I met her!

At long last!

Now, I can satisfy my curiosity and also put my aching desire to rest.

I fidgeted as we stood in the quiet restaurant sizing each other up. She was calm.

I had chosen an exclusive restaurant, to give our brains an opportunity to assimilate each others presence,

without getting consumed in the distractions that comes from the busy-ness of a crowded place.

My stomach was filled with butterflies. I could almost feel the rushing flow of my blood in my veins.

This was a  moment that I had thought of all my conscious life.

The when? The what if? The how?

I felt that meeting her would be a glorious turning point in my stable life.

We would cry, laugh and take selfies.

We would talk non-stop to cover so much ground.

I came clutching the photo album, that I had put together.

I…

Sometime in the month of June

I met a lad called Fortune

He played quite a fine tune

Which made me to swoon

Alas! Now I am due at noon

The days in our lives are too short,

To live the precious hours on a slow lane of regret.

Most of us pray to live to a ripe old age,

but as most of us know,

It sometimes does not work out the way we plan it.

Life happens!

A brief analysis of your age in days,

Would make you realize that indeed,

We are all impoverished!

An Eighty year old has a total of 29,200 days on Earth

A Ninety year old has 32,850 days on Earth

A Lucky 100 year old person has 36,500 days on Earth

I chose to write in figures,

So that the length in writing,

Does not deceive your eyes,

Into believing, that you have all the time.

No! You don’t!

Now get up!

And make each day count,

No matter how small.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Flying Tomatoes

I love to cook,

seriously, I do.

But seriously,

Not when the lightning flash and sparks,

of threatening flying tomato sauce,

are jumping out of the pan,

and chasing me around my kitchen counter,

almost cowering in the cupboard,

for safety 😉

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Photo credit * doonidesigns.

Olanna would not let the attitude of the obnoxious immigration officer get to her. Her excitement was brimming over and in her state of joy, she did not mind parting with the cedis that she had left on her; she did not think that she would be needing them very soon.

Passage through the Lagos-Badagry border was known to be stressful and she couldn’t wait for the clearance of customs and immigration controls to be done so that they can continue their journey. The seven plus hours form Accra to Lagos had been hectic but was gradually coming to an end.

The bus had trundled assuredly through the West African International road route, only stopping for short breaks, to refuel, and for border control between Togo and Ghana, but through the entire trip, she seemed to be floating in a bubble of good tidings, flipping through various copies of bridal…

Whatever we see,

Wherever we go,

Whatever we pass through in the journey of life,

Passes through us, leaving indelible etchings

On our hearts, minds and body

No matter how big or small

Until our entire being

Becomes a transfiguration of the multitude of etchings

Which forms our intrinsic being.

Certainly, I know that I am not perfect,

And that is perfectly alright.

Neither are you, or you and you!

Human flaws are characteristics we all share in common.

Some flaws are deeply entrenched,

Like the mandatory make up stripes on a zebra,

While some flaws are momentarily switched on,

As changeable as a flash bulb.

Some give it a posh title – eccentric, uniqueness, schizophrenic, deficient, myopic …and so on,

Or the simpler names – faults, shortcomings, intolerance, and so on. …

I call it exposing your humanity,

You being who you are.

In each of us, exists a beauty and a beast,

Like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,

It all depends on which side of your humanity you choose to expose.

In each of us exists a redeeming quality,

As minutiae as it may be.

Consider the good qualities of a man,

Weighed against his faulty sides,