₦airaland Forum

Mama A toke _ The Petty Trader.

Mama Atoke is a typical illiterate who resides in

Osanlu.She is a petty trader whose rented

apartment is a stone throw from the Osinokun's.

She is a plump dark woman in her late 40's.She

owns a small kiosk where she sells biscuits, sweets

and other daily needs.Mama Atoke sells her wares

amidst sweet gossips and nicety which has no doubt

earned her a lot of patronage and neighborhood

friends.

Her settlement in Osanlu dates back to 2 decades

away and just like the Osinokun's she knows

virtually the history of each household in the street.

Mama Atoke is yet to be blessed with the fruit of

the womb as history had it that she raised Atoke her

sibling's daughter as hers which therfore got her the

name Iya Atoke.Mama Atoke has gone through

various medical and herbal procedures concerning

her barrenness but being a soggy being it could be

because she might have failed one way or the other

to adhere to medical precautions that was

associated with such procedures. Mama Atoke often

says proudly "it is not too late for me to beget a

child and if Baba Loke says no, edakun Atoke tito

lomo"(meaning Atoke is God sent already)

Mama Atoke opens her kiosk very early everyday


so as to sell biscuits and confectioneries to the little


kids who will buy from her on their way to school.Her


goods is worth less than twenty thousand and


sometimes the neatly stacked Bournvita and Milo


tins are usually empty but meant for objects of


display."Miolewa ku I ku okowo aoma Fi shock ara


won beyen naani o" (meaning I can't kill my self


because of money one will continue to patch one


thing with another) she often mused to herself


whenever customers found out that are beverage


tins are empty. As soon as she sees that the early


buyers had gone, she enjoys stretching her body on


the long wooden bench in her kiosk and snore away


her worries.Her sleeping state doesn't usually


prevent her from responding and attending to


customers since she is a light sleeper.

Giving customers additional goods or additional


balances is her major flaw ."Eh eh lataaro ni mo tin


bansi owo ti o fe balansi yii o kamapuro 1 tousan ti.


won na mowo funmi naa Po o jee. Accounti ee


yeeyan to ba ti 1 tousand bati poju".meaning( I


have been trying to get this account balanced since


morning and am yet to.To say the truth I received


too much of 1 thousands from customers and it


often leaves my account unbalanced).she says at


all times when it's time she closed for her kiosk for


the day.


Mama Atoke scarcely discuss her matters with


people but openly welcome sweet gossips.In most


cases, her customers often turn down her petty


talks by frowning at her sluggishness.


"Emabinu,suru Lee she sherii ti mio ba ro Amala yii


Dan daada okoo mi o ni jee"( please you need to be


patient if I i do not stir the yam flour very well my


husband will get nauseated and won't eat it).My


chores comes before my wares don't send me


packing.


Mama Atoke usually dole out bitter kola and kola


nut to the elderly ones from her goods and in turn


receives blessings most especially on the issue of her


barrenness. She also feeds area boys and idle


youths from her cookings.She is mostly hailed as


"Mama a won Boys".to be continued...

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Gbolagun is a community with various inhabitants

ranging from the Elites, Illiterates, semi illiterates,

low income earners and petty traders.The road

that leads towards various streets Harbour ugly

looking potholes.During raining season, Gbolagun

main roads are usually flooded thus leaving it's

inhabitants to sought for other areas that could lead them to their various homes. The most popularly

and populated street in Gbolagun is Osanlu street

and the first household that catches one attention

in Osanlu is the Osinokuns.


The Osinokuns


They are called the councillor's. One cannot discuss

about various homes in Osanlu without paying

homage to this family.The name councillor was

derived as a result of the 1984 Kokomo local

government appointment being awarded to the

head of the family, Mr Osinokun.

A man in his sixties, a politician who has fallen

and risen on many occasions in the history of

politics.Mr Osinokun ishighly versed in political

history of Nigeria andcurrent affairs and had been

awarded various political appointments.
Mr Osinokun enjoys talking alot and whenever

he is not holding a political position.

He enjoys his daily activities by talking and

listening to street politicians and idle fellow in the

community. Mr Osinokun , a tall, lean ,dark skinned

man talks and boasts of his various acquaintances

with highly recognized political leaders in the

country."When I was with POP political party in 1990

I was their political adviser.It was then I realized

that there is money in politics". Beating his flat

chest in the midst of his fellow residents, " You

people knew how I lobby for constant electricity

supply for this community during Bola Ige's

regime.Sighing, "Nigeria of today is nothing to write

home about", he often laments.

At times , the fluctuation of Mr Osinokun's political

position affects the family's standard of

living.Although is bungalow appointment

appointment is moderately furnished yet it suffers

from terrible erosion during the rainy season most

especially when Gbolagun river overflew it's bank

and in effect, it pays homage to the Osinokun

apartment by dancing and settling itself in the

building and leaves most of their belongings spoilt

and unkempt. It is usually during these stormy

times that Mr Osinokun would remember that he

ought not to have sold his uncompleted apartment

or that his leaking roofing sheet needs to be

changed which leaves one wondering at times where

he had kept the money he derived from politics.
Mrs Lara Osinokun is a short dark skinned

woman,a fulltime housewife in her her mid 50's who

oftenlaments whenever the hard times times

sprangs up.

She loves gossiping with fellow housewives and

those that look up to her in the community as a

great mentor in in the history of motherhood. She

sometime says" Must I work? Heavens blessed me

rightfully with the kind of husband I have who had

been dancing to ma tunes all these years.May God

bless my female children with a husband like their

papa."while chatting with neighbors.

The Osinokun's are blessed with six children who

are mostly in mid thirties and and late

twenties.They all collaborate to celebrate New Year

and Xmas with their parent during Yuletide and

when they realized that its high time they

contributed to the renovation of their parent's

abode, they all contributed to the erection of the

highly built fence that surrounds their father's

compound so as to prevent it from being flooded by

erosion .Although the fence is as tall as the

popular Kirikiri prison fence in Ibadan yet Mr and

Mrs Osinokun prefers to sit outside the highly built

fence so as to see all that comes and goes within

Osanlu community.

Predicting when they might finally relocate to

another place place of abode might be a waste of

time because irrespective of their social or political

status they believe their livelihood begins, matures

and revolves around their semi ghetto environs.

Nice write up Tiffany, I have put man penmanship on hold until I am through with all your stories.As an aspiring novelist, u have really inspired me.Thumbz up dearie, don't mind haterz.

joseph1832:
We're all new. Lol. Read other poems and observe how the lines are structured and where the lines break, so you can learn the act of structuring.

kk I will.

Thanx bro, am still new at it that's why.

A Still, Stoic, Ground




Lodging Gangrenous bodies,



Green ones;Stale Ones




Enclosed in tombs;Encircled with branches.














Emotional Epitaphs!


Blooming roses and Matte Flowers,


Sitting on earth surfaces and Cracked Concretes


are Being Kissed by struggling weeds.

















Sniffling!


He Watched with dismay,His Arena of Ignoble

Display,


Which Shelters the Bones of the Poor;the Body of

the Rich.


Where the Powerful Cannot Pose as There is no

hope for dominance.





























He Then Realized!


That man's original habitation,


Is Neither an Edenic Suite Nor a furnished


Estate


But Six Feet Under,Where Dancing Bugs salivate.

I so much love this,you write beautifully sir.

joseph1832:
Its okay. Make every line begin with capital letter and punctuate appropriately.

Kk,tanx.

joseph1832:
Its not a problem. Just try and arrange it again.

I just modified it now.Hope its better now.

joseph1832:
Kindly arrange your poems in line and stanzas.

I did it,my phone must have rearranged it.sorry abt that.

They are hustlers.






Scavengers,travellers.






Roach eaters,






Hole inhabitants.







There they are,






Marching up the wall in line yet,not with pride







They move in group and converse in mass,






to make ends meet.








When a member sows singlehandedly,







They work in unison,to harvest fruitfully.







When a wounded member cease breath,you see







them brainstorming,







Bracing their shoulders for carriage,for it







Father's land beckons for burial.







There they are,







Small beings;promoters of oneness








Lower creatures with common goals








Speakers with a voice, fighting for a common cause







If human beings could emulate their uniformity,







If plurality hadn't eaten deep into our souls







If humans do not backbite but encourage one




another








The Earth would have become a better place to












stay.

Thumbz up larry,I love d story .Short,well written in simple sentences.Am an aspiring writer too.