Nikos' Blog

"Hope is a dangerous thing..." I know it's a bit weird to see hope described with such a "negative" word but I hope you see what it means by  the time you read through. Like the aroma of "party jollof-rice" after a long day or the taste of a cold drink on a hot day so is the sound of Hope's footsteps outside a closed door. Simply rejuvenating! Hope is indeed a dangerous thing as it causes a man to leap across heavily fortified walls without considering his present restraints. Yes! It is hope that makes a child of the street wear a gold crown and ignore the melody made by his empty stomach. Hope defies the odds. Hope says "Fly with your dreams" when you haven't even learnt to walk. Hope can grow from just a silver lining to a huge ball of fire engulfing all in its path. The question is: Will you fan the dying embers of hope in your heart even as a new calendar year approaches? Dare to hope; a better tomorrow beckons still.    

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot" - Michael Altshuler I've read the above quote so many times but didn't give it so much thought till recently. So many times, life races by and it feels as if we're struggling to catch up with our lives. Too many places to go, too many deadlines to meet and too many activities to participate in. Sometimes, I sit back and ask myself what significant thing happened in the last 24 hours. There are days I can point to some important things while there are just some days I am left wondering! I have realized that as long as we are living (and hardworking of course), there will always be a thousand and one things to do. The onus is on us to take a break. When everything is happening so fast and seemingly getting out of control, my advice is that you Pause and Think. Take a moment to breathe before rushing on to the next chore and you can thank me later. *winks* You are the pilot of your life. Time will

Does it look like the world has given up on you? Could it be that way because you gave up on "You" first? If there's no one left to believe in you, you may need to  WAKE UP, GET YOUR ACTS TOGETHER AND MAKE YOUR EXISTENCE COUNT... for something greater than you! It was a lonely night All my friends gone like a kite Flying to a higher height. I was left behind -without even a fight. The chronicles had been written Of a time I'd be smitten By the very things I should have eaten. Alas! I had been beaten While I sat knitting.  It's all a phase;  It'll fade like a haze. This is my base;  I can't be lost in the maze.  I am made of more;  Made for more. The world will stand in awe As I wage war Against all that negates "more" I am made of more And was made for more!  ©Nikoslexie 2017

Over the years, I have realized that as humans, we find it easy to associate some colours with certain things. This association is sometimes unjustified but we don't really mind when it suits us. For instance, "red" has been associated with danger; "black" with Death or Evil and so on. I don't think I have actually come across the colour associated with Sin. The reason for this I don't know. I am happy to tell you that I discovered the colour of sin recently. Permit me to share this poem with you. I hope you find the answer somewhere in between 😁 A hidden orchestra Golden embers of a dying fire, The aura of saints The bane of humanity: Choice! I've been busy For a reason Working if only for a season To seek that which is hidden. "Fire is red, " They said. "Forever is green, " They grinned. "Sin is what?" I thought. Come dine with me! I have found the answers I seek. Sin is what it is: An immortal

He was a driver. I was not just any passenger - I was an observant one... I happened to sit in the front seat of a public bus one day and something soon caught my eye. There was something about the way the driver changed gears; he seemed to do it with a lot of swag. After watching for a while, I was amazed to realize that the driver had a weakness of some sort in his left leg and so he had found a way of skillfully using his left hand to apply pressure on his leg just to press the clutch. He had perfected this act so much so that it was "beautiful". There are days I am tempted to mope around and feel sorry for myself. There are days when all that seems to be is one disappointment after another and the pain is just overwhelming. There are days I lack the courage to even get out of bed and face my fears... However, to lie there and do nothing is the biggest mistake ever. We have to find some beauty in our pain, some ability in our disability and make the most of what we have.

Curtains drawn; Darkness dawns. I hung it to dry - My pen Yet it flowed freely - The ink. The sages have sung Our fathers: never wrong To speak of thereafter. It will definitely flutter - My heart - At the thought of tomorrow. Inquire no more from me I emptied it already -  My soul Yet full it stayed Devoid of any happiness. It flooded my soul - Grief Consuming every inch. I hung it to dry - My pen Yet it flowed freely - The ink. Hush! It is set: Morning! There's a now and a thereafter Take a sneak peek It's an epilogue: No! Not the end. It filled the air - A melody. It engulfed my nostrils - A fragrance. A fire in my bones None can see For night abides still... Hush! It is set. Take a sneak peek It's an epilogue No, not the end! © Nikoslexie 2017

        THIS AND THAT Of this and that, A cat and a rat. What to make of it, I cannot tell; To tell of it, the cat I must bell. What shall I do? To make you see it's true. I once walked alone Along paths unknown. Caught a tree swaying To a tune I was humming... This serenity had better last. Something whistled past: A bat and a dart Truly, life is of this and that. I was sipping my apple cider This time I had no cigar Caressing the hollow of my mouth. All my plans could go south If this and that Break my heart. Life is of this and that: Sometimes, you hold the bat Other times, you catch the ball... A little more and that will be all. Choose to take all in stride And in the end, you'll glow with pride. ©Nikoslexie 2017

3:30pm: Her cry of anguish pierced through the silence as she made her way into the Emergency Room. In her arms, she carried the limp body of a little girl -her only child! As she rushed in, the battle to save her baby's life began; one that had already been lost even before she stepped in as the girl was paper white with little respiratory effort. Moments later, her fears were confirmed. Her only child had died! Another cry of anguish let out; another life ended. 3:30pm: He sat looking at his phone; waiting for a call to come in. He had written so many exams yet he still had not been offered a slot in the program. He was getting frustrated. Surely, life couldn't be totally unfair. Just as he was dozing off, the shrill sound of his phone woke him. It was the call he'd been expecting.; he'd been offered admission. Great was his happiness... Another chance given! Two unrelated stories. Two emotional extremes featuring on the same page... Wait a second! Isn't that

The above was the notice hung in every corner of Shane and Darry's house...at least in their minds. I wish the search were for criminals but I have to disappoint you, the search was for Bed bugs. (Am I serious? Yes, I am😁). Bed bugs were the sole object of the search. The search started from the sitting room furniture where everything - cushions, headrests, throw pillows - was turned upside down and inside out in a frantic search for the bed bugs that had recently invaded their territory. Fortunately, their search was fruitful and yielded some bed bugs and their eggs carefully camouflaged within the crevices of the furniture. You really should have seen the look of joy and satisfaction that coloured their faces with each discovery! As I watched the duo conduct their search, I almost couldn't believe they were looking for bed bugs and I wondered when bed bugs became treasures in our community. I only wished we could be so detailed and thorough in our search for genuine trea

   ~~~* NO ALIASES *~~~ Tell me I'm home... The sparks I see in the sky Mirror the ones I feel in my heart. I wish I could comb Through the feelings that run by But they seem to have perfected their art What's your name? What makes you tick? Maybe it's none of my business. I really wish this were a game; That you didn't come in the nick Of time and cause this uneasiness. I'm falling for you Even though I see a veil... Even if I willed, I couldn't pull it down. It always takes two Definitely more than a mail To keep the heart from a frown. What's your name? This time no aliases. I really wanna trust you- Trust that this is no game. I could have ignored your passes But then how would I know your heart- it's exact hue? © Nikoslexie 2017

Just sitting there with a thousand thoughts flowing through. I had to write; not just anything but something good. That was the most pressing of all thoughts. My mind drifted back to a decade ago when it all started one afternoon with a simple conversation between two friends. One was a poet and the other was a lady who had read no poems except those mandated in the Junior Secondary School. They were both science students with seemingly no background in the Arts but their love for words bound them together like Romeo and Juliet. For her, it started with a desire to try something new and exciting. She did that and with all diligence too as she dated all her poems to monitor her progress. Fast forward to year 2017...she still writes (maybe not as frequently as she would have loved) and has a few nice poems to her name. She still strives -strives to touch the sky she saw hanging so low just within her reach a decade ago. Remember, it all started with a desire. A desire to try something

               I WAS LATE Today, the chronicles will be written Tonight, they will be unveiled Tomorrow, our legacy will be echoed - Loud in the hearts of the brave For it takes courage to embrace history. I was late - Later than expected - But I came anyway. I shouldn't be denied Because of my time of arrival. I would do all they did Dance, make merry and live Like I didn't care Because I was late. Surely, there was no better excuse I was late But because I came anyway, I should make it count. I could be late; also be brave For it takes courage to leave a true legacy. Today,the chronicles will be written Tonight, they will be unveiled And tomorrow, our legacy will be echoed. How loud will it ring? How far will it carry? © Nikoslexie 2017

I have frequently wondered why humans find it easy, most times, to take others for granted. It just seems like second nature to some folks. A lot of crap is hidden under the big umbrella of human rights and I am forced to wonder if there are really any boundaries to human rights. The law allows organizations to erect places of worship close to the road just as much as it allows individuals to build residential houses. Should we now say that because we have freedom of movement, we will leave our places of worship and conduct services on a portion of the road? When did half of the government road become the ideal place for our service(s)? What is to be the reaction of innocent passers-by that get stuck because you feel you have a certain degree of freedom? This is by no means an outburst against any religious body. If your friend allowed you to spend the night at his place once when you needed a place to crash, it does not necessarily mean you should keep going there unannounced. You w

~I think I should write~ Maybe silence would do just fine because the words wouldn't just come. A numb sensation had gradually spread from my heart to the rest of the body. I had been cheated yet no one could avenge me. I had lost someone dear yet I had not been given the chance to grieve. Who shall bury the dead? Is it the living who are so immobilized by grief? Or is it the ones so distant from the dead? The dead are dead and the living are only a step away from the grave yet the society wouldn't let them grieve. "Why let them grieve? ", we ask. There are elaborate burial plans to be made, will(s) to be read and executed, bills to be paid, deadlines to be met and appearances to be put up. In the midst of the frenzy, the dead wish to be truly buried: buried beneath the pavilion of legacies. The dead wish to live on in our hearts and still influence us to make the right decisions. Who shall bury the dead? Let the dead bury their dead...and the living grieve for the

Why do we feel threatened by anything different? Why does the thought of embracing something or someone different from us scare us? Imagine someone who doesn't get a particular job because he's an albino. Seriously?! Yes, he's being denied an opportunity because he's different. I could give many more examples but I'll just stop here. It's high time we learned to celebrate the differences that make us beautiful individuals and communities instead of opposing or making life miserable for everyone that isn't like us. Variety, they say, is the spice of life. #let'schannelourdifferences #istandwitheveryone #sayNOtodiscrimination I thought it was mine I couldn't have been more wrong. It had to be fine For all to be carried along Together we all had to dine Even when he didn't belong It was my place to tell And tell, I would; The cat I would bell Just because I could. His stay would be hell And for our bonfire, he'd be the wood

Wow! It definitely feels good (no! Exciting is a better word) to be back from a long unanticipated break. I am sure some of you most have wondered if my blog had gone the way of many blogs and "died" or if I finally got something else to keep me occupied. I wish I could say you were right and give you a reward but I can't because I thought about writing almost every single day of the last one month and I missed my readers 😢😢 (that's my way of apologizing to you 😁please accept it 😄) In the last one month, I have passed through some things I had never really given much thought to. I have had to ask myself why I had to be at the receiving end this time (if not me, then who?) I have been forced to see things from other perspectives I never knew existed and I am grateful for that. I have been reminded once again that it's hard to know what the other person is going through until you have the experience yourself. So let's be reminded when next we are tempted

It's a beautiful Friday night; complete with a few minutes of rain @ my end. Here's something for the weekend: I THOUGHT YOU WERE THERE I thought you were there So I called till my voice went hoarse. I thought you were there So I spoke till I had no more secrets. I thought you were there So I gave the brightest smile ever And wore my best dress ever But you were not; You were gone – Long gone to a land I could not tell. You just stood there, Eyes cold and shoulders squared. Alas! You were long gone! I didn’t know this stranger, The one who was deaf to my call And bore no affection for me. I thought you were there But I couldn’t have been more wrong. ©Nikoslexie 2016

Why is it so easy for us to see the fault in others but not in ourselves? Could it be that a strand of self righteousness was secretly woven into the human DNA at conception? We rant about the bad others have done while  we are guilty of the same -and sometimes even more. When shall we trade our unseeing eyes for better ones? A BEAUTIFUL MIND I know I have a beautiful mind He tells me so I wish you could see it. That’s how much I believe him; We are so closely knit. Don’t always believe men; Perfected in treachery they are. What shall I do then? I know I have a beautiful mind But only because he tells me so How could I be so blind? I must be truly ugly in there I see she has a dirty mind And I must cry “foul!” How can she be so unkind? I strain at a gnat But swallow a camel Surely, I am no better than a ‘noon bat’ Till I truly have a beautiful mind I should not label her a foe. ©Nikoslexie 2017

Just as earlier promised, below is the complementary poem to my last post. Enjoy! SWEET REVENGE How could I be so civil When all I feel is evil? Yes, evil and hate Is all I feel for Nate! How could he be so murderous And annoyingly superstitious? Yet he looked at me innocently While I waited patiently… Surely, there’d be a sweet moment To take revenge and give torment. He deserved that and much more For killing the child I never saw What better way to avenge her death Than sending him back to Mother Earth While he eats his favorite meal And fears no ill… Judge me if you want Revenge is all I want. You and I are no different For all we seek is a vent A vent for all the anger We have stored in our hangar. My revenge shall be sweet As hell will freeze in its pit. ©Nikoslexie 2016

Two sisters quietly played some distance away from where I sat enjoying the evening breeze. I was soaking in the beautiful atmosphere while I glanced in the sisters' direction just in time to witness a "mini-drama". Trust me not to carry last in such matters 😊😀 The older sister had mistakenly thrown her doll some metres away from where they played but instead of her going to get it herself, she ordered the younger one to get it for her. Of course, her sister refused and told her to get it herself. This didn't go down well with the older girl who twisted her ear, seized her doll and shouted at her to retrieve the doll. The younger sister obeyed albeit in tears and brought back the doll to the older one who didn't even appreciate the gesture. See ehn, in my mind, I was already unconsciously advising the younger one not to talk or play with her sister for like a day so she could feel the impact of what she had done. After all, she was the one who threw the do

What exactly is "Universal Wi-Fi" ? In simple terms, it's that potable device that one buys data subscription on, people connect to and they can browse at the same time. Well, sorry to disappoint you but that's not what this write up is about 😁😀. Up until some days ago, I had never heard of the phrase "Universal Wi-Fi" being used in a particular context but the phrase jumped out at me from an interesting debate some of my colleagues were having on the said day.( Not to worry, this isn't a continuation of that debate. 😀) Universal Wi-Fi... Hmmm.. Is it possible that there is something that is present all over the world? Is/are there something(s) common to us as living humans round the world that we "connect" to from time to time to carry out some "tasks"? I think there are though I would only be talking about one of them today. My Universal Wi-Fi for today is BELIEF. Yeah, you read right - Belief! Every living human (excluding