Tag: writing

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! 🙂

My Resolutions

Its the month of the crab people! 🙂 (OK, the other month of the crab) and JUST A FEW WEEKS TO MY BIRTHDAY!!! No, this post does not contain my wish list ….that will come later 😉 (lol!)

This may sound funny, but I have always seen my birthday as the real moment for ushering in the new year. I take my time to make new resolutions weeks before “D-day” and spend the next year working on my new cause. I turned the big “THREE- O” last year and weeks before my birthday, no, this time it was months before my birthday! I began panicking about entering the 3rd decade of my life without the “would be” fulfillment of most women my age (you know- A home, marriage, kids and perhaps a dog or maybe even a cat). I was fortunate enough to have the encouragement of friends older than myself, either of a similar circumstance or lucky enough to be living the fairytale life.

I specifically remember the advice of a girlfriend of mine. Chidinma, then in the 2nd year of her 30’s, 4 years married and a mom of 2, told told me with eyes rolling

“marriage and all that comes with it is …yes, wonderful! But if you don’t have it at this time, don’t sweat it, it will come at the right moment and hopefully you will have what it takes (i.e. the maturity and patience)to see  yours through. No panic, go throw yourself for the wrong man hand o! This is the time to love yourself and love life, and instead of becoming desperate for what you don’t have, look to what you do have and appreciate it ALL.”

I took that piece of advice and have held on to it till this very day! 30 has finally come and as its about flying out the window, I can proudly say that I have spent this year being more appreciative of my every breath  of life and the people I share it with. So on to the next one! 🙂

This coming year its all about:

  • Eating Healthy –  I seem to have over indulged myself for most of last year ( must’ve  gone a bit over board with the whole love myself move :D). I believe I gained about 10 pounds ’cause I’m almost a dress size bigger now 😐 . So no more sweet stuff for me! No more junk! no more cakes! …Getting very sad as I write all this :(, but its called sacrifice 😉 and luckily for me not only is Chidinma a wonderful counselor, she’s also coaching me through this new life style of mine … GO CHIDINMA!!!! 🙂
  • Joining a Cause – I believe that is very necessary for everyone to join a selfless cause at some point in their life and for me its going down in mid- 2012! Well I’m still looking for one though, so if you have any ideas or links please hook me up pronto!!!  THANKS! 😉
  • Rekindle my passion for Pets (Dogs to be more exact) -There was a time I could tell you  a lot about dog breeding and care; I could walk into most houses where there were dogs unafraid, and when all my passwords had something to do with canines or bore the name of my pets. I still love dogs and have 2 beautiful Alsatians back in my home town, but its time to step it up a bit. I intent becoming more informed about these wonderful creatures (the different breed, their temperaments, and how best to care for them). No, I’m not looking at becoming another “Dog Whisperer“, but I do plan on taking care of a number of them like I did as a kid someday.
  • Keep Loving ME and Stay Positive about the Future – I believe that sums it up. Still single, no kids and yet to land my dream job but hey, THIS IS LIFE and I am and will continue living it for all its worth :). Sure, sometimes I ache for the next chapter whatever it maybe, but I will be sure to keep reminding myself that it is best to be thankful for “the here and now” and be hopeful for the future.

I know there is so much more I intend doing this new year but I can’t think of them all right now, so I’ll be sure to fill you in on my progress come next year God willing.  😉

Cheers! 🙂

P.S- Wish list coming soon 😉

😀 HEHEHE!!!!

Her Real Awakening

6:20A.M:
The sky slowly lights up and rays from the still hidden sun softly filter into a dimly lit bedroom, to reveal a dark, feminine figure tossing uncomfortably on her bed. Her body, unwilling to wake continues to fight the break of day , yet in her subconscious she begins to narrate her daily anthem :

“Sometimes I wake in the night. Alone. Thoughts of decisions made. Thoughts of opportunities. Gone. I toss, I turn, and eventually sleep again. I wake to a new dawn, wiser. I awake to the first day….. of the rest of my life”

 Approaching the end of her mental monologue, she lay still on her back. Eyes shut, she inhales deeply,  and as air is released from her chest  her eyes pop wide open. This is her daily ritual for embracing the dawn after which she usually springs up to begin a new day. Today however things have taken on a different shape. Her ritual lacks its edge. On a normal morning everything she did was marked from the moment the sun began to peep through the horizon to her recital and everything else that followed, but presently she seemed stuck  in the moment “embracing the dawn” for much longer that usual. She lay almost lifeless in bed as though desiring for time to stand still. She found herself going over the anthem again and again, and the more she did the more paralyzed she felt. The words seem to take on new meaning today. An expected reaction of course for a woman only hours away from her 3oth birthday. In retrospect surely she had taken a lot for granted in her life time leading her to miss out on A LOT of opportunities, which included a few marriage proposals here and there. Regret was normal for a woman her age, but sadly she doubted that she had learned much from her mistake or that she was any wiser today. Her babyish looks and her overly free spirited way of life seemed to have been her curse.
Summoning up nerve she finally manages to drag herself out of bed to commence her last experience as a woman of the 20’s club. Slowly making her way towards the bathroom she heads straight for the sink. A splash of ice cold water on the face seems to do her some good when she pauses again at the sight of her own reflection in the mirror, and once again she is thrown into a state of panic. Maybe its her imagination but she suddenly notices stress lines and wrinkles across her face that may or may not have been there the night before. A some-what thorough inspection of her facial features is carried out. She pokes and pulls at the skin and at the same time makes funny faces to ease the tension welling up inside her.”You done dey old o babe” she says under her breath while looking back at her untidy frame and playfully pulling at her kinky locks of hair. Standing erect and very still she stares seriously at the mid-aged reflection of herself and suddenly realizes how  ironic the phrase”I awake to the first day….. of the rest of my life”  seems for that very moment in time. Yes, it is her first day…and yet her last as she dies to one decade to be born into the next. She smiles….


Meet Maame!

Hi people!
Permit me as I introduce a VERY talented young lady in today’s post. Her name is Hazel and is also known as “Maame“.
Well, the heading on her blog says a lot about her: “Adorned in African beads and riding a kangaroo, I am an African Australian“. To be more direct, she is Ghanian, but was born and lives in Australia. 😉
Besides her poetry she is also an aspiring Public Health Practitioner; Her hobbies are dancing, coloring, drawing, reading and writing; She loves kids, pets and traveling.
One of the many things I admire about Hazel besides her wide smile and cheerful nature is that though raised in Diaspora, she constantly holds on to her African heritage; You can even tell from some of her poems 🙂 … We communicate on Skype, and I can tell you that it is ALWAYS  a thrill when we get to chatting in Pigeon English 😀
Meeting Maame on WordPress has been a blessing as I have found a friend and an online African Sister in her 😉 … I’m glad that she is very much in love with the color of her skin and the many cultures it encompasses.
Below is one of her earlier pieces, which I still find  very intense till this day:
Ramblings of Children in Diaspora – Binta and Yataa

Ramblings of Children in Diaspora:
“War”
Pa,Pa,Pa that is a noise of war.
The sound of a shotgun killing the acquitted.

Ta ta ta that is a noise of war.
The sound of a man’s hard leather boots.
Moving across the wooden floors boards in our abandoned house.

Sh,sh,sh that is a noise of war.
The sound of a young men luring innocent girls into their dungeons.

Hm,hm,hm that is a noise of war.
The sound of a mother worried about the welfare of her children.
As she drinks dirty polluted water after giving her children the last bottle .

Can you hear our cries? Can you picture our lives?
As we run, we run as far as our swift small feet can take us.
We pray as we sleep the dirt of the earth becomes a blanket.
But when we sleep we can still hear the noises of war.
They are a never-ending soundtrack that replays every day in our heads.
As we awake from our nightmares we are forced to a life of confinement.
Refugee living.
Our mother died from cholera. We prayed and prayed for god to save her.
But she didn’t survive.
Our father shot by the soldiers and now we are orphans of war.
Without parents we sit and wait for someone to take us to a distant place.
As we wait,we pray. As we pray, we lose faith.
Week by week.Hour by hour. Day by day.
Finally we are rescued by a long lost aunty.
My sister and I are taken away to the promise land.
Memories of Sunday school in the village fill our minds.
Surely God had remembered us like the Israelites.
We thought we were  going to be so happy.
We love eating bread and jam, milk and chocolate cake.
Truly Living life in London is a blessing
But war still haunts us.
We still see the soldiers who killed my father in our dreams.
The rebels who defiled our lives and robbed our sacred  pride.
This scares us and we feel like the living dead.
walking amongst the people of this cruel world.

Drip,Drip,Drip this is a result of war.
I am a young child, Binta 12 years old
Yet I still wet my bed every night.
In fear for my life.

Shake,Shake,Shake  this is a result of war.
I am Yataa, A young teenage girl who cannot speak English
on her first day of high school.
I have been stigmatized , ostracized and traumatize.
since that day I have never been the same.
I find it hard to talk to strangers often get scared of  the slightest noise surrounding me.
I am  just a small  girl yet I have viewed more than most adults have ever seen.
We hope one day that war will cease to exist just like our childhoods were diminished.
By;Maame Afrique

For more of her work please check out her blog at “Fairy Floss Fantasies & Sugar Coated Dreams” (Yes its a link, so click on it! :D)
MUCH LOVE!!!! 😉