“Los Angeles Nights”

I’ve encountered Los Angeles long before I lived in it.

After high school, during my National Diploma days in Nigeria, I spent far too many hours playing a mobile phone game called Los Angeles Nights. It was one of those interactive games where you created a character trying to survive in Los Angeles, taking on different jobs—DJ, restaurant worker, bouncer, and whatever else paid the bills. As you progressed, your character improved in appearance, confidence, literacy, style, aura, and other traits.

There were other versions too, like New York Nights and Miami Nights, but Los Angeles Nights was always my favorite. It was surprisingly immersive for a mobile game, and I happily lost track of time whenever I played.

One detail has stayed with me all these years: the palm trees. The game seemed to scatter them everywhere, and somehow they became my mental image of Los Angeles.

Now, whenever I walk past rows of palm trees here in Los Angeles, my mind instantly flashes back to that little game on my phone. It’s funny how something so simple can become a bridge between two chapters of life.

Back then, Los Angeles existed only on a tiny screen in my hand and the big teevee in the living room. Today, I look around, see those same palm trees swaying in the California sun, and smile at how life has unfolded.

I’m not just playing Los Angeles Nights anymore. I’m living in it.

The poem below isn’t about the game but about palm trees and what they’ve come to mean for me, from Nigeria to California. Anyhow, it’s a good night from here.

Palm Trees

I’ve seen so many palm trees dance,
Dance as the wind plays host.
They twist and turn, whistling softly.

I’ve seen palm trees in bedtime stories dance,
Once upon a timeless place and land,
In African tales, jokes, and folksongs,
Where everyone and everything has a voice,
Where the palm trees dance in joyful renditions,
And children, amazed, listen to the wonderful tales.

I’ve seen palm trees in games about Los Angeles,
Just like the ones in coastal San Diego.
I grew up playing it on my mobile phone.

Now I live in reality—Los Angeles Nights:
The good,
the bad,
and the magnificent.