The Vow (Part 3)

I got dressed and came out, then I saw my husband and Mark talking, then he looked at me and he smiled… He saw me this time, he saw me!...Then that thought came; “I really hope he’s having an affair”…
“Hi! Hope you slept well?” he asked.
“I did, good morning” I replied
Mark couldn’t stop staring at me, it made me uncomfortable and I told Jack to hurry up so I could go to work early. He said his goodbye to Mark, and we went on our way.
The road was very busy, many homes had not recover from the storm. While some were walking hurriedly to work, others, were honking their horns desperately as if that would hasten the traffic. I kept looking outside the window, I didn’t say anything to Jack, not like he would listen. He had that look he always have when he’s distracted. I wondered what it was that was eating him up. Every time I asked, he said nothing was wrong and that I was just being delusional.

The Vow (Part 2)

He was so close when my phone rang, I quickly jerked back. My hands trembled as I saw the name on the screen; it was my husband…
“He… hello” I stuttered.
“Where are you? Are you okay? I hope you are not in the storm” I heard the voice from the other end. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t. I don’t know why, but I felt strange, there was something in his voice, something I hadn’t heard for a long time, I couldn’t figure out what it was, but I knew it sounded like ‘care’….
“Are you there?” he asked.

The Vow (Part 1)

“I promise to love you, even when I hate you. To cherish every single moments of our lives together, to make your snoring a sweet music to my ear, and to never complain when you fart. I promise to prepare you toasted bread and tea for the rest of your life because that’s all I know how to cook. I promise to love you and only you no matter what, till I draw my last breath.
That was the vow I took on my wedding day, and it can’t stop playing in my head. God! Who forgets such a wonderful moment? I did.

For the Love of My Mother

"Madam, 'dress' well. Na four four we dey carry for this bus..."
And before the conductor could finish up...

The Gum Chewing Brouhaha

One thing is to chew gum; Another is to chew it properly.
Ever taken a long pause to observe the faces of those that chew gum improperly?- they look like Yaba-left materials.
An encounter at a road-side kiosk was a bit of an eye-opener, for me...
''Aunty yo-yo'', as we fondly call her, was fumbling with her waist purse, in a bid to get the recharge card I asked for.

Inseparable

He stood there for some minutes, looking around to see if any one was in sight. She sneaked behind him from the hut, and greeted him with her warm embrace.
She leaned on him and whispered into his ears.
"I am ready. Let's not wait any longer."
Her tone was definite. The meaning hit him. The look in her eyes was like a flame piercing through his soul, racing down his loins.

They ran crazily through the shrubs, digging their feet into the moistened earth. She tried to keep pace, lifting the hem of her gown, for ease of movement.
They came to a clearing and fell to the ground. She was lying on him. He stared into her big brown eyes, embracing her soft, languid frame.

We Are The Odinas (Part 6)

Chinedu
"So what do you think of the character, Medea?" Dad asked from 'his seat'. He was dressed as usual, in a dark brown flannel trouser and a checkered cotton night shirt. His glasses sat on his nose, magnifying his eyes pupils as they looked at me.
Two days ago, he had given me a book: Euripidies Medea. A classic play about Medea, a barbaric sorceress/princess who kills her two children to exert revenge on her unfaithful husband. Quite an interesting read.
"She is quite complex. A tragic hero. She is royal, a princess. Her actions in the play show that she is very expressive. She deeply loved her husband, Jason, well enough to desert her kingdom and elope with him to his home country. She gave up her royal inheritance and even killed her own brother to protect Jason and herself.

We Are The Odinas (Part 5)

Magnus
I walked into the empty staff room and let out a loud yawn. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to spending an hour alone marking scripts and preparing for tomorrow's class. There was something about the relative silence, the absence of another human being that makes me work more efficiently.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Odina." A cheery female voice said from behind me. I hoped it wasn't who I thought it was. No such luck. I turned around and gazed upon the speaker.
"Good afternoon, Miss Ogumanki." After the confrontation from the principal, I had spent the whole day worrying about Marge and I. I kept going over our conversations, trying to recall if I had ever said something that can be constructed to show an inappropriate relationship between us. So far, I have come up with nothing, but my mind keeps gnawing at me about a looming danger.

We Are The Odinas (Part 4)

Buchi
"Boys...sit down." Mom gestured to the twin sofa adjacent to her. The seat was upholstered with dark red 'akwa-oche' material that had - gone out of style before I was born and - lost its softness. Sitting in it for prolonged periods of time resulted in an uncomfortable bump on the butt cheeks, sleeping in the sofa was totally out of the question if you don't want to get a hunchback.
Chinedu flopped into the seat, a bored look on his face. I approached the seat warily as if it was a coiled serpent that would strike at any moment.

The Lost Self.

Tossed in the ocean of dreams
Dreams with masked faces
Selves stirred
And selves lost

Voices alike! Another soul worn
Souls with different cherries
With the Prince a dance at the market square
Beats drums gave, beats of fear danced to

An Intelligent Micro-Controller Based irrigation System With Sensors.

During my final year in school, i worked on a very interesting Project and thought it important to share it with my blog readers. Below is a paper i wrote on it. 
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM.

A Letter From A Belfast Sniper.

Dear Megan.
I write you this letter with a torn heart, my heart beats for you, It pains me that I cannot behold your springly figure. There is nothing but pain in this city. Every day, we are at it with the Brits, anytime I see a Landover, filled with arrogant Brits, I spit in disgust.

Katie's Letter.

Dear Jude,
I don't know if you will ever read this letter, but I have to write it. I don't want to but I fear that if I keep my feelings to myself, I'll explode.
I wish I could see you. Just one more time, so I can spit on your face. I want to you to hurt like I'm hurting. I want you to feel pain like I'm feeling. I want you to cry, the same way I've been crying over you. Yes, Jude. I hate you.
Remember the day we met, somewhere around Iyana-ipaja, I nearly hit you with my car. You turned to give me the middle finger but when u saw it was a lady driving, you just waved. I never told you this but that first time you looked at me, my heart stopped. That's why I had to convince you to let me give you a ride. You said you were going to Ikeja and I said I was going the same way. I lied. I was going to Abule-egba. I just wanted to be close to you. Why else would I have driven so slowly? We exchanged numbers and my joy was full.

Annals Of The Thereafter.

The maker so wanted the earth
To be a dwelling of mixed breath;
For the righteous ones be given
A paradisaical heaven.
When truth and time have unraveled
The exploits that long have traveled,
A state of judgment is decreed

We Are The Odinas (Part 3)

Magnus,I looked at my beloved Dutch wrist watch as I enter the staff room. My lovely wife, Uche had gifted it to me on our first year anniversary. It was my most prized possession. I thought about the length of time she must have saved to be able to purchase the stainless steel watch of such beautiful pattern, and I was assured that this woman loved and cherished me. Am I the luckiest man on earth or what? The watch read the time at 7:02. I was two minutes off my usual time of arrival to school. I cursed Uche under my breath.

We are the Odinas (Part 2)

Uche, Magnus is so stubborn. I've apologised to him countless times, loosing count of how many times I've muttered the words "I'm sorry". Each time he'd nod his head at me and go on with whatever he was doing: reading an old newspaper, marking some scripts by his students or lying on the bed staring straight at the ceiling. To a stranger, it might seem like he hasn't taken the issue at heart, and that person wouldn't be far from the truth. Magnus is a peaceful man who doesn't waste his time carrying a grudge.

Adenuke's Breakthrough

“Is everything okay?” Tayo asked.


“I’m fine” I quickly melted into my bed sheet and buried my whole body in it.


Later that evening, I was discharged. I stood in the parking lot and kept wondering where to go. Tayo suddenly took my hands and dragged me inside his car. He told me he knew I had nowhere to go and that he wasn’t planning on leaving me in the streets. I tried to protest, but I couldn’t.

Adenuke's agony (Part 3)

It was so dark, and the street was empty. Not a single soul was outside; at least none that I could see. The only people there were those two hefty guys, one was on red and the other on black. They started to approach me and they were getting awfully close. I tried to think of something but the only thing that came to my mind was ‘RUN!’
I had always wanted to die. There were times when I just prayed that God should take my life. But now that I can see my own death, I feel so scared.
I was so terrified, and soon began to cry silently. I thought of my parents, and murmured a prayer;

Adenuke's agony (Part 2)

One morning, I woke up feeling so sick, tired and heavy; it was like a 50kg load was being placed on me. I was just sleeping around and vomiting. My aunt was so mad that day because I had burnt the food I was preparing because I slept off while cooking. I heard her telling my uncle that she thinks I am pregnant. My uncle had hushed her, and said I was probably tired.

Unappreciated.

Mama was always the back bone of our family.
A selfless loving and caring mother who was ready to starve to death as far as her children eat.
Mama was never lucky in marriage, as the first man she got married to made her his antidote for being a half man.
He went as far as starving her, not allowing her eat from the meal she prepared.
Mama once told me how she sneaked some leftovers remained by visitors to eat after being starved for days.

We Are The Odinas (Part 1)

Chinedu
"Daddy, I'm hungry..." Arinze said in his little sing-song voice. I looked up from where I was seated chatting with Habdul to see Arinze in a faded yellow polo and no shorts. The polo was a hand-me-down from Buchi, my eleven year old immediate younger brother.
Our father didn't even look at him. With his eyes still glued at the television, he asked, "Didn't you just eat?"
"I did... But it didn't even reach the bottom. Nenu afo m, o pere mpe. Look at my stomach, it's small. I'm still hungry. I told mommy and mommy said that I should tell you. See, my stomach is making noise like your car. Kporrro!!!" Arinze said.

Adenuke's Agony (Part 1)

Aduke!” I patiently waited for my aunt to call the third time before answering. “Ma!” I shouted as if I just heard her call, ran into the living room, and knelt.
“So you are counting my words before answering right?” she shouted as she shot me a daring look.
“I couldn’t hear you because the blender was on” I lied.
“Why is dinner not served yet?”
“I just came in from the market not quite long, after I picked Arole from school. The traffic was too much on the way, but I am almost done, it’s just left for me to turn the eba”
“Ooh, okay, anyway, I just…” she bent down as if to pick something, she picked her slippers and hit me heavily on the face.

On that day

On that day
That blessed day
The day He will come
To take His people home
Some call it 'Rapture'
Others call it 'Judgment day'
But we all know
That day will surely come
When all mortal creatures
Will account for their stay
And time spent on earth

My Response to women who are against Feminisim.

Imagine this:

The year is 2015. You are a white Western woman. You
wake up in the morning in a comfortably sized house or flat.
You have a full or part-time job that enables you to pay your
rent or mortgage. You have been to school and maybe even
college or university as well. You can read and write and
count. You own a car or have a driver’s license. You have
enough money in your own bank account to feed and clothe
yourself. You have access to the Internet. You can vote. You
have a boyfriend or girlfriend of your choosing, who you can
also marry if you want to, and raise a family with. You walk
down the street wearing whatever you feel like wearing.
You can go to bars and clubs and sleep with whomever you
want.
Your world is full of freedom and possibility.
Then you pick up a newspaper or go online. You read about
angry women ranting about sexism and inequality. You see
phrases like ‘rape-culture’ and ‘slut-shaming.’ You furrow
your brow and think to yourself: ‘What are they so angry
about? There is no such thing as sexism anymore.’

HADIZA

 

She is my northern beauty

All covered up in hijab

Draws her khimar over her bossom

Covered up in burqa when in public

Yet she radiates joy from within

She is chaste and virtuous

Face shining with purity

A reflection of dignity

Arousing reverence

Sweet Nothings.

Sweet nothings
Of love and life
My phone rings
My heart skips
The caller ID displays your name
Then i hear your voice
You call me your baby
I start to feel dizzy

The Rainmaker....(Part 1)

Lightening struck, accompanied by loud bangs of thunder. The bang was so loud that it threw her off guard, she jerked with fright and fell to the moist ground. She winced in pain as the light came closer, quickly rolling over to the shrubs , then jumped to her feet. She ran blindly through the farm digging her bare feet. She ran blindly through the farm digging her bare feet into the ground. The bang hit again, this time she stood firmly on her feet and clenched tightly on the stick.           

Bullets and Fireworks

When bullets sing
Some get medals
Some get mangled— Ezenwa-Ohaeto.When Bullets Sing.
Kpum! Kpai! Tai! Ka boom!

The Army Wife.

I feel his scars as I rub his back
Two marks from bullet wounds
Sustained in a peace-keeping mission
He was scarcely around
But whenever he was in
The children play 'Soldier' with his boots
While I hold him in my arms