KENNETHCOLLINS AJAGU – BRING US BACK!!!
#ChibokGirls 276 abducted 57 escaped 3 found 21 released 4 infants with girls 19 parents dead Still missing 195! This story is in commiseration of the missing Chibok School Girls. That night I sat outside, staring into nothing. The familiar bells of the church hadn’t rung in years, the stars that once gave me companionship at night stopped its visits. The air was dusty and stung when it hit the white of the eye while tears fought themselves into streams on my face. I knew we were going on another journey, another journey filled with screams and barks of short orders rolled out in Hausa. My memory never failed me this last 2 years, it stayed by me taunting me with images of home, of a time when I could cradle my innocence and be proud about it, a time when the bells rang and my feet hurried home from…
For All Women by Marycollette Matiki
When I cook, I am made to stand by the curtain and watch you eat. I have to tell from your expressions if my meal was good or not. If I can, I am supposed to genuflect when I drop the food after I hold the bowl for you to wash your hand. When you nod your head as the food travels down your throat, I am supposed to rejoice as I have won a good wife batch. I am told it is a crime to make you wait for food. As you knock on the door to announce your presence, I am to welcome you with a gentle massage and genuine inquiry about your day. I have been told and taught a thousand and one things to do to be a good wife, but I am scared. I am scared the lessons ended with me. No one bothered to…
Thank God It’s Just A Dream By Passion
“Oooh!!!” “Ahhh!!!” “C’omon!!!” ” Yea!!! right there!” “Ahhhhhhh!!!” “Wheew!!!” That was so cool! Felix heaved a huge sigh of relief. That was the 5th round of sex they had had today and he still came after 50 seconds later much to Salome’s disappointment. She rolled her wrapper over and looked at him in disdain, she couldn’t imagine it was always going to be like this. She had bought him drugs, both traditional and English yet there was no improvement, he would start with so much agressiveness only to fall flat few seconds later. He noticed she wasn’t pleased with him and moved closer to her. “Baby I’m trying my best here, I think it’s work stress I promise I’ll do better. See, I drank all the concoction you mixed for me, I really want to mke u happy too.” “I have heard!” Was the swift response she gave him. She…
Dear Asabe – A Woman’s Letter To Her Husband’s Adulterous Lover
Dear Asabe, It’s been 72 months since we last saw or spoke to each other, you didn’t reply the first letter I sent to you though I wasn’t expectant; how is your husband Tonye, I hope you two are well?… My husband and daughters are all doing well. Lavern my first daughter is now a graduate and Labake her immediate younger one too, Jasmine my last daughter is counting down to graduation also; I’ve never been this proud considering the joy of having “daughters” who are doing so well and proving people like you wrong. I hope you haven’t forgotten in a hurry how you put me through pains in my own home just because I allowed you in. Don’t forget the year I gave birth to Jasmine, how you took over my home because I was diagnosed with PREECLAMPSIA and needed bed rest in the hospital; my husband became…
How My Lover Makes Me Feel Foolish By Juliet Bane
“I must stop this foolishness, I must be strong, I hate love!” She kept on muttering these words to herself as she zoomed off to the beach where she would cry her heart out. She moved slowly along a warm, sandy path. At the top of a hill hidden with tall marsh plants that echoed with sounds of birds and insects. She laid down on the hot soft sand. Lost in her thoughts, she couldn’t help but cry out loud “My world has come to an end!” She cried so much that the sun dried the wet tears onto her face. “I am tortured with thoughts of you, my heart aches for you, sometimes I try to fight this feeling and everytime I try I fall in love with you again. This is the worst feeling to live with and I know that no matter who you end up with…
Poison by Mirabelle Morah
POISON I just couldn’t stand all their noise and trouble. I’ve never wanted to be the kind of girl to get married, have kids, have trouble with my husband, divorce and leave broken kids behind. No! Been there, felt that. So I’d often toyed with the idea of not getting married at all. I knew I couldn’t get married and not have children, but I want my own kids and I don’t want them to go through the hell I went through with my parents. I couldn’t bear the noise any longer. It seemed my earphones couldn’t drown their noise and yells as well as the shatters. I didn’t want to get emotional, so I got up from my bed, went straight for my drawer and picked up my headphones. The bass tone would’ve been enough to shut out the noise even from a drone. Tears slid down my face.…
BREATHING BEES BY OFEM UBI
She is honey Vicious sweet fluid produced from the nectar of God’s hands Chased by bees as men who come buzzing in sounds of love both fiction and real With proboscis as in-betweens dying to taste of their substance And it’s sad enough that some honey’s are just too gullible Too low to notice the sugar coated words as roofs resting on the fenced tongues of these bees Some are just too fast to welcome these bees to their beehives Only waking up to the late fact that these bees were never meant to stay Dear Honey How many bees have you let in? How many bees have you let take away your icing Make caricature of your heavenly blessings For they have shredded you of everything And all you’re left of is nothing but saltiness Lock the cages of your beehives Preserve the keys for these walking insects don’t…
Lessons From 2016 by Blessing Bassey
“I didn’t deserve it but he (GOD) gave me a second chance” I lived a life of hypocrisy, bitterness, sadness & loneliness. Not like it was my choice but I indirectly subscribed to it. I guess I thought I was enjoying life to the fullest at the expense of what he had in mind for me. I cheated humanity without a second thought. I believe he was looking down at me smiling and probably saying, ‘What is this young lady doing’. The devil came as a friend and I embraced him with open arms and heart. I hit the mighty iceberg and I sunk without shame or cries for help. But when I was almost choking to death, he walked in and BOOM!!! I SURVIVED!!! He said to me, girlfriend that’s enough! Things happen but babe your own don too much *lol. He fixed me up so well that I…
My School Life By Abasiono
***DAY ONE*** I remember when I began school, I was barely three years old yet eager to be in school like my senior brothers. Mama had taken time to bath me, applying my favorite baby pearl lotion, my hair had already been braided and I finally got to wear my new school uniform. The color was dull and not particularly my favorite, but still I wore it proudly with a silly grin. After appraising my new look in my uniform, mama smiled in approval and said “my baby is all grown up, now starting her first day in school.” In which my dad had replied with a slight pinch to my chubby cheeks. My brothers stood in the background cooing noisily, already in their school uniform. I had three brothers; the two eldest were already in their junior secondary, while the one I followed was still in primary school, the…
ON THE STREETS OF CALABAR – NTEN MPAMA
Nten is a teenage girl who loves putting her thoughts to paper. Writing is to her what food is to the body. She is a ferocious reader and an avid lover of poetry. She also loves to bake and eat what she bakes. Her faith is probably the most important part of her life. She lives in Calabar with her family. Grace knew in her heart of hearts that the dress she was wearing was inappropriate for the streets of Calabar. But what could she do? Ken had cancelled on her at the last minute; he had some errands to run. “What could possibly go wrong?” She thought. “I’ll just walk a short distance to the road then pick a cab to Marian. How hard could that be?” So she said goodbye to her elder sister who gave her a look that said, “Girl, are you sure you wanna wear…
Ishoyor’s Lessons from 2016
It’s all a matter of perspective or so the bookworms would say. What did I learn from 2016? Oh well, I’d say it was the best worst year yet, I’m equally torn and I can’t play partial and say it was perfect or disastrous like that… No. I’m an on the fence sitting kinda person. 2016 said to me that I’d do anything to survive, whether its turn my eyes to Zion’s peak, play slave to undeserving masters, act dumb so dumber people could feel smart, or break scriptural dictates. I’d do almost anything so that my flesh could at least have shelter and glucose to plunge forward. From joyful to depressed, in love to heartbroken, academically upright to dumb as shit, undergraduate to hopeful working class, writer to budding photographer… 16 simply played it forward that nothing was permanent and change was going to keep tossing me in its…
Boxer by Ekene Ngoka
Every neighbour had tagged Papa the nickname “boxer”, sadly it was a name he earned for beating my mother mercilessly on multiple occasions. Only last month, Papa bragged of getting a new wife, he yelled and tease at my mother implying she was an old cargo due for change. It’d hurt me real deep, considering the fact that the insults were made on my own mother. A day came when my patience dashed away and I confronted Papa about getting a new wife. He simply replied with a grin. “If your TV dey show only one channel you noe go tire for am.” It was quite hilarious but at the same time stupid. The card Papa bought for Mama surprised us as it had the inscription “I love my wife, she is my priceless companion.” We were not perplexed for long, for we knew well the reason behind his sudden…
THE SUICIDE NOTE 7 (FINAL CHAPTER) BY EDIKAN AKPANTE
“Becca can’t die like that!” I thought. But the doctors confirmed that she was gone and gone forever. The Police man arrested me as a prime suspect but for the autopsy that showed that she killed herself, by hanging. And I was freed. Nigerian Police, a force I so detest for their always harassing and intimidating innocent ones without proper investigation. I didn’t show them the letter. As I lay on Becca’s mattress, in the room Becca and I once shared, our room. My tears wouldn’t stop flowing as I think of my now late savior, that girl who took me in with my baggage of problems or what I thought were problems, when she had packaged and carried a bigger burden than I would ever have in this lifetime, all alone. I only wish she had spoken to someone. But after the humans she trusted and looked up to…