₦airaland Forum

RICH TODAY

I was having five thousand naira,
as I walked towards enehren junction
and I saw a game of interest
sleight of hands trick
I was willing to walk past
but I stayed.

The guy put his hands in his pockets,
brought a thousand naira note
there were three unidentical wallets on the table
he said I put the notes in one,
I'll switch the wallets,
who pinpoints correctly gets the cash.

He started a story as he switched,
“one man get fine wife”
the guys around replied “fine wife”
“he commot for house go work”
“he go work”
“before he come back one day”
“one day”
“he wife don commot with her things”
they replied “where she go?”
Them say she follow Johnny ”
“because he get 30 billion”
they replied “30 billion?”
“The man rush go where he keep money”
“he keep money ”
“For inside one of this wallet”
“this wallet”
“If you see the money”
“Oya collect am”.

A guy pointed at one wallet,
as he opened it, he shouted “No!”
and I reluctantly pointed at the middle purse
as he opened he shouted “Yes!”
“Bros oya put something and collect everything”
Interested I placed Two thousand
After the song singing
I was left with Three thousand
He said “Bros win your money back”
reluctantly I placed another Two thousand
all I heard next when I picked
a wallet was his loud voice “No!”
He said “Bros oya put your phone
make you collect everything”
I turned towards another direction
and I walked away,
faster than my legs could carry me
It was a sham and I had fallen.

After that day I lost my money,
and though I lost, but I gained something
“SENSE”, it came like catching a cold
the hand that gathers not, only scatters
doubling money was far from hardwork
that day ended with me losing
with me being broke,
but I am RICH TODAY
in sense.

I wanna say a big thank you to y'all for your encouraging comment, I would have love to type your names but I'm still new to this nairaland ish........

HAPPY NEW YEAR...

John944:
Nice composure,we need more of this!

Thanks for the comment.

“Hello bros” the face of kester was in surprise as he listened to the voice from the other end of the line,
“Yes I don almost through with class, na hostel I dey go once I finish” , the other voice continued the dialogue and Kester finally replied “okay I dey wait for you”.
A smile appeared on the face of Kester and he put his infinix hot note 4 into his pockets.
He was in the new 1000 lecture theatre but the call had made him excuse himself outside,
“wetin come make bros wan show up naw, I fit say na Lag he dey naw he said aloud to himself, well na better don show be that for me”, he was smiling mischievously as he walked into the L.T, he picked up his bag and as he was heading outside he heard the course lecturer's voice from the mic “hey you!, you with low cut wearing barca Jersey ” he turned towards the front of the L.T and saw the piercing eyes of the Lecturer, he walked carefully towards him and told him quietly he just got call from his brother, that he is needed in warri urgently that the cause is home trouble, although his brother did not specify, the lecturer told him to get out and he did smiling.
“we too get format” he whispered to himself as he set out for his hostel, hall 4.

Kester arrived at his hostel and walked very quickly to the stuffy tunnel in unit 2, room 159, he greeted his roommates who were also just arriving from class as it was obvious due to their argument about the test they had just taken, he dropped his bag on his bed took off his clothes and opened his cupboard, brought out his bucket and went to bathe.


Some hours after.............
Ochinsky looked at the willowy frame of his brother who was approaching him, the guy seem well fed even for his slim shape,
“how far little bro?”, he extended his hands to the little man, Kester smiled and replied
“i fit say na lag u be dey before naw” , Ochinsky just chuckled and slapped his cheeks playfully
“question naw you take dey answer my question, na wetin dem dey teach una for this una school abi?”
before kester could reply, Ochinsky told him
“na work wey I go package for waf town, before kpo kpo wan bust their head na make i enter this land of red soil o.........”
“abi u no dey see say I no carry my ride”, “shebi you don forget say na something na make toad dey run for afternoon” he finally added.
Kester still unsatisfied asked his elder bro
“why you come enter school, you for just lodge for hotel naw”, Ochinsky still smiling replied
“he get wetin I wan yarn with you but make we first go chill, any spot dey around here ?”
Kester replied “many spot dey, but make we go staff quarters I no wan commot school.”
The both of them stepped out of the confinements of the school hostel and Kester stopped a cab “senior staff club”,
the cab man replied “hundred naira o” and Ochinsky who was smiling asked the cab man “you get change?” as himself and his brother entered laughing.


______________________________

The Superintendent Office Ekpan police command.
While awaiting the Superintendent in charge of Ochuko Okoloba's file to brief him about his recent updates, Sandra was already thinking about the earlier charade of scolding gotten from Inspector Daniel Okpako, she knew where the real one would take place, Wetland hotel where she would meet him, all because she had led them on a false trail and even committed a crime of adding skunk(special Igbo) to the suspect's bag and only the inspector was aware and can frame her for that as compromise of law and order. She was really in a mess but what can she do.
“Sandra good afternoon, how are you?” ,
“shun sir” she mouthed as she saluted the heavily built man that entered what seem to be his office,
“am doing fine sir, sir I just updated the report from our trails and the little files recovered....”
Looking into the face of Ola was like looking at the devil himself, ruthless, wicked, ugly and suicidal according to hearsay, nearly got himself killed by Ekpan youths some years back while investigating their corrupt chairman, since he received a serious beating in his residential house, reports said after shooting two of the youths who dusted off the bullets as mere paper shot from rubber band, he ran away but they trailed him to his house and waited until nightfall, before they dealt with him, since then he has vowed not to interfere with community matters again.

“so a blurred video of a masturbating white woman, a transaction slip of $30,000 is what you call update abi”....,
“am telling you that the information we are getting from our sources cannot keep coming forever, sooner or later Okoloba will discover his mole and then what do you think will happen”, “he go vanish like willy willy and trust me na suffer head go keee you and those incompetent superiors of your useless division”, he was almost already shouting at the top of his voice, Sandra could only whisper an audible
“am sorry sir”,
“get out from my office” Ola finally concluded, as she walked out with her head down.

___________________________________


Senior staff club, UNIBEN.
“why you dash the cab man full 1k naw bros”, Kester who was sipping a chilled malt asked before returning to his almost finished plate of fried chicken,
“leave am e, the man no get change and I no get time to dey waste” Ochinsky replied, he was also sipping a cold malt until his iPhone rang and he picked the call
“Yes naw, drive enter the school make you come senior staff club I dey there”,
“na which car you dey carry come?..........Lexus 330?”.........
“okay I dey wait for you” he ended the call.
Ochinsky looking at the face of his brother told him,
“you remember Osas, that my smallie for that our h.k with bros Coded ”,
Kester nodded in understanding while munching his chicken, his brother continued “he dey come meet me, na him place I wan dey till on Thursday before I go travel.......”
“but no be that one i wan tell u, I wan open new account for you because the work don dey risky and if they arrest me them go likely collect everything”,
“so we go handle that one tomorrow, four different accounts” , ochinsky looked at his shocked brother's face and continued
“then I don already buy two stalls for warri”, “one na barbing saloon the other one na boutique, later I go clear you where them dey, and where the papers dey”.
“I don already register them self, I don pay for everything, so na from the money wey go dey these accounts wey we wan open you go take dey run the stalls, dey send mumsi and popsi small thing monthly o, even when you dey holiday.....”
he finally concluded still looking at his brother's face, Kester managed to ask
“which country you dey go?” and Ochinsky laughed hard
“you be mumu o, who tell you say I dey travel, I just want make you dey manage something”.
But he was sure his brother was not satisfied by the puzzled look on his face, so he said
“am going to France by next month to meet the white woman, and I don't want you to enter this street life while am away....”
“Bros thank you, thank you very much”, Kester was finally able to find his voice and it was then a white Lexus 330 pulled into the open parking space and a young fair guy on jeans and Gucci white sleeves paired by his white Gucci sneakers hailed Ochinsky
“bros O.c”, “Osas the big man” Ochinsky replied, “see your big belly, na enjoyment you dey o”.
Osas still smiling, hanged the car keys to his trousers and was walking to their table which was under the general palanquin shade.
Ochinsky smiled and looked at his brother I hear say hall 2 girls dey fine o, Kester shouted “na who tell you dat one naw bros”,
“we go reach there this evening, then from there we go enter club Jokers”, Ochinsky concluded smiling as he shook hands with Osas.

Ochinsky alighted from the bus with other passengers and stepped outside Bob-Izua park, only to be welcome by the blazing hot sun, it was like the angel regulating the intensity of the Sun rays around Benin was asleep, the shouts of ring road-main gate-isioooooooi....ringro ringro, ringro did not ameliorate the wildness of the ever busy ring road.
He looked at his left and observed the market women, who brought fried rice, jollof rice and other assorted food to this busy place to sell, while some are trying to draw attention of the moving populace by calling for them to patronise their food, some amount of spittle kept flying into the half covered rice inside the party cooler, It reminded him of his mother's early suffering.

Popsi was a civil worker with w.r.p.c but he was a mere gardener, who had obtained a National diploma from Petroleum training Institute, so no matter how hard he worked, he brought home little or no money, coupled with the fact that the contractors always withheld their pay, so mumsi had to sell plantain, potato and garri at udu market and sometimes Jigbale “when the situation don dey tie wrapper” as she would put it, he remembered how they squeezed themselves inside the zinc house close to udu summay,
but “we suffer sha” but that was all in the past now,
“Chairman you no go enter cab?”, an agbero quickly brought him back to his consciousness with his spit dripping smelling mouth,
“where the cab?” ochinsky asked not minding the odour and the young man pointed him to an old model Audi which is almost dead than alive..,
“what about that clean mercedez wey dey there, no be drop?” Ochinsky pointed at the cleanest cab lining up at the busy road,
“that one na 2k” ,
“how much to carry me enter the school?” he asked, the driver who was already looking towards the thug and ochinsky started walking briskly towards them and ochinsky looked at the thug and asks him
“how much be your cut before?”,
“chairmo na small thing o” he replied, though he was older than Ochinsky but wealth they say sometimes determine age, Ochinsky quickly took his hands to his pockets and brought out a crispy note of a thousand naira and gave it to him, amidst the twales and the hailing he was dishing out on Ochinsky, the voice of the thug faded as he walked towards the driver of the mercedez and told him “UNIBEN hall 4”,
the elderly man replied “three thousand ” and he said “make we dey go”.

Thanks for your comments, but am keeping the story very short.........

When the going gets tough, only the tough gets going
No matter how dem drive motor inside t.v, e no fit jam you wey dey watch am........

leefrak9:
REDInks warri pickin I grit u....u na urhobo college alumni abi...cos I b dom Domingos alumni

[right][/right]
leefrak9 I won't deny, i have affiliations with urhobo college.....

FRIEND ZONE


©REDInks, 2017. All rights reserved. This poem or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.


When we first met, she didn't tell me I was never her type, she didn't remind me of how I never met her hype, she only taught of me as a friend and how that was my zone.

Love at first sight was a dream that met reality,
I met her when my heart was locked in a battle of spirituality,
but all that came to a stand still when I saw her,
her appearance was simple yet more appealing to my eyes,
as she stood still, looking into her eyes was more like looking into my future,
and it was bright, she was carrying our third child while the first boy and the second girl sang beautiful hymns worthy of angels,
and there she was smiling at me,
such a beautiful sight,
I was already lost in her beauty, but her voice brought me back to reality,
only to let me wander in her beautiful gaze in infinity,
when she spoke, it was like a thousand notes of sweet harmony,
we talked and became friends,
while I bask in the euphoria of something more than just a friend.


When I said I wanted love, I didn't ask for the picture...I need the real thing.


She led me to the altar, only to crucify me at the front of the pulpit,
she led me to believe we had a future,
when she knew I was not part of her future plans,
she called for my healing words when she was down,
and I stripped her nude with the voice of apollo all round,
she tasted the joy of my longing for love,
but she knew that this feeling will not last for long,
when we met she reminded me of how handsome I was,
while I told her she was beautiful beyond Lebanon falls.

Even when I said everything truthfully,
she kept her details to herself smiling sheepishly,
while she led a lone sheep to the slaughter of wolves.
I thought I knew her, but my glimpse of her was just mere blind sight,
I felt she loved me, but she said we were just friends.


Don't boo me, don't call me sweet names you don't mean, don't sweet talk me when you know my thoughts and yours are too diverse rivers, flowing from two different source.


We met under the steps of equity and justice,
and under the blind sight of Justicia,
I poured my heart into the full cup in her hands,
but I expected her to carry on and never let me drink the waters of pain,
but she looked me in the eyes and poured my cup on the floor of the zone we occupied,
she told me I was not her type, I wonder what she meant by that,
she never felt the same way but why lead me on,
when you know the switch will turn off.


And she said I am just a friend,
Yet you cut the last glimpse of what could illuminate my world,
so I take you for their word.
I have been friend zoned,
After the sweet names calling,
my handsome hubby, my baby boy, boo-boo
but why call me names you don't mean,
Just stop the blackmail and let me deal with my pains,
cause I'll be fine after a while and that's the truth,
but I won't forget how it started in our hearts, our first home,
how I was friend ZONED.

It was a bright day, Ochinsky woke up to see the girl he talked with yesternight on the bed beside him, the only thing he remembered was that they were talking over a few bottle of Razlers until he suggested they go up to his hotel room, he had been lodging at the hotel for the past three weeks since he came into the bustling city of Warri, he needed to seal this business deal and return back to Lagos.

He got up from the bed and walked to the shower, took his bath and put on a new Gucci vintage shirt on a Jones rugged black jeans, he picked up his gold encrusted necklace, I-phone 6 plus on the table and walked to where the beautiful girl was lying, he tapped her gently and she woke up smiling at him and finally mouthed
“good morning sir”,

“good morning” he replied,

“I dropped ten thousand on the table, I will be checking out today and I hope your night was peaceful, it was nice talking and meeting you”.

Ochinsky looked at her and she was still smiling, he knew he had not touched her but he wondered why she was smiling, girls seem to love him more due to the power of his downward chairman, but he did not even romance her,
he just reciprocated back with a fake smile and grabbed his Gucci vintage bag which contained his Mac book and started on his way out.



Three hours earlier........(4:00 am)

She quickly tiptoed to where the bag was and brought out the laptop ,inserted a flash drive and she looked around the room for the first time and wondered how much he paid per night for staying here, it was surely a huge amount, really big money, she went back to work, she was surprised his files were not even encrypted or hidden, she got all the needed information from the laptop and transfered them to the flash drive.

She looked towards the king size bed and smiled, she knew he never expected her to be bait and he fell too easily, travelling without his friends and the right measures on his e-devices or was he an e-diot, she just smiled, he never suspected her behaviour around him at the bar before she deliberately walked to his table.

Thankfully he was alone and a little bit moody, thinking about any law enforcement agency to be monitoring him would be the least of his problems, was he that stupid? she wondered, after collecting #10 million last month. What was he thinking, well that was not her job, she already got all she needed and by the time he was on his way out of the state there was no hiding place, he would be nabbed and they made it even easier for him not to make any interrupting calls, she had inserted about 20grams of Igbo(skunk),
and don't even ask how she got it,
“she be police, strong wafi kpo-kpo”
it was already laid inside the pouch of the bag.

Present time........

She got up from the bed and looked at the room for the second time, one of the best in the hotel definitely, he had thought she was sleeping and didn't even check the bag thoroughly just confirmed his laptop and clothes and his jeweleries were intact, Sandra smiled she needed to report to their office immediately, Ochuko Okoloba would surely be finally caught after evading their raids several times and she could not wait to see the look on his face, she placed the call to the I.p.o office.

He was quite sure she fell for his act yesterday, he was not going to be easily brought back to square one, not after suffering four years in the university and no Job after three more years of hard labour jumping from one office to another with various files, not to talk of the numerous C.V's that he sent to companies on jobberman.

Well that was all in the past now, he picked up his phone and dialled a number,
the receiver said “hello”
and ochinsky replied “Ovo matter wan bust, but no matter, see ehnnn you go meet me for front of urhobo college and I go give you my ride for this week, maybe next week one of my boys go come carry am”
the receiver replied “okay naw, no matter”.

Ochinsky smiled he pulled over a nearby boutique which he just saw and walked inside after about fifteen minutes, he came out looking different, he was now wearing a plain brown Vickers trousers and a T-shirt, he was no longer carrying a vintage bag but a normal school bag, though a little bit fancy. He went back towards his car, he put on Errigas new track biggie man and had a flash about the early morning buster.......

He saw her, when she woke up and started meddling with his stuffs, although most of the pictures and transaction documents on the Macbook was old, the very important ones were in his cloud account.
What does she take him for, a twenty first century mumu,
“i be graduate o, of DELSU, no be small mata be dat o, shuooo” he said aloud to himself.
Ochinsky soon enough saw Ogheneovo and he gave him the keys,
“way you, no scatter my babe o”, he smiled and ovo just gave him a thumbs up,
“no fear, na me dey run am”.
Ochinsky stopped a keke and told him Bob-izua park.

Sandra was already at the road, the check point after the big church cathedral where they say the man performs miracles with water from a dirty pool and it has been hours of waiting for the black Mercedes 4matic jeep to arrive and they are yet to spot any car of that sort, sandra was now having urgent diarrhoea, her face was now looking distorted with both anger and fear and she looked at her boss, whom had hoped to catch this big fish for he was the one who had taken sandra out the previous day and promised not to pester her with sexual demands if she helped them catch the ever sly ochinsky,
after all “he must buy Christmas clothes for him children, and na ochuko head go carry am”,
but it seems like they would have to wait another day, she looked in his direction and he puts a phone to his ear after about forty five seconds ,he looks at the armed men at the check point and shouts at the top of his voice, wrong trail “make we dey go back to H.Q”, “target was just spotted in Benin alighting from Bob-Izua park” Sandra knew what was to follow already...........

YAHOO GRADUATE
This is one of the stories I was hoping on developing this year but no time, combining school positions, fellowship position and hard department course work is time consuming.....
It's a trash work....enjoy

I have to praise the power of your pen or your keyboard..... Anyone lol
Centino you good, I've been following the story and I have to comment before we enter next year.....
U2Much

I like the general write up, its nice but you can make it better.....
It reminds me of my series of poems I have been posting, its more like a story....

Sincere rating 5/10 .....

©REDInks, 2017. All rights reserved. This poem or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.





WE ARE THE STREETS

Given birth to in a little corner down the south side,
We grew up with little peers down the bad side,
we saw life from a different point of view,
so while we write with broken pencils
does not mean our thoughts are pointless,
we come from a rich heritage of thieves and chiefs,
we collect what is ours and rule what we have.

We've always wanted to be educated
but our goals in life has always been truncated, so we take life as it comes, a day at a time,
while you care about what those kleptomaniacs promised our fathers over 20 years ago,
we focus on what's best to smoke in our h.k's and jungles,
we stopped believing them,
because they only have hands of steal and great lie-ability
but our strength lies in our hustle because we are the streets.

We knew our mistake the very day we made them,
our daughters became pregnant virgins and our sons holy thieves,
we saw the path they followed, but what can we do?,
we already gave them a trail,
when we gave birth to the boys,
our words were only those with book on their heads can use a pen to murder a sword,
they always listened to our voice until they found out how this country aborted conceived dreams,
we felt we should turn to our girls,
remind them that they can make the change if they can zip up,
but the only zip they had, they let it slip down, they joined their brothers in the hostile take over
they were given to change in A. p.c,
they used their fingers to work, so they can be klin and fresh using omo because we are the streets.

The streets isn't devoid of conscience and reason,
I mean we have children who read with candle lights,
we have children who came out top of their class,
but the government paid no attention to their class,
we were too down here, while they were up there,
when we hoped for the best, the thoughts of the lies and pain ran across our chests,
as we have bad eggs so also good ones,
we do not count our eggs before they are hatched,
we still think of our leaders as empty-hens,
filled with unfulfilled promises
they are every where you go,
we continue with our hustle believing in it,
because we are the streets.

People ask who are the streets,
We are those children you look at and insult our dullness,
we dropped out of school into life
when our fathers died of frustration from not collecting their pension.
We are those children who pay our tithes,
unable to go to the schools our church build.
We are those children who run pass the windows of your car shouting
“buy your cold pure water”, “buy your sweet orange”, “buy your sweet mango”...,
but nobody wants to buy into our dreams and visions.
We are those children who eat meat only on harvest Sundays,
and eat chicken on Christmas days.
We are problems that have lingered for long we want to be solved,
It was never meant to be this way,
But as I said what choices are there
We are the streets.

WE ARE THE STREETS.

Comments and reviews appreciated before I continue, seven more beautiful piece to be cut.....

MY NURSE

I fell in Love before I even knew what it meant,
when Judith asked me playfully when I was just a kid
I told her about my NURSE,
that I would marry her,
not even understanding the hurdles of love,
I met her in the children's department at the local church
she was a beauty, a sight to behold
her face was a gaze at the stars her
voice sang an elfish lullaby,
she was fair amongst others,
we were never very close and my
Love for her had no holds,
everything fell in place and soon
she became my NURSE.

The Children's day celebration draw close, though I was no artist it
drew us close,
closer because when the drama was selected it was the good Samaritan and I would
act the doctor and she the nurse to the patient,
unknowing to me I would be the patient,
it was after that drama and that beautiful scene
when she called me Doctor
I responded Nurse,
the clock in my chest went anti clockwise,
my heart was recalibrated
I fell so hard for her hoping I would be caught
before I land but my NURSE left.......


When she left, her presence was felt
even in her absence,
I felt maybe out of sight would
keep her out of mind, true,
but it was never out of Heart,
she left with the keys of my heart
where she went I knew
going there would seem like a fluke,
so I watched from afar
till my looks became a glance,
a glimpse and then my sight lost her,
and I was left as an ailing boy
Love did not take long to find me,
when cupid shot his stupid arrow
it struck a damsel who saw my aching heart
and sought to heal it
but how can a mere physiologist carry out an operation for a qualified surgeon,
the keys to where needs healing was lost
needs to be found,
but she never listened and I blame cupid,
because she fell for me but
fell so hard to the ground
all because I needed no one but my NURSE.

When she saw my love was not reciprocal
she left me in the puddle of loneliness,
while i await the return of my NURSE,
but she never came back,
so tired of waiting I searched on Facebook
for my NURSE,
but the answers it gave
made me more determined to face my books and remain lonely,
I even told the bird that sings to tweet her
Of my feelings,
but I never got a retweet,
so my search continued day after day
And 8 years after I finally got her digits
through a friend of Blessing
that Sunday was a Blessing.

When I called her my hands were sweaty,
my mind was going over
how to explain my self to her,
my brilliance meant nothing here,
all I heard was the beating
of my heart against my chest,
and when she said “hello”,
the waves of memory swept over me
and I said “how are you?” and she said “Fine, and she said “who is this”
“and how did you get my number?”,
the reply sent sound waves that
struck my boat broken,
she couldn't hear the beating of my heart
or the words that followed
so she hang the call.
We talked later on and how time flies,
even if I still love her,
her heart might belong to someone else
I respected that fact and sought to
see my NURSE one more time.

I wrote this poem for her and
I hope she likes it,

“After over 7 years,
I have found her,
the one who took my heart
placed it in lock of palms,
maybe unknowingly but she took the keys,
and I ne'er saw her beautiful face again,
and I have been a lonely man all these while,
a sick patient waiting for my NURSE,
I begged the stars to carry my message
every night to her,
that my love is drowning in distance,
that I would travel the tides to get the keys back,
and then I finally saw her......”

When we met she was still beautiful as ever,
even with my class, intelligence and good looks,
they all fell like a heap of dry grass
when I shook her hands, she was still as welcoming as that very day in Church
when she called me Doctor!,
I told her who I was
she remembered but her memories were hazy,
I told her after she left I had no drive
to continue as a Doctor,
so I'm almost an Engineer,
she was not even a science student
she looked so beautiful and befits the course
she was tthe course
she was to study, Banking and Finance,
we talked and we laughed like old friends
and I stepped on her toes,
but the memories I have of that day
I would cherish,
we even walked on a rail track
like two Indian love birds
and when I was going my heart beat
which was faster when I met her was slower,
I then knew I had gotten my keys
from my NURSE,
when we hugged I felt like the most loved,
I would never forget my NURSE.

To complete the poem
“she was no longer a little girl,
and I was no longer a little boy
and our paths never crossed all these years,
and all my fears are gone now
I have seen her at last and I am free,
and i was not even a Doctor,
and she not a Nurse,
but I fell in Love when
I didn't even understand what it meant,
if I have gotten over her, I don't know,
but she should know
that at one point in time,
someone loved her and yearned for her love”

Dedicated to MY NURSE( I.F.T)

TRUST ME

He entered the lecture theatre,
with a backed up ovation from supporters,
I felt betrayed when he started his manisfestos,
I knew it was all an agenda,
he never cared about how we were exploited by the previous government.
All on his mind was proposed siphoned money,
He said he would bring a shopping complex,
That brought to the entire class a shocking silence,
we listened to what he wanted us to hear,
beneath his reassuring smile I saw his fear,
but we the masses saw only his meaningful foolish thoughts,
the same plans that had hidden flaws,
yet we all wished for a king our heart longed for,
believing this was the leader that would rid our mindsets of our previous faults,
but like our elders we made a deliberate mistake,
we also used a broom to sweep, while the rain was falling,
and at the end of his speech he said I will not fail you,
But it was a different song we danced to during his tenure
after he had said “Trust Me”.


He met her under the shade of the cool mango tree,
she looked innocent, beautiful and free,
so he sought after her heart, the same heart that has not been mortgaged to another
for the fear of Mom's predicament,
his smile and the words he uttered were solutions to her ailments,
she left the comfort of Mom's advice,
and plunged her heart to the base of his vault,
and he bathed her in the golden ichor of words,
the words she heard were inscribed into her paths,
she never forgot the direction they led her to,
she surrendered her innocence without resistance,
he never held any arms but his words cannot be compared to grenades,
they blew her away, and after she gave him her all,
he tested an unused diamond,
and even when she said I love you,
His mind had travelled far, He was never truthful,
but she felt this love was unlike mom's, it could be fruitful.
When he was done with his thoughts he lied to her,
and even his eyes betrayed him and when he saw her cry,
he said those same words,
its been five years now for Bella,
without love but pain after he said I love you,
he disapparated with no trace
after he had told her, “Trust Me”.

Never say those words if you don't mean them, keep your lies to yourself, rather than damage somebody's past that may impair the future, TRUST ME.

An expired ALTER-EGO, a new sense of who I AM, a forgotten notion that WE ARE THE STREETS, a standing long lost love of MY NURSE, a vengeful past after he said TRUST ME, money does not come easily afterwards I was RICH TODAY but that did not stop me from being FRIENDZONED.
So I decided to write three letters to TIME, DEATH AND LOVE.

Project 20 was written in a very delicate stage, I called it project because life for me has always been a theory which I research with words and puns and my experience along the last twenty years made me wrote my first official project after the state of mind which contained more poems than even this project.

Project XX is a series of stories that encompasses life, love, money and politics. It talks about experiences with different spheres of life, most of the stories are true and real.

So my note to every reader is to open your minds to the words and the story line, wake your imaginative senses and ride with me on this imperfect yet perfect lines of PROJECT XX.

Finally......
The Masquerade demonstration by Obika before he died....

As soon as these words left his mouth Ogbazulobodo swung round and criedteeth…’

‘The fly that struts around on a mound of excrement wastes his time; the mound will always be greater than the fly. The thing that beats the drum for ngwesi is inside the ground. Darkness is so great it gives horns to a dog. He who builds a homestead before another can boast more broken pots. It is ofo that gives rain-water power to cut dry earth. The man who walks ahead of his fellows spots spirits on the way. Bat said he knew his ugliness and chose to fly by night. When the air is fouled by a man on top of a palm tree the fly is confused. An ill-fated man drinks water and it catches in his teeth…’


He was was at once blind and full of sight. He did not see any of the landmarks like trees and huts but his feet knew perfectly where they were going; he did not leave out even one small path from the accustomed route. He knew it without the use of eyes. He only stopped once when he smelt light…

‘Even while people are still talking about the man Rat bit to death Lizard takes money to have his teeth filed. He who sees an old hag squatting should leave her alone; who knows how she breathes? White Ant chews igbegulu because it is lying on the ground; let him climb the palm tree and chew. He who will swallow udala seeds must consider the size of his anus. The fly that has no one to advise him follows the corpse into the ground.”

A fire began to rage inside his chest and to push a dry bitterness up his mouth. But he tasted it from a distance or from a mouth within his mouth. He felt like two separate persons, one running above the other.

When a handshake passes the elbow it becomes another thing. The sleep that lasts from one market day to another has become death. The man who likes the meat of the funeral ram, why does he recover when sickness visits him? The mighty tree falls and the little birds scatter in the bush… The little bird which hops off the ground and lands on an ant-hill may not know it but is still on the ground… A common snake which a man sees all alone may become a python in his eyes… The very Thing which kills Mother Rat is always there to make sure that its young ones never open their eyes… The boy who persists in asking what happened to his father before he has enough strength to avenge him is asking for his father’s fate… The man who belittles the sickness which Monkey Monkey has suff ered should ask to see the eyes which his nurse got from blowing the sick fire… When death wants to take a little dog it prevents it from smelling even excrement…’


The eight men who would sing the ayaka chorus were still talking where Obika left them. Ozumba had come to sit with them to await his return. They were talking about the big bull which Amalu’s children had bought for his funeral when they heard the voice already coming back. The ayaka men scrambled to their feet and got ready to break into song as soon as Ogbazulobodo re-entered the ilo. They were all amazed that he was already returning. Had he left out any of the paths?
‘Not Obika,’ said Ozumba proudly. ‘He is a sharp one. Give me a sharp boy even though he breaks utensils in his haste.’
This was hardly out of his mouth when Ogbazulobodo raced in and fell down at the foot of the okwolo. Ozumba removed the necklace from his neck and called his name. But Obika did not answer. He called again and touched his chest.
They poured some of the cold water which was always kept handy over his face and body. The song of the ayaka had stopped as abruptly as it had started. They all stood around unable yet to talk.


As the story ended, the death of Obika was a tragic one, one that led even the Father Ezeulu to die early and I wonder if Obika was the more preferred son of the father?
And I wonder if it was that evil medicine man Obika pursued from their age group masquerade dance or was it the fact that he was not hundred percent okay before carrying the ogbazulobodo mask that killed him.......

I wonder.......finally My father used to say that it is the fear of causing offence that makes men swallow poison.

That's all of my excerpts from Arrow of God by CHINUA ACHEBE

The deceptive power of Medicine started a long time ago, like this very character was deceived by the dibia because he went to Ezeulu's house to arrest him........

At first ‘Couple’ Matthew Nweke was not too worried. He had a strong personal protection which a great dibia in his village made for him during his last leave. But as he heard more and more about Ezeulu his faith in his safety began to weaken. In the end he held a quick consultation with the policeman who had accompanied him to Umuaro and they decided that to be on the safe side they should go and see a local dibia straight away. It was past ten o’clock at night when they arrived at the man’s house. He was called throughout the village The Bow that shoots at the Sky.
As soon as they came in he told them the object of their mission. ‘You have done right to come straight to me because you indeed walked into the mouth of a leopard. But there is something bigger than a leopard. That is why I say welcome to you because you have reached the final refuge.’ He told them that they must not eat anything which they had taken from Umuaro. They must bring the two cocks and the money for sacrifice which they would carry and deposit on the highway. For what they had already eaten he gave them a preparation to drink and also to mix into their bath water.


Proverb: My father used to say that it is the fear of causing offence that makes men swallow poison.

When you have a suspicion about something, do not accept because of shame, fear, or because the act will offend the person.....
This was what led to Obika's death.


Proverb: If the rat could not run fast enough it must make way for the tortoise.

When a person is unable to carry out a task he must leave it to a more capable hand.


Proverb: ‘Every lizard lies on its belly, so we cannot tell which has a bellyache.’

Most persons might smile and act as if everything is fine, unless you are told, you'll think nobody has a problem.


Proverb: for when mother-cow is cropping giant grass her calves watch her mouth.’

The parents ate the first teachers a child learns from.......

Proverb: people say that if you thank a man for what he has done he will have strength to do more.
When a man is appreciated he gets the morale to do more.


Proverb: Unless the penis dies young it will surely eat bearded meat.
When a man does not die in his young age, he lives old enough to taste the honey pot of his wife....lol


Proverb: Did not our elders tell us that as soon as we shake hands with a leper he will want an embrace?
When you shake hand with those who are bow your class, sometimes they would feel they have equalled your status, like a disrespect...


Proverb: You tied the knot, you should also know how to undo it. You passed the shit that is smelling; you should carry it away...
Problems that you caused, you should know how to solve it....


Proverb: Sometimes when we have given a piece of yam to a child we beg him to give us a little from it, not because we really want to eat it but because we want to test our child. We want to know whether he is the kind of person who will give out or whether he will clutch everything to his chest when he grows up.


Proverb: ‘But we cannot come and go for nothing. When a masked spirit visits you you have to appease its footprints with presents.

This method is mostly employed by Nigerian police and SARS, once they hold you, you mist drop something....

Let me complete the excerpts...