Tick tock tick tock,
My heart beats slowly,
When when when when
I feel so lonely,
Inhale, exhale,
My breath starts stalling,
When when when when
My tears starts falling.
Boom boom boom boom,
My head starts pounding,
When when when when
My thoughts starts wandering.
Hiss hiss hiss hiss,
My anger starts rising,
When when when when
My mind’s uprising.
Inhale……..exhale…..,
My breath starts fluttering,
When when when when
My body starts faulting.
Tick tock tick tock,
My heart beats slowly,
When when when when
My life feels lowly.
by: Tintin
Say hello to Tintin! 🙂
A very talented writer and poet, this chick is an artist in every way. With a degree in Fine art, she is also a make-up artist by profession. Proudly she’s also MY COUSIN! :D. You can find more of her poems and short stories on her blog “That Nigerian Girl“, which she hardly uses these days 😦 …. but we are working on that aren’t we Tin! 😉
Until our next female guest… GO GIRL POWER!!! 😀
Cheers! 😉

@29 by Seun Aduwo

 @29
Would I stay this way, 
Pain in my heart, 
Slouch in my sway,
Praying for yet another dame?
@29
My being long’s for another;
Completion its goal,
A partner to bother,
Yet put smiles into her soul.
@29
I run the world
In search of my rib
someone to call my love,
For her I make this trip.
@29
Single I still am
Fickle in my choice
Her dimples a plus
Humming to be or not to be... 

by: Seun Aduwo
Yet another talented friend, people! Say hello to Seun Aduwo who unlike my previous Guest Damian Sinton, is not afraid to give his true identity 😀
I’m sure some of you are wondering “where on earth is all the female talent?!” but not to worry, I’ll have girl power in the house PRETTY soon! 😉 (lol!)
Till next time…  🙂
Cheers! 😉