a cooking pot and twisted tales
Thoughts and Tales…A Lifestyle Blog with a Zing.
Mama said to me, baby,
never make fun
of the burden borne by others,
—
‘cos if they perchance share their load with you,
you would find that
its weight could bend your spine.
©
Jacqueline
This is an excerpt from my work-in-progress.
You can read my new book, Unbridled on Kindle Unlimited for free.
Mama said to me, baby if you find that you are not happy there,
never choose to remain there in a sad state,
because you haven’t been planted like an Iroko tree.
Don’t you know that even an Iroko tree can decide to excuse itself
by choosing to rot and wither from within,
rather than suffer the insult of insolent birds?
©
Jacqueline
An excerpt from my work-in-progress.
You can read my book, Unbridled on Kindle Unlimited for free.
My mama said to me
“Baby, don’t look for others to lift you up,
‘cos you’ll be disappointed.”
“Rather, make your shoulders
strong enough to support others
and you’ll rise up with them.”
©
Jacqueline
An excerpt from my work-in-progress.
You can read my book, Unbridled on Kindle Unlimited for free.
Your dream doesn’t become reality magically. It takes grits, determination, patience, and perseverance to make it work, but the biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. Stay focused. Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learning as you chase after your dreams.
Lovely prompt ‘hope & stay,’ from Ronovan for this week’s haiku. I came up with several versions and settled for these two.
Stay. Hope whispered to me.
You will be there sooner than expected.
See how far you’ve come.
Don’t lose hope.
Just stay committed and focused,
you will triumph.
©
With her back pack and meagre savings
she was ready to go.
—
She had been held back for far too long
taking care of everyone else
and trying to fit into their dreams,
which never felt right.
—
Now it’s time to chase after hers,
though she felt nervous about the future
though she knew that she would bumble along the way
and make many mistakes
they were hers to make and to grow from
and the future favours the bold who chase their dreams.
—
© Jacqueline
There’s absolutely no mistake,
Not in the way you were made.
You are the masterpiece of the Master sculptor.
For you are as beautiful as you allow yourself to be.
From within to without,
From the tip of your hair,
To your buck teeth,
To the flat soles of your feet,
You are you.
The you that you are is wonderful,
You are no less than anyone else.
Never spend unnecessary time comparing yourself to another,
For you are made unique.
You must remember to tell yourself this every day.
You have courage.
You have strength.
You have confidence.
You have self-respect and love.
In the stillness of the morning,
In the noise of the day,
In the darkness of the night,
Never fail to tell yourself,
That the sculptor made no mistakes with you,
From within to without,
Until you accept it,
And it is settled,
In your Spirit, Body, and Soul.
Positive affirmations breed positive things.
I totally enjoyed this week’s haiku prompt ‘fresh wind’ from Ronovan, so I tried my hand on three 🙂
A fresh lick of paint
gave his jalopy
a new wind of life.
***
The fisherman’s lulling boat
needs fresh gusts of wind
to reach the shore.
***
ill wind blew out her candle
not giving up
she simply lit a fresh one.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
From the very first poem, “Dreams,” this book captivates with passionate and perceptive words. Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha captures a broad expanse of the human experience in this book of richly layered poems.
Did you know that life’s a suitcase
In which we journey through this maze?
You put the things you feel you’ll need
As you trundle along at your own speed
Good portion of love
Inside your trove
Helpings of smiles
Will go a mile
Family and friends can come along
They are always there to keep us strong
A dash of life skills is worthwhile too
A pinch of resilience without much ado
Good thoughts, positive vibes are simply a must
With good faith and in God we trust
Sometimes some run out of space
They end up with a bursting suitcase
Sometimes we over anticipate
And end up paying for excess luggage
Though life may have it’s bumpy trails
But if we pack with some essential stuff
We would enjoy it as we set sweet sail
That my friend would be good enough.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
Suitcase,The Daily Post Prompt
![1459322145970[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/14593221459701.jpg)
A lot of times, we have challenges that we face but lack the zeal to take them on.
Once our spirit to take them on is down, we find that the voice of pessimism and all the possible excuses will offer themselves on shiny platters for us to choose from.
However, the downturn to helping ourselves to the platter of excuses is that it’s often accompanied by a cane for self-flagellation and guilt, which will eventually show itself when the consequences of our actions or inactions dawn on us.
Sometimes, we need not have huge amounts of faith or courage.
Indeed, a peanut-sized one will suffice, but if we can dig in our heels and get started with it, you find that the zeal and courage required to continue surfaces.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
a cooking pot and twisted tales 