Silence

I've tried for 6 months and counting
and yet I only end up ranting
The words, can't find ,at least not in English
Latin I could try but not to speak gibberish
I sleep and wake and find no help
My heart bursting open to try once more
and say those things it tried to say before

Then I heard the sound of no sound
The quietness that says so much with words unspoken
Pretty intense, cannot be ignored
I heard , all so clearly
and found my response in same silence
that is accompanied by fast heartbeats

The world around seemed non-existent
Like every clock was stopped
To witness this silent communication
The words weren't there but we could feel
Our hearts beating, same cycle, same rhythm
I'm still searching for those words
the exact ones to express
what you mean to me

Then and Now!!!

One step closer to the letterbox
My heart beat was in leaps and jumps
How many would I see?
those pretty envelopes addressed to me
My legs were too slow I thought
I smiled as my hands touched the knob

My smiles gave way to a frown
as I opened and saw nothing, felt nothing
What is happening to my world I thought?
And just as the first tear dropped
I looked behind me, straight at a billboard
That i'ld never noticed in ages
Go for a Blackberry , say bye to letters
My world had swallowed me up
but the world had left me behind

To and from

She tried so hard but could not
let go of her heart and mind
it felt like hell, but then was it?
It was tugged and pulled from her
by who you wonder, love it was
that snatched her heart and confined her mind
to that place where no reason exists

Reason came back and so did her mind
Her heart on her way back form the destination called love
Rough and tough along the way
She refused to give up, come what may
Still feels like hell, but then is it?
running, tripping and sweating it all
from the place where no reason exists

ASARO

The dreams kept me going
The image kept me wanting
I couldn't think of nothing else
My mind , 100% occupied
He got jealous, yes jealous
'Cos I was cheating on him as far as he could see
Couldn't hear his words no more
My mind was fixed, I wasn't going to falter
I moved, closer and closer
I sweated on both hands and feet
My eyes transfixed, my heart missing beats
He was angry but I was out of reach
Moving away from him once more
And causing him pain once again
Would I miss him, didn't want to think
Not that it mattered at this point in time
My moment of bliss, that moment
When my lips touched and my tongue rolled
the moment I ate Mrs Dabiri's ASARO

Where did it start from?

Who was the First Nigerian President? When did Nigeria gain Independence? When did Nigeria become a republic? The above are typical questions for a Nigeria history exam. All the facts and figures must be right at your finger tips to make close to a pass mark. I watch in amusement how much and how well our youngsters cram these facts to pass their exams. Unfortunately, there is no lesson learnt and no value passed to these kids.

When Russians learn of their communist history and when Black Americans sit down to watch the tear-provoking episodes of Roots. As the name, 'Kunta kinte' sounds like the wake up crow of a red horned cock, the black American little boy remembers that he came on a ship to the melting pot of the world but he also knows , quite evidently by the recent US election that black or white, all men have rights . He resolves to tread those places that no black man has reached. It's the history that produced Colin Powell, Jesse Jackson and even Barack Obama. Those kids are filled with resolve to make their country better, to become better heroes than the ones they have read and heard so much about. Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jnr, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, and the endless list of those that make us marvel with awe.

What do we pass to our kids in a history class asides those details that can be summarized in a 40 leave booklet sold on the streets of Lagos? Those books are typically called' Current affairs in Nigeria' or better still, 'Passing your history exam in flying colours' . As parents buy that almost perfect collation of facts, for the simple purpose of passing a paper. As primary school pupils recite the states and capitals of Nigeria without flinching, and as I struggle to learn the new ministerial list that changes like card shuffle. As I Google the list of state governors just to appear to be slightly smarter than my colleagues. I wonder, so hard that I get wrinkles on my face, what history we have about our rulers in this country asides the creation of new local government councils, creation of new parastatals, impeachment of state governors, election malpractice, court injunctions, and even assassination in some cases. I weep because the colorful part of our history ended with independence and the God- given advocates that made October 1, 1960 worth remembering. And please don't take that for granted. It takes skill, patience, knowledge and maybe anointing to negotiate the future of a whole nation with the most powerful lady in the world at that time. I wish I had videos of those sessions, those patriots that put the nation above themselves. I would show my kids with pride what some Nigerians like Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe did on behalf of Nigeria.

But then again, that is where Nigeria history ends as far as I'm concerned. I imagine if I were to write Nigeria's Obituary

NIGERIA

Born 1960, Great potential nation

1960-2008 (nothing positive to report)

2009 (rebranding exercise)

Died…………

And just as I write, I see a news flash,' Controller-General of Nigeria Customs service may emerge today.' And another one, 'First Nigerian-made armored car being launched by president'. I can almost predict the next, 'Press conference by some state governor' or 'President travels to Australia to visit the Minister of Power and exchange ideas'. How much worse could it get? Why should it be news that Lecturers are being paid their salaries or that roads are being repaired. What then is the Nigeria's definition of normal events? What exactly is the job description of a NIGERIAN President or governor? Who do they report to? Do they get performance reviews? Am I asking too many questions?

Where did this all start? It's easy to blame individuals and add a corrupt tag to most if not all of our leaders but I refuse to do that. Leaders are born out of society and not the other way round. I laugh endlessly at people that say,' when they get into power , they change'. Change to what exactly? Our leaders are simply a reflection of the greater part of our society. We might argue that they weren't elected, they rigged the election. Trust me, rigging is not a one-man campaign. You, yes, you the ordinary man down the street that feels so upright and just cannot be absolved of blame. We, everyone that calls himself/herself Nigerian is to blame for everything that has gone wrong. And just before you frown your face as the pangs of guilt flow straight from this piece to the depth of your heart. Let's go back to those corrupt and dark moments that your children saw. The times you bribed the PHCN officials, the times you bribed for your children to gain admission into an educational institution. Yes, that moment when you threw the pure water sachet out of the car unto the road. The moment when little Dammy said, 'Daddy, why are you beating the traffic light?' You all remember those moments. That is where it all started from. The corruption, the lack of respect for law and authority did not start with policemen demanding bribes on the street, but started when you parked wrongly along the road. Generation, after generation, we multiplied the sin, the hatred, the corruption and here we are in 2009.

Light Up Nigeria

And darkness covered the whole earth
Or so it seemed to my finite mind
I could see nothing and hear nothing
but the sound of crickets and frogs
What happened? Are the gods angry?
Is battle coming? Are we ready for a fight?

I slowly searched through my diary
Yes, the diary lodged in my mind
We kept the New year festival
and we observed the usual annual fast
What could we have done wrong, I pondered?
Shall I visit the shrine to find out
Or shall I call for a meeting of the elders
I searched the chronicles and recited them
all to my unlistening audience
trying to fathom the infinite darkness
Said my prayers, did they work?
Not soon enough if they did
I started to hear footsteps
but still I had no answers
The morning came slowly or so it seemed
At last I released a statement
"All women and children should be home before nightfall"
At least, I felt in control

Tis wasn't a solar eclipse
was the beginning of a degradation
of an institution and a nation
The lights out became more regular than not
At last we were back to candles and lanterns
Heaven to hell, or so it seemed
Will things get better, I dared to hope
But as I told this story on my dying bed
I gave a charge to those little kids
Change does not come until you dare
to challenge the status quo
At this point , I left a dying wish
#lightupnigeria

Re: A Nation’s Identity Crisis

Identity crisis- a disorientation concerning one's sense of self, values, and role in society, often of acute onset and related to a particular and significant event in one's life.

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary 28th Edition, Copyright© 2006_Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

I read Reuben Abati’s article, titled A Nation's Identity Crisis and I tried very hard to get the point. I cannot disrespect Flora Shaw, any less the name ‘Nigeria’ but I find it difficult to diagnose ‘identity crisis’ by the factors mentioned by Reuben. Based on Reuben’s diagnosis, the USSR had an identity crisis in 1991, hence the name Russia. The Ghanaian Cedi had an identity crisis hence its redenomination. So also, Persia, Rhodesia, Abyssia, East Pakistan, Gold Coast and Upper Volta. Now we must be living in a pathetic world, even worse now with the global recession. Probably the United Kingdom might become ‘Greater United Kingdom’ by the time the world economy picks up again. I can almost hear Reuben saying, ‘Identity Crisis’.

The article did make me think. Yes, I wondered if the out-going old generation has the discipline or the patience to write complete sentences or think through a subject to its logical end. And if they do, how much virtue is there in keeping this ‘good’ to themselves and to the grave. Where did the younger ones go wrong? Was it in trying to improve what they met or living the life that they met. Can I blame my five year old neighbor for not knowing what a pedestrian crossing is when there are none on the roads or would I rather blame the town planners for not enforcing some certain road signs? No, I would rather blame the painter for not sparing some excess white paint for the ‘Pedestrian Crossing’ noble cause. Think about it.

The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Social environment is the culture that he or she was educated and/or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom the person interacts. With the world being a global village, the environment is infinitely extensive. For instance, if you consider the evolution of Mambo, salsa and any of the Cuban dances, you would realize how much external influence defined those dances today. This might be because I’m not the Chief Editor of Guardian newspapers, but I would rather dance away my frustrations than write them.

I can do anything

It's up to me, solely to me

to make sure things are right with me

As a man thinketh, so is he

the things he is are just a sea

Of all his mind has lodged within

It's been so long and if feels like yesterday
I could only be silent until today
Still remember the laughter and joy you spread
Just anytime and to everyone you met
I can't forget the prayers you prayed
On every thing and for everyone even unmet
It's still this hard to let you go
even at four years running I shed more tears
Still wish it didn't happen that way, that time and to you
I wish I had one more chance to tell you how much you blessed my life