Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire…

November 7, 2015November 7, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

There are some humans who are such inveterate liars that even the combination of lie detector and truth serum will not be able to drag the truth out of them.

Lying has become such a habitual thing to them that they don’t even know the truth if it jumps up and bites them in the butt.

They have told those lies to themselves and others so much, that it becomes a distorted truth in their minds.

When such people tell you good morning, you better take a very good look out of your window. You shouldn’t trust them as far as you can throw them.

Honesty and integrity should be a key character for me to relate with any human and once it is clear that you are a liar, your trust quotient becomes non-existent and unfortunately, whatever you say will be heretofore taken with a pinch of salt, if taken at all.

I respect the truth even if it is bitter. It is better to deal with. Telling a lie about a bad situation simply makes it worse.

That said, if I come in possession with one vial of truth serum; I wonder why only one vial, I think I shall first test it on to all the lying politicians especially those from my home country.

They have been hell bent on robbing a richly blessed Nation blind in the bid to cripple it’s economy with corruption and to the detriment of its citizenry.

It would be interesting to hear them sing their confessions like canaries about where they hid their stash of stolen booty which they will be made to restitute.

It makes me so unhappy to watch citizens of a society richly endowed with natural resources live in penury, while some hopelessly unprincipled leaders selfishly and greedily grasp that which is for general commune.

The Daily Post prompt Truth Serum

You’ve come into possession of one vial of truth serum. Who would you give it to (with the person’s consent, of course) — and what questions would you ask?

Hope · Life · Poetry/Poems · The Daily Post

The Answer Blows in the Wind…

November 6, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha32 Comments

Here I often sit and ponder,
As the days go by,
The rising and setting sun,
So quickly passing by,
Where yonder shall tomorrow find me?
It’s only God in heaven that knows!
For that answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Will I mingle with the free?
Will I be among the living?
For these answers I do not know my friend,
For it is blowing in the wind!

Will I scribble to the delight of others?
Putting smiles and streaking hearts with joy?
For this I shall strive some more,
But the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind!

Shall I rock grand-babies on my bent knees?
Singing hush lullabies to darling little ears.
This I know not my friend,
For the answer is blowing in the wind!

Shall tomorrow meet me,
Sipping warm cocoa in my rocking chair,
Telling tales of days gone by?
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind!

Yesterday is gone!
Tomorrow belongs to God!
My today is a present gift as I sit here!
Let me be happy, and have peace!
I shall leave tomorrow’s answer, to the blowing wind.

The Daily Post prompt Six of one, half a dozen of the other

Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post.

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · The Daily Post · Travel · Writing

Hop On! It’s a Rambling Voyage…

November 5, 2015November 5, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha34 Comments

Asides from desert nomads who even own 4 wheel drives these days, we no longer have to travel for days on end in the dusty trail of a pony.

I love traveling and have explored as much as I can through different modes of what I refer to as reasonable transportation.

I haven’t tried the hot air balloon yet and my over zealous imagination goes into overdrive at the thought of such an experience. I doubt very much if I will.

I love cycling on my stationary bike and the huffing and puffing is enough for me. I am not sure that I will manage to get far on a bicycle. I probably won’t get to see much as I huff all the way and then have to worry about a sore butt at the end of it all.

A plane is quite expedient to nip about in, because it gets you there faster especially for long distance travel, but asides from the airport excitement of removing your belts and buckles and shoes and what not, the only view that you have for endless miles in the air (held up only by gravity) are clouds in different shapes and sizes and the view of the geographical terrain below from 30,000ft and that is if you are lucky enough to sit by the window because I doubt if your neighbour would appreciate your leaning over their pot belly every few seconds to peek out of the window.

I must admit that I am not particularly fond of take offs, turbulence and landings and these days that planes have taken to falling out of the sky at cruising altitude, that is something additional to worry about.

My guess is that we will get on board, grit our teeth, hold our breath and the seat of our pants and recite our prayer beads for those inclined to do so.

I am a very visual person because this stokes my imagination so I truly don’t mind traveling by road on a bus or a private car. However, that was less tedious when I didn’t have children tagging along.

For a trip that takes more than 3 hours to arrive at your destination, prepare your mind for a thousand times of asking “are we there yet”, keeping them engaged, countless pit stops for coffee, donuts and restroom runs and some possibility of getting lost too.

Our best trip so far was a six weeks tour of Europe via Euro-star TGV. I felt like Agatha Christie on an expedition. It was simply awesome and I met lots of interesting characters on the train.

The sights taken in from London to Paris, Madrid, Geneva, Zurich, Belgium, Amsterdam and environs were absolutely wonderful and I wanted to share my love for Europe with my family. It is an experience that I am looking forward to repeating.

Well now, I had an experience with a camel on a desert safari and I daresay that a short ride is all well and good. I respect those who sit on it for days on end. I simply don’t look forward to having legs bowed from hours of straddling such wide girth and the camel experience is worth a post in itself.

In response to The Daily Prompt Trains, Planes and Automobiles

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, or car? (Or something else entirely — bike? Hot air balloon?)

Love · Poetry/Poems · The Daily Post · Weave that Dream

Ah What a Rainfall….a love poetry.

November 4, 2015November 7, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha38 Comments

Plip, plop, tlop tlop, goes the rain drops…

Sweet memories swirl in my mind
Of young days spent
getting soaked to the skin
With nothing akin to worry in sight
Just children, playing in the rain
Wiggling tiny waist and skinny bums
Ah! What a rainfall.

Of rainy days and hair gone nappy, spongy wild from wetness
Of mother dear telling us to hold our ears and listen well
We held our ears and listened well to the chastising
Not to play in the rain again
Until the next fall came.
Quickly forgetting our pulled ears,
Yet again we went. Little urchins we were.
Ah! What a rainfall.

Nostalgic memories of rainfall
Transport me to grandma’s detached warm kitchen
Of the earthen clay pot that contained the cool, refreshing water
Water so clear from the stream, with smoky sweet unique taste
Sitting on little stools watching the drip drops of rainfall
As it gathers in puddles before us
The chicken comes to roost and dry its feathers
Of the smell of roasted dry meat, spices and the sound of pounding mortar
Even the nanny goat likes the homey kitchen, it was warm for all.
Ah! What a rainfall.

Wistful memories of rainfall
Of the days of a blooming damsel
With hair woven in neat cornrows and powdered face to illuminate her glowing self
Rain drops avoided with care, cornrows must be kept in place.
Ah! What a rainfall.

Delicious memories are here with me
Of lying in your arms and listening to your heartbeats
They seem to rhyme with the drip drops of the rainfall
Of cuddling under the covers, as the windows mist over
Whispering sweet nonsense and laughing softly
To little jokes only known by the two of us
Ah! What a rainfall.

Dreamy memories of dreamy moments
Of wondrous yearnings and many birthing
As we clung to each other
Excluding any other
And basked in the warmth of our own dew drops
Ah! What a rainfall.

Desirous moments, may the rains fall
May they make pitter-patters all over the roof top
As you design your patterns of love all over
No longer soaked to the skin am I
yet I feel the drops of the rain within your heat
and it seeps into my heartbeats.
Ah! What a rainfall.

In response to The Daily Post prompt singing in the rain
Safe inside, toasty warm, while water pitter-patters on the roof… describe your perfect, rainy afternoon.

Blogging · The Daily Post · writing ideas

To Quieten These Voices…

November 3, 2015November 3, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha48 Comments

Is it not yet obvious why I blog? Well, grab a cup of coffee and let me tell you some things:

I blog because I love talking and connecting with other humans with like interests; hoping the people I am meeting online are not all aliens 😉

I blog so that I can develop my writing muscles and focus. It is like thinking through my fingers.

I blog because I can attempt to paint my pictures in words.

I blog because the crazy voices and characters in my head won’t let me keep quiet.

I blog because it gives voice to my thoughts and clarity to my deliberations.

I feel a deep satisfaction when I have finally said it, until the very next second, when another idea pops up.

I blog because I have heaps and heaps of stories to twist and tell and dear husbands ears are getting hot and tired.

I blog because the riotous emotions that thrum in my blood only quieten down when they have been let loose.

I blog so that I can keep my sanity. It calms my restless heart.

I blog because it would be a shame to have something to say but choke to death with everything buried inside.

I blog so that I may empty myself a piece at a time and by the time I am old and checking out, every single part of me would have oozed out.

I blog for posterity sake. I want my progeny to find bits of me somewhere in this space when I am long gone. No one can tell my story better than myself.

I blog because blogging and writing a novel are not precisely the same. Writing a book is a tailored, more time consuming venture while blogging is like a chat between friends over a nice cup of coffee/tea and a decadent slice of sweetness.

I blog so that I can be a part of the inner caucus of such an elite society with a sophisticated name. Blogger! How nice 😉

If not for blogging, I wouldn’t have been exposed to this huge fascinating World of bloggers and I would not have met you, you, you, you……….

Is this answer sufficient or should I refresh your cup and continue?

In response to The Daily Post prompt Million-Dollar-Question

Why do you blog?

A link to my neighbours/Community · Blogging · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · The Daily Post

This n’ That….its a variety

November 2, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha41 Comments

The word companionable is synonymous to gregarious and that is an adjective that would describe me fittingly, though I have my moody alone moments when I want to marinate in those horrible, leave me alone juices.

My spirits are perked up most of the time and as a companion to my gregarious personality, my taste runs to eclectic style in things, even with the blogs that I follow which are over Five Hundred in number and range from vibrant pictures, cute pets, sage counsels, wise quotes, health and wellness, security consciousness and so on.

They motivate and inspire me. They enlighten me by teaching new things. They take me places with the clicks of their cameras. They make me smile, laugh and cry and I am glad that I belong to these group of they.

A day spent going through this and that on my reader or email would find me dropping little likes and comments here and there. It finds me laughing, or with my brows furrowed in mindful thought. It finds me in awe or whispering a silent prayer in my heart for someone. I have close encounters with soothing sights and thoughts and belly rumbling bites teasing my eyes.

I truly don’t have a favorite, favorite blog, because I seek out what each blog as an entity has to offer and probably because my reading taste is also myriad, it is pretty difficult to narrow down on one choice. ”Never ask a mother to choose between her children.” Always know that with each day that passes, beautiful ones are born.”

It would be utterly boring if I had to stick to the same kind of blogs and all. A sprinkle of sparkles, a dash or colour blends better to make the muted grays more tolerable.

In response to The Daily Post prompt Companionable

Head to one of your favorite blogs. Write a companion piece to their penultimate post.

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Little rants · The Daily Post · Writing

At your own risk ‘cos I kick scary butts!….

November 1, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

There is no one in the room with me, except my lazy feeling self, the quarreling voices in my head telling me to ignore you, WordPress and the television which I have put on mute to dispel all the bad news floating in and disrupting my creative juices; though I like the flickering bursts of colour so I leave it on.

It’s fun at times to look at the yammering lips on TV, not hearing what they are saying, using your imagination to figure it out and laughing at nothing – please don’t think I am crazy, just the creative juice in overload today.

I am home alone and I can tell you I am tougher than Macaulay Culkin, so don’t get any ideas of sneaking in!!

The children and their Papa should be stepping back in pretty soon and they can terrorize with well aimed bites, kicks, ladles, pots and pans; you have been forewarned!

So, I will have well fortified backup even though I trust my screeching techniques well enough.

Any attempt for any fear or scary stuff to sneak in, is at it’s own peril!

I am amply armed with my heavy wielding bible, my certified holy water that will turn you into mush in a sprinkle of an eye, my gleaming prayer beads and a nice weighty crucifix for beating sound sense into the scare source for attempting to give me nervous breakdown.

Maybe, I should quickly place an order for chainsaw – the Chinese are known to deliver rapidly, what do you think? Getting more gory right?

Well, I have advertised my ammunition at no price.

Should you, FEAR, venture to come in, a crucifix bludgeon, a screech with bible quotes, a hasty recital of the beads and a sprinkle in the eye and you will be transformed magically, finding yourself pressed willy-nilly into the church choir!

Well now, this is the silliest prompt response I have given so far, to a repetitive prompting.

This prompt about fear was addressed in a roundabout way just a few days ago and this was my response.

Now let me go and bring my casserole out for dinner.

Goodnight and don’t let the bed bugs bite 😉

In response to The Daily Post prompt 1984

You’re locked in a room with your greatest fear. Describe what’s in the room.

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · The Daily Post · Writing

Nothing to be Tricked about…

October 31, 2015November 1, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha36 Comments

This prompt is a bit difficult to sink my teeth into, but I am going to try to teleport back to the States for the trick a treating.

Halloween is still novelty and at infantile stage here in the United Arab Emirates, even though I saw some costumes and scary masks displayed in the shops, I observed that it is mainly people of Western culture that ventured to those aisles.

With the insularity of inhabitants in this place, my presumption is that the parents will be filling their children’s candy bags themselves. I am doubtful that there will be much knocking on doors going on.

On the other hand, let me let you in on a secret, if the truth be told, we African Nations are not particularly fond of celebrating Halloween.

Ha! It almost seems as if we are inviting the trouble of the dead and buried by doing so 😉

Hei! Biko kwa! (I speak in my vernacular to help you understand the seriousness of the affair), why would we want to go invoking the spirit of the dead who should be resting very well in peace?

Mbanu!

May All the Saints please remain nicely hallowed in their allotted portions at the cemetery.

Nonetheless, since I like the kids in the neighbourhood, if I were in the States, I shall spare them some candies the following day when all the saints have gone back quietly to their various abodes 😉

Enjoy the short skit below.

Quick Glossary:

Ha! An exclamation in this case meaning ‘What!’

Hei! Another exclamation like ‘Oh dear’

Biko kwa: Please/I beg your pardon.

Mbanu. NO, indeed!

In response to The Daily Post prompt Trick or Trick

Let’s imagine it’s Halloween, and you just ran out of candy. If the neighborhood kids (or anyone else, really) were to truly scare you, what trick would they have to subject you to?

Hope · Life · The Daily Post · Writing

Friends of my heart…

October 30, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha20 Comments

Growing up in a small university community like I did, had lots of plus sides and that included having lots of childhood friends with whom I played and carried out our escapades until the ever present flow of life’s change caused us to drift apart.

I was lucky to have such childhood friends of my heart who occupy such special place in my memory bank and between these friends and large family, you had no need for an imaginary friend.

Thankfully, I am able to reconnect with a lot of them with the help of social media, while, unfortunately some of them have crossed over to the other side of the divide where the links of social media cannot traverse.

There are some of them I am yet to trace and a number of them come to my mind ever so often.

Dear Chinyelu Okonkwo,

Now and again I think about you and wonder if life is treating you well and where you are.

I haven’t seen you since we were ten and in my minds eye, you have stayed the same ten year old, precocious, vibrant friend of mine.

Naturally you would have aged like everyone else but for some reason, I can’t seem to visualize you beyond this age.

Whenever you come to my mind, I remember our child’s play of running round the school block of University Primary School, Nsukka, during break time and singing silly song’s.

I have searched now and again on social media, to see if I can find you but it hasn’t yet yielded any result.

Who knows maybe one day in this lifetime, if we still walk this side of the divide, we may yet reconnect.

Another childhood friend whom I wonder how she has fared with life is from Bangladesh and I had no idea that the name ‘Anu Misra’ was quite common until I attempted to trace her.

I found so many Anu’s, I have searched so many faces, but I couldn’t recognize any.

Maybe, this splendid exercise might yet yield some positive results. We never know these things.

In response to The Daily Post prompt Imaginary Friend

Many of us had imaginary friends as young children. If your imaginary friend grew up alongside you, what would his/her/its life be like today? (Didn’t have one? write about a non-imaginary friend you haven’t seen since childhood.)

Creative Writing · Fiction · Short story · The Daily Post

Just One of Jane’s Days…

October 29, 2015October 30, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha25 Comments

It wasn’t a good idea to turn off the alarm clock for a few more seconds of snooze, Jane chastises herself as she huffs and puffs downhill in a haste to catch the bus. The few seconds of snatched snooze turned into a lost hour of precious time.

Her pencil skirt is not designed for hurried steps and neither are the heeled pumps made for sprinting, but hurry she must.

An attempt to hike the skirt up her thighs for more leg room yields a rip at the slit and it is not a joyful sound to hear.

”This is simply dreadful!” ”Not today of all days.” ”I can’t afford to be late.”

The tail light of the bus leaving as she arrives leaves her gaping unhappily and hoping the next one will keep to it’s fifteen minutes interval schedule.

As the next bus runs late, her plan to arrive for her interview looking composed and capable dwindles by the seconds and to top it all, it starts to sprinkle.

Rummaging in her bag for her pocket umbrella – which she stores for days like this, when the showers come unannounced, she discovers she has the wrong bag in the first place.

Whoever, created this nonsense of carrying different bags in the first place? She sighs in frustration.

Out of habit and in her haste, she had grabbed her usual every day carry on, leaving behind the nice office tote containing her file, purse and umbrella.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach and her sensible bun fast turning to loose tendrils like limp noodles in the rain shower, she trudges back uphill to her tiny apartment but she cannot get in because her door is a jam-lock and the key is inside in her purse.

”What a fine morning and why do these things happen to me?” She mutters in exasperation, forgetting that she stays up late to watch all the reality shows on television.

In response to The Daily Post prompt Comedy of errors and bonus assignment

Murphy’s Law says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Write about a time everything did — fiction encouraged here, too!

Bonus assignment: do you keep a notebook next to your bed? Good. Tomorrow morning, jot down the first thought you have upon waking, whether or not it’s coherent.