Tag Archives: love

The day I died

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I tried to remember what happened but I couldn’t. It was as if the last 30 seconds of my life were erased from my memory. I felt like a big weight was taken off my shoulders. I was floating into space. There, I could see the world for what it really was – a haven overwhelmed with more selfish, power-hungry scavengers than do-gooders. It wasn’t getting better with time. It was getting worse. But I still wanted to be part of this cruel world. I wanted to experience life outside my comfort zone. Sadly, that wasn’t to be.

You see, I was right next to the guy who took my rightful place. We were pretty much identical. We were also quite aggressive and against all odds we beat millions of other hopefuls to the promise land – but there was only room for one. We faced-off for what felt like an eternity and then I thought, ‘What good would it be if neither of us gets to experience life?’ ‘What makes me better than this guy?’ ‘Why do I deserve to go?’ I couldn’t answer that question. I backed down and let my rival get past me – It was an excruciating sacrifice. I was able to catch one last glimpse of new life in motion before amnesia set in.

What then was my purpose? I was no better than my fallen comrades who died in paper graves and latex coffins. I didn’t make first place. I felt like a pushover, a loser, a quitter. But there was one thing my rival said after I let him swim past me that I’ll never forget, ‘I won’t let you down’.

That wasn’t exactly a thank you but it was good enough. Today marks the day that he remembered me. He has experienced pain, hurt and anger. But he has also experienced peace, joy and love. With regards how he treats people I think a bit of myself rubbed off on him.

So though I’m dead I’m glad to know that he kept his promise…

Entry #81 – A cry for help

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I was on my way home 2 days ago when I decided to pull over at a petrol station to fill up my tank. As the Sales Assistant began pumping the fuel a middle-aged man drove up on the other side of the fuel pump with his wife and 3 kids in the back seat. He came out of his car and went round to the car boot to pull out a jerrican. I knew this because I overheard the conversation the man had with his wife: 

Wife: Did you remember to bring the jerrican?

Man: Yes, I always leave it in the boot.

Well, he was greatly disappointed when he opened the boot and discovered that he had actually forgotten to bring the jerrican. At that point the Sales Assistant had finished attending to me and so I paid for my fuel. As I was getting back into my car I noticed how sad the man looked as he got back into his car. He didn’t need the fuel for his car but probably for his generator at home. His wife didn’t make a fuss nor did she shout at her husband for being forgetful. The children seemed quiet after seeing the their parents looking a bit miserable. Perhaps the man didn’t plan to make another trip outside. Maybe he was on a tight schedule. All I was certain of was that I felt unhappy that this family was suddenly unhappy. I had to do something.

Due to unexpected fuel strikes in Nigeria (or at least in Lagos) I usually carry a 25-litre jerrican in my boot. This way I’m aptly prepared at all times to hoard fuel when there is rumour of an impending fuel strike. That day I had the jerrican in my boot as I saw the unhappy family opposite my car. I had a moment of hesitation as I started my car but I don’t know what came over me when I suddenly shouted across, ‘Will a 25-litre jerrican be okay for you?’

The wife looked astonished as she replied, ‘Yes’. I came out of my car, reached into my boot and handed over my empty 25-litre jerrican to him. He was ecstatic! He kept thanking me and saying that God would bless me. So did his wife. His children were now smiling because their parents were smiling. The man gave me one of his business cards and hoped that we could get in touch. I’m a private person really so I promised I’d get in touch with him (seriously, not like the ‘Don’t call us we’ll call you’ scenario that you may find at badly handled job interviews). I drove off feeling better…knowing that 5 people were made happy and they’ll probably have a lot to talk about later.

Wouldn’t you be happy if a complete stranger helped you in your time of need? I would like everyone reading this to do something special for a complete stranger during this Christmas period. Do something unexpected for someone who is in desperate need of help. That person may not have anymore faith in humanity. That person may be feeling suicidal. That person may one day feel reluctant to help someone else because he or she had never been helped recently. I’m not saying that you should give your life savings to the poor (you could if you’re so inclined though) but it’s the little things that count most times. Trust me, if doing that good deed for someone is not a big deal to you it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a big deal to the recipient of your good deed. Put a smile on someone’s face this Christmas and let’s start a chain reaction of good deeds (doesn’t that just remind you of Pay It Forward?) 😀 

Entry #79 – Love Thy (Noisy) Neighbor

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I am a law-abiding citizen. I pay my rent on time and I also pay my taxes. I love my mum and dad just as much as I love OREO cookies and I’ve won The Best Brother Ever Award 3 years in a row, courtesy of my two lovely younger sisters. I don’t expect much from people…even when it’s my birthday. What I do expect from my neighbors, however, is some peace and quiet when I return from a hard day at the office!

I live in a very big compound with 11 other tenants in their respective apartments. Unfortunately 3 of them drive me up the wall (some more frequently than others). Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present to you the 3 neighbors whom I have tried my best to love with all my heart (honest!).

The Prayer Warrior:

Gender ~ Female

Age ~ 20-something

Marital Status ~ Single (and I think I know why)

Number of kids ~ None

Noise-ometer ~ 7/10 (Very Loud)

Offence(s) ~ On random mornings and nights I would hear this woman chanting prayers and speaking in tongues. It’s quite scary to say the least. It sounds so violent that you actually first think about calling the police to report a case of domestic abuse. The shouting can last for up to 30 minutes and sometimes even longer. I wonder if she has any friends…hmm…maybe just on Facebook.

The All-Nighter:

Gender ~ Male

Age ~ 30-something

Marital Status ~ Single

Number of kids ~ None

Noise-ometer ~ 8/10 (Very Loud and Constant)

Offence(s) ~ Whilst every other sane neighbor usually puts off their generators before going to bed, this guy runs his generator till the fuel runs out. Perhaps if the Nigerian government got their act together and provided uninterrupted power supply then we wouldn’t need generators in the first place. But in the meantime I expect this neighbor to show a little consideration for others by switching his generator off at 12am max. He goes to work the following day so how the hell does he sleep through that constant drone? Maybe I’ll just go ahead and buy those Pioneer headphones I’ve been Googling and see if they’re really sound-proof…

The  Human Megaphone:

Gender ~ Female

Age ~ 30 something

Marital Status ~ Widowed

Number of kids ~ 3

Noise-ometer ~ 9.9/10 (Extremely Loud, Constant and Annoying)

Offence(s) ~ Where do I begin? She screams all day. She is obviously lazy because she reduced her teenage niece to a maid. She comes out of her apartment and just when she realizes she’s forgotten something she starts screaming her niece’s name at the top of her lungs…right beneath my bedroom window whilst I’m still sleeping! At first I felt sorry for her because she is a widow but that changed after one late night at about 1am when her sisters-in-law paid her a surprise visit. They banged on her door for an hour and outrightly accused her of driving their brother to an early grave. It was like trying to sleep while The Jerry Springer Show was on. I also have doubts as to the rightful owner of her car because she sure doesn’t know how to unlock it without triggering the car alarm…every single time. I swear she’ll give me a heart attack one day. And don’t get me started on her three screaming kids!

Well I hope there really is a Santa because this Christmas I’m wishing for peace and sanity in my neighborhood. Do you think you could live with my neighbors? 🙁

Entry #11 – Why the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger?

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A friend of mine sent me this and I thought it was worth sharing. I know you’ll enjoy this as much as I did ;D :

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger? There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese….. Thumb represents your Parents

Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings

Middle finger represents your-Self

Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner

& the Last (Little) finger represents your children

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together – back to back

Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb – tip to tip

(As shown in the figure below):

 

 

wedding

Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)…, they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.

Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)…., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.  

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)…., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).

You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT….., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives – through thick and thin!!  

  Please try this out………….

ISN’T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?

 

 

Lover’s ball I

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I’m free though I’m trapped in my seat belt
The take-off is sure to make my nausea felt
With fear I meekly pray to get through this flight
Hoping someone near would say, ‘It’ll be alright’
But then this Mean beauty sat next to my side
She was luscious but she had too much pride
Asked her for her name but she cut me short
– making me wish I never came to the airport
10 mins later the plane is elevated into horizon
Simultaneously I can feel my temperature rising
Not caused by the flight but by her tap on my knee
Thought she changed but she just wanted to pass by me
As she cat-walked to the toilet I knew this was love
But we just met so what the hell was I thinking of?

Suddenly there was a thunderous explosion to my right
From where I sat it seemed that one turbine was alight
The pilot inevitably brought a devastating bit of news
A nose-dive was imminent so my prayer was of no use
Passengers were overcome with every type of emotion
I looked out the window and saw we were over an ocean
Ironic since some were crying enough tears to drown us
The trained Air stewardesses were making the most fuss
The plane began its diagonal descent towards the big blue
The seat next to me was empty! That girl didn’t have a clue
I got out my chair and raced towards the engaged restroom
Air stewardesses told me to sit down but I risked my doom
I banged furiously at the door shouting for her to get out
Sounds of the plane piercing thru the sky masked my shout
The door opened but she was bleeding and in much pain
She must have bumped her head after the jerk of the plane
I believe the Powers that be intervened and opened the door
Because she was unconscious…Now I was made her saviour

As fast as I could do it, I dragged her on the floor to her seat
I struggled to put her in as it was hard standing on my feet
The plane was almost vertical and I still wasn’t sitting down
I was strapping the girl in an attempt to save beauty profound
If only I could reach for my own seat now but it was too late
I was now hanging from her armrest, contemplating my fate
The screams were getting louder, and cries were unbearable
Couldn’t cry as I lost all hope and all my energy in general
All I wanted was to try and reach Her lips for one small kiss
I lost my balance and my chance of a kiss was now hopeless

      \\

           \\ 
  
            >-<o

 

As I fell thru the aisle I was sure I saw her opening her eyes
She reached out to me and her voice was the sweetest of cries
Her eyes looked full of tears and her beauty still shone through
In those last seconds I squeezed in a smile; ‘twas all I could do
Last thing I remembered was the sound of my bones breaking
By the time I awoke from the blackout my soul was taken…

…Jollof~

Lover’s ball II

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…turbine alight…almost vertical…save beauty…small kiss…hopeless…breaking…soul was taken…<eyes close>

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Detached from earth my weepy soul ascends into the sky
Up where the angels dwell and the other lucky souls cry
Incessant blare of trumpets salute the Almighty one
He gazes down on me warmly like a father to a son
Golden gates open wide like arms longing embrace
I tread softly on alien ground at my own slow pace
Welcomed by gatekeepers signing me into their log
Up ahead a blinding light shines thru the mystic fog
It’s a constitution of single flames burning in unity
Each upheld by a soul in white – symbolising purity
Unknown to me I too wear this bright silky gown
I join the assembly and in one motion we bow down
Suspended in the air is a Book that the devil shames
It’s marked in Holy ink so he is unable to blot names
I soul-search for familiar ones but there were none found
Til I felt a familiar finger tap to which I turned round
Its the once Mean but Angelic Beauty standing by my side
She finally returned my smile and threw away all her pride
My faith in true love restored ‘n all scepticism faded
She takes my hand and whispers, ‘I’m so glad you made it’
Our eyes lock, our lips part, and our heads draw near
A velvet kiss sealed and our feelings are made clear
My sense of taste excited by undertones of eucalyptus
Then we instinctively turn to Psalms to sing the scriptures
We are all singin’ perfectly and I did not need to rehearse
But I hear an offbeat disrupting the rhythm in each verse
It’s my heart…<thud>……<thud>…<thud><th-thud><th-thud>

\

   \

      >-<o

Yet again I slowly lose her grip like I once did on the plane
A sinking feeling, and next I can’t hear what she’s saying
Suddenly my soul falls fast through each sacred cloud
Heading for an eerie room surrounded by a medical crowd
They’re congratulating each other, expressing signs of relief
Thru a glass window my family spy, once overcome with grief
I’ve been returned to the 3rd planet to impart this 1st rhyme
It was a narrow escape … but I pray I get caught a 2nd time…
”Our love will be rekindled after the end of time and it shall last for all eternity.”
R.I.P Passenger 72B 
..xTx..

Lover’s ball III

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…turbine alight…almost vertical…save beauty…small kiss…hopeless…breaking…soul was taken…angels dwell…golden gates…silky gown…lips part…velvet kiss…offbeat…soul falls…medical crowd…narrow escape…

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

A tear escapes my eye as Reality reveals an inconsolable fact –
I was returned to a loveless life…and she wasn’t coming back
Like a bride left waiting at the altar, the loneliness I feel is immense
A double-edged dagger could pierce my heart but this is more intense
A bond & balance like no other, Chemisty confirms our love is a pH7 
How can other girls compare when We shared our 1st kiss in Heaven?
Confused by the unfamiliar vicinity but dressed in reminiscent white
Bed-ridden ‘n enslaved to traumatic flashbacks of that damned flight
Earthly parents overwhelm me with love though paternal and maternal
A necessity for the present but I still look forward to that Love-eternal

Emotional sounds dominate yet another irritates, albeit the life-support     
Its master, a white-coated knight, approaches me with a medical report
His valour commended and humbly accepted, he gives a heeded chant
Attention briefly lost but regained after mentions of a heart transplant
Lucky me anxiously and curiously seeks to discover the <i>Unlucky who</i>
– ‘Twas recovered from a passenger-turned-fatality, on that plane too’

My heart discarded, physically, emotionally ‘n replaced instinctively
Now ‘a’ heart functioning beautifully but thumped ever distinctively
I long to seek further, yearn to get closer, ‘n crave to meet my Donor
Embarking on a perpetual bed-cruise that I sooner wished was over
The moment of truth arrives…parked by the bed my saviour rested
Once covered head-to-toe, the unveiling had all my emotions tested

<not her> <not her> <not her> <anyone else but please not her!>
 
But there she was…my hopes in vain as I beheld her Angelic face     
Her life’s purpose done after her heart found its new resting place   
I wail aloud, fingers clenched, and my blood pressure is elevated
My new blood-pump overworked and a near heart-attack initiated
Suddenly, the beating in my chest replicates the tap of a Morse code
A distinct 1-4-3 beat sequence, like my heart’s in ‘I-love-you’ mode
Per chance it was My message to her…or was it Her message to me?
Either way, mutual feelings transcended the boundaries of mortality
Alas the code gets stronger…can’t take it any longer…must…stop…
Drenched in cold sweat, My subconscious beckons me to ‘wake up!’

\

 ….\

………>-<o

Awoken to the stark reality: I dream every night how I miss you
And all I have is your heart and, on my chest, a love scar tissue

Love hurts : (
..xTx..