Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • African Proverbs 3

    Consider this proverb for the day: What has horns must not be hid in a sack. – Zulu (South African) Proverb Explanation: Something’s are not meant to said or done in the public. This is an African version of the English saying “Don’t wash dirty linen outside”.

  • The Frogs and the Well

    Look at this fable and reflect why we should think twice before acting. Two frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the marsh dried up and they left it to look for another place to live in, for frogs like damp places of they can get them. By and by they came…

  • African Proverbs 2

    Here’s a Guinean Proverb: Knowledge of leadership is not plucked from the air, one is born with it. Explanation: Selflessness, honesty, compassion and every other qualities of Leadership are groomed from good home training, personal decisions to live upright and treat others right.

  • African Myths 4

    It’s a good and rainy evening. Welcome, again to another episode of African Myths. I will take you through some of the craziest things you might have read today. Have fun. As a growing kid we were told not to walk behind our elderly ones. If you do, you will see evil spirits and they…

  • African Proverbs

    Look at this proverb, what do you make of it? Not everyone who chased the Zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it. – South African Proverb Explanation: Sometimes what we want may not come the way we want it or we may not even achieve that! But then, to attempt to achieve…

  • I Felt Roses by Okoroji Chidiebere Alexander

    It was a dream, The deepest of it, The silent have it, But this moments stole it, I whisper a little, She knew, It was love, She felt it, I never wanted it back, I gave it, A shyly shaky witty love. Oh no, What if I dent the colours, I spoilt it with odours,…

  • Self-Control: The Fox and the Crow

    How is everybody today? What are you guys reading for the weekend? I’m compiling a new reading list, anyone willing to share or suggest a book? It’s almost bedtime here, but sleep can wait. I’m trying to study my guide to scholarship application. I have this bedtime tale to drop before I retire for the…

  • Don’t Forget by Okoroji Chidiebere Alexander

    Don’t forget how we started, Don’t forget where we met, The circumstances, How it happened, Don’t forget so soon! I was just like a stranger, The other day, I was a nobody to you, A commoner, An ordinary soul, Flying and searching for love, Searching for hope, In pursuit for happiness, Until the encounter, Don’t…

  • Wait for me by Johnny Drille

    Johnny Drille gives us a touching country music. The first time I saw the video I got all emotional. Enjoy this African beat.

  • Celebrating Philanthrophy: Lisa Jo Symonds

    Today I came across an amazing person who is working to help improve the lives of rural orphans in East Africa. She supports the Hope For Rural Orphans, an orphanage based in Mbale, Uganda. Permit me to introduce Lisa Jo Symonds, the author of The Hands That Held Me. She is from Adirondack, New York,…

  • Thoughts on Character

    Character sustains beauty Character sustains destiny One thing that makes everyone unique or stands out is character. Character is moral strength and describes notable and eccentric feature(s) of a person. As smoke can not be hidden, so it is a person’s character. Character is linked to self-control, temperance, and discipline. Deborah King, the co-founder of…

  • Shepherd’s Tale

    Sweet are memories of the fields- Valley greens and blue clouds, The frolicsome rabbits and slow worms, All shades of flowers and singing birds Replay on the shepherd’s mind In the morning, was a light shower The path wet with dew- Heaven’s water But the sheep went happy, through the misty path When evening came,…

  • Thoughts on Africa: oiroegbu.com

    My name is Okechukwu. I’m a Math teacher and I’m the brain behind oiroegbu.com. I’m from Isuikwuato in Nigeria. I enjoy writing. I love watching wildlife and playing Sudoku. Initially, oiroegbu.com was a poetry blog, but was modified to accommodate other thoughts, personal experiences and places I’ve been to. Hopefully, I’ll start traveling more, to…

  • Thoughts on Friendship and Honesty, from an Introvert’s view

    Friends are family we chose for ourselves. Although there are many forms of friendship, which can vary from place to place, certain characteristics are common across different types of bonds. These traits include affection, kindness, love, virtue, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, loyalty, generosity, forgiveness, mutual understanding, and compassion—along with enjoying each other’s company, trust, and…

  • Kindness: The Lion and the Mouse

    Here is one of the oldest and best loved stories of kindness paid and repaid. From it we learn that compassion lies within the power of both the mighty and the meek. Kindness is not a feeble virtue. One day a great lion lay asleep in the sunshine. A little mouse ran across his paw…

  • Muse: Evening Rain

    Listen… Hear the clouds rumble, for it rains again Soft breezes from the quiet evening Come drumming, mildly on the pan, The rooftop has got a companion Up this ancient forested hills The trees dance and twist To songs from the Winds tongues From the pond, the back-up frog choir get set, Waiting for their…

  • Grandmother’s Table

    Good evening everyone. This story was adapted from the Brothers Grimm and I’ll like to share it with you. It may be that the older we get, the more this story will mean to us. But we should learn it while we are young, for the sake of the generation coming before us. We should…

  • Haiku: Searching the Flames

    The unhappy hawk search the burning bush Folk say she was scouting for her old granny, But an escaping rabbit caught her attention instead

  • Poetale after the Days work

    Now we gather by the fireside Waiting for yams to roast Warming our hands in the heat On this evening, cool and mild The dreams we wait to dream The waiting pillow beckoning The tales in hopes of telling And a joyful evening it seems The hot day had gone up those hills Releasing a…

  • Happy Teacher’s Day, 2019 and Thoughts on Growing Up

    Ututu oma, ach, that’s good morning in English. It’s a bright and sunny morning and I wish I was in Kenya, watching wildlife. World Teacher’s Day. Today is Teacher’s Day! I celebrate all who share their knowledge with others, cheers and thanks for being a teacher. To parents, guardians, school tutors, clergymen, imams and everyone…

  • Haiku: The Wind surfs

    How happy, the wind surf the sea! Bending double to strong waves, To escape the doom before her

  • Muse: What I love about you

    I love the dimple that grace your face, Your hearty smile and warm embrace I love the joy I get when you smile And those thoughts you serve me I love the taste of your turmeric and garlic, Sweet soup that makes my heart frolic! I love the airs around you, Roses and lavender, I…

  • The African Palm Tree

    The palm tree is one of the strongest trees in the world. In tropical Africa, this plant grow wild, though it’s now cultivated. In Igbo land, the leaves, barks and roots is used to produce different kinds of medicine. The boiled seeds serve as food and the oil is used for cooking. The wood is…

  • Visit Africa: Masai Mara

    Video from Guardian TV

  • Twist and Turns

    Twist and turns, that’s the song of life and the road But crawl, walk, run towards those brown hills, Dust shall become a dress or a travelling companion

  • Haiku: A Summer Walk

    Take a summer stroll down the green bush Find three squirrels play by fallen tree logs Splash! A frightened frog jumps into the quiet pond

  • The Goose that laid the Golden Egg

    You may agree with me that evenings are best for story telling. In Africa, evenings are valuable family time. Dinner or sitouts allow time to reflect on the days work: achievements and disappointments, and to tell tales. Tales don’t just act as lullabies but convey moral virtues (and vices) as well. Now when a story…

  • A poem for Sailors

    See the sailors ships dance on the wave To the rising sun they prepare to sail Waiting to greet birds and smooth tides, And to dream when the evening rides See the sailors gather their sails With rum as their better companion They sing and tell tales from happy mouths, While the ready ship waltzed…

  • Can you spell IF?

    Please can anyone help these guys? 😅😂

  • Nigeria

    In the morning, the sun rises Above the horizons and cliffs And on the smiling faces on the farms Hope rises with the sun, As the children roll out their bicycles To the tanned fields of the hamlet Followed by their pets, puppies and kittens A proud cloud draws a huge smile And on the…

  • Unabhangigkeit Nigeria!

    Today is October 1, 2019, doubling as the beginning of October and Nigeria’s Independence Day. This day in 1960 we became self governing when the Brits left. So †Unabhangigkeit Nigeria! From the coasts of West Africa, I wish a Happy New Month to all my followers and to Nigerians I say Happy Independence Day! As…

  • Smile for me

    Smile for me beautiful one, Draw your joy, let it infect everyone Be happy when it goes well And when all seem uncertain But pay no heed to illusions, To thoughts that groom pain For when heavy storms gather, It takes a smile to break the fear Now consider the colorful rainbow, 🌈 How noiseless…

  • Teach me to Love you again

    For our love’s memory I cherish your love dose, Your care and your beauty, Each time the swift sun rose Gracefully, I recall our hopes… But the candle light dwindles And I miss you, now that it faints Teach me to love you again Embrace me when I fail; The hugs, cuddling, I’ll relearn- For…

  • Visit Africa: Gaborone

    If you love nature, then you should visit Bostwana. There’s a lot of Game and Nature reserves in this country, trust me, you won’t get enough of wildlife sighting here. We’ll be checking out the capital city; Gaborone, a beautiful town in my ‘to visit list’. Gaborone is known for the Gaborone Game Reserve, sheltering…

  • The Shepherd King

    If you are conversant with David’s story in the bible, then you can recall that he was a lad who led his father’s sheep to pasture in the forest. He learned to fight, for he fought off Bears and the Lion that came to steal the sheep. He learned to play the guitar which came…

  • Thoughts on Contentment

    Most vices become when there’s a lack of contentment. Burglary, pilfering, all manner of stealing, falsehood, and even hatred of oneself are all discontentment factors. I asked some elders about their thoughts on contentment, and they gladly led me through their wisdom. As we all know, happiness is a great virtue worth teaching our younger…

  • The World’s Greatest

    Join me to reflect on this †video clip. You become what you tell yourself. Wake each morning with a desire to become a better version of you. The world needs your skills and talents, don’t hide them. It’s a good morning from West Africa. I’m up and thankful. Have a blessed day. * †Video excerpt…

  • The Boy Who Cried “Wolf”

    This is one of Aesop’s most famous fable. It’s old but not rusty. As you read through note that the fastest way to lose what we call our good character is to lose our honesty. There was once a shepherd boy who kept his flock at a little distance from the village. Once he thought…

  • Happy Autumn song

    Autumn plays a game of colors Warm is her painted trees and land Sweet are the songs from her birds With the two, she gave benevolently *** Image by Yaran Qadr

  • Positive Attitude to Life: Gratitude

    Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happened- John Miller. Be thankful for all the gifts of life. We can hear birds sing and…

  • African Myths 3

    Myths are believes that are not true. In Africa there are so many of them. Let’s have a look at some. In some parts of Africa, beating children with a broom is a curse. Flogging the girl-child with a broom may delay her marriage. 🤭 Do you know that breaking palm kernels anytime from 7PM…

  • Celebrating Arts: Glennys Arias

    As I mentioned sometime ago, I celebrate creativity, knowledge, arts and people. Today I will be taking a peek at Glennys Arias new book. I’m privileged to be reading from the author herself! These are excerpts from The Creator’s Angel which is published in Amazon.com. Chapter 6 We stare at each other in complete silence,…

  • Thoughts on Teaching Math

    Consider the first time you taught someone how to ride a bicycle or did any form of teaching. It wasn’t easy, was it? Teaching is a stressful job. Teaching math is much more stressful. Math is in everything you do! Before trying to explain this, I make the students relax. Many students fear the subject,…

  • Random Thought: Countryside Vs Cities

    It’s Saturday evening in West Africa. I’m sitting outside peeling oranges. Apart from the dreamy breeze, this mouthful of oranges is the only comfort I’ve for being bored. COUNTRYSIDE My hometown is beautiful. There are breath taking hills masked in green matter. There are streams, ponds, rivulets and waterfalls, rocks and ancient caves. There are…

  • Drums of Nature

    These are drums, of joy and fulfilment, Listen, Heaven sings her melodious hit Her clap of thunder startles me, Yet the raindrops act as my lullaby ** With Elabh

  • Why it is important to have a plan in life with Piere Ingrams.

    Piere Ingrams says replace bad habits with good ones. From Ohio, USA, Piere takes us on why it is important to have a plan. Good morning from Africa!

  • Look beyond your past

    In the morning I wrote a hasty poem titled “Looking Beyond”. I also tried to finish a large chapter of a book I was reading. This book (God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon) told stories of how great men and women once wallowed in shame, failure and defeat. It also narrated how their resilience, patience, hardwork…

  • Look beyond…

  • Self-Control

    The secret of surviving tough times is your response to them – Dr Chris Kpakpovwe The problems of life is not the problem itself. The problem is our reaction to the problem. We can allow problems to grind us to self pity or depression or it can become our stepping stone to progress/creative new thinking.…

  • Visit Africa: Cotonou

    Have you heard of Cotonou? Cotonou is a large port city on the south coast of Benin, in West Africa. At the eastern end of central Boulevard St. Michel is the huge Dantokpa Market, which features religious items and spices alongside everyday objects. To the southwest, the 19th-century Cotonou Cathedral has a striking red-and-white striped…