Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Author: Oke Iroegbu

  • Sleeping and Waking Early

    What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself? The most challenging personal goal I set for myself is to sleep and wake early. I’m determined to be by myself from 9.30 PM unless I have a visitor or aren’t home by then. Since I started this, my body has learned to automatically wake…

  • Reflection: Gardening

    What is your favorite hobby or pastime? Large fruit trees blossoming around the countryside form a flower shelter, which also provides a spectacular view. The rains had gone for a break, and stream and river levels receded. I noticed during the summer, the petals of flowers were on the verge of blossoming. How we waited…

  • What is The Elephant?

    I will start by retelling this short and famous parable about the Elephant and the Blindmen, adapted from the book The Elephant in the Dark. This parable speaks volumes about misconceptions and how one-sided, unverified, and faulty ideology could spread erroneous claims and beliefs. A group of blind men learned that a strange animal, called…

  • Quote: Gratitude

    Gratitude is best reflected in great things like smiles, and laughter.

  • Play and Work

    In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? Let’s start this prompt with a short poem I wrote some time ago. I call it Play or Labor. Play green locust, hopTake a swerve, make a loopWatch days turn into dismal years Labor brown ant, toilMorn and noon, dig the soil,Gather seeds before bitter…

  • Persistence

    What’s the trait you value most about yourself? I believe that the most valuable trait in me is my ability to persist. The English dictionary defines persistence as continuing a course of action without regard to discouragement, opposition, or previous failure. It’s related to endurance and perseverance. I have learned to persistently sow good seeds…

  • Quote: First Learning Experience

    Once upon a time was the first and perhaps the best educational prelude ever to grace my life. It was my foremost experience with becoming conscious of the act of learning.

  • Travel-Blogging

    List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter. I would love to be a writer and, indeed, working towards that. My writing started back in high school. Then, I liked playing with words and wrote poems of love. I’m also interested in becoming a travel blogger. It is a dream to travel around…

  • Proverbs

    What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in? Proverbs are sources of wisdom. They are the oil with which the Igbo eat their words. In this post, I wrote in Igbo, translated into English, and then gave its meaning. Sometime ago, I did a blog post on proverbs used…

  • Moonlight

    It’s time that candlelights are blown outOne after the other; in this little town,All wait for the moon to shine againWhen black figures stroll aboutBeyond the fences, the forest stoodThe green grass against the moonlightNow faint but immaculately whiteVarious odors greeted all, people, mudThere were dark patches on the stream The moon had spread over…

  • Be Yourself

    What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great…

  • Traveling

    How do you celebrate holidays? While in Nigeria, I celebrate holidays by traveling to my dad’s countryside home. I enjoy the tranquility of the countryside—the quiet mornings and evenings and the numerous familiar faces I knew from childhood. I always have this endearing trend of staying away from the noise and pollution of towns. It…

  • Spicy Noodles

    Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail. So one day in the dorm, I visited a friend who also had two other visitors. He offered his last pair of noodle packs and I was nominated to cook! While everyone waited for the noodles to get ready we talked about school and I requested…

  • Self-Care

    Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life. There are many lessons I wish I learned earlier in life. One is putting myself first before anything else. By this, I’m not insinuating being selfish but learning to make decisions that won’t hurt me in the long run. I would be friendly and…

  • Proactive Leadership

    Do you see yourself as a leader? I’d like to think of myself as a leader because I’m proactive, creative, and willing to work with everyone. So I will answer with a list of my leadership experience in no order. I’ve volunteered in-person and remotely for several NGOs in Africa, the Middle East, and America.…

  • Studying

    What are you doing this evening? This evening, I will be reading at one of the libraries at UC Berkeley. I’m working on several research essays and, at the same time, preparing for seminars and upcoming conferences. I will meet with some of my mentees afterward to catch up with them.

  • Attitude

    What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you? Attitude changes everything For me the difference between good and bad is attitude. Consider the story of Abraham Lincoln below and the following reflection. Abraham’s Humble Story When Abraham Lincoln became the president of America, his father was a shoemaker. Naturally, egoistic people were…

  • Quote on Attitude

    It’s not all about being smart, strong, or hard-working. A good and positive attitude can take a young person far in life.

  • Music

    How do you relax? Music is the art of making pleasing combinations of sound. It’s an organized sound that can be soul-lifting and entertaining. There are several genres of music. In my blog, I have written my thoughts about numerous songs I like. These songs range from international hits like Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ to local…

  • California

    Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home. California is just what I imagined. The clean streets, diverse people, and rolling hills embody nature, all set in an inspiring school environment lined with cheerful trees. Where there are trees, you can often see birds that add their melodic sounds to the view.…

  • Acts of Kindness

    What brings a tear of joy to your eye? Kindness in a world of tribulation and pain gives me hope. Recently, I’ve seen people exhibit random acts of service to others: holding doors for others, volunteering, giving your seat to the elderly, saying hi first, smiling warmly, and giving good wishes. And it warms my…

  • Poetry

    Why do you blog? This short blog post answers the prompt on why I blog… Poetry Poetry is a composition in verse or language, exhibiting conscious attention to patterns. The bolded are crucial to understanding the true nature of poems. Poetry has been in existence for centuries. As an art that survived centuries, I was…

  • I Feel Good

    How are you feeling right now? Do you remember the commercial: Wow, I Feel Good, followed by a jingle? That’s exactly how I feel. This feeling comes from being grateful for all I have; good friends, loving siblings, peace of mind, joy, a bright future, and hope. The journey has been rough, but my dreams…

  • Reading

    What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life? One of my daily habits is reading. As a research scholar, I found it essential to exercise my mind each day by reading at least a page of any book or magazine, which proves helpful with time. The human mind, as we all…

  • Penguins of Madagascar, the Series

    What TV shows did you watch as a kid? I liked many TV shows, but I enjoyed The Penguins of Madagascar, the series the most. It was my family show as everyone gathered at night to see the sequel. King Julien was a laughable character, and so was his minions. The Penguins were intelligent, funny,…

  • Sunset

    What’s your favorite time of day? What does the sunset mean to you? For me, it’s time for rest. It’s also a time for reflection, a time to put the pieces together. However, overthinking kills the fun. Letting the day’s stress slide is crucial. So count your blessings. Even the sun rests, a quick reminder…

  • Green City

    How would you design the city of the future? If I were to be an administrator, my city would be the greenest in the world. I would put pockets of forests in hubs, and every house would be encouraged to have a garden and at least two fruit trees. There would be a more expansive…

  • Okechukwu

    Where did your name come from? In Nigeria, names are an important way to identify people. They carry histories and meanings, which are rooted in the culture of the people. Some names reflect a family’s situation or past experiences. The name Oke is a shortened form of Okechukwu, meaning ‘Share’ or ‘Gift from God.’ Oke…

  • Learning

    What motivates you? Staying positive all day brings me a lot of good thoughts, joy, hope, and the opportunity to learn and grow There’s so much to learn and I love discovering new things and knowledge. Thus, I’m motivated by the opportunity to learn new things every day. Each time I meet someone for the…

  • Poem: Writing

    What do you enjoy most about writing? Writing is a useful ancient craftThat aroused my passion and museBy teaching me more about myselfIt had reminded me of my cleverness

  • Berkeley

    What do you love about where you live? Berkeley in California is a wonderful place to live. It’s a hilly town with abundance of greens and orderly streets. In this city is the pioneer and famous University of California campus. There are wild turkeys, deer, squirrels and bobcats. The weather is cool because of the…

  • Hope

    What positive emotion do you feel most often? Hope is a wonderful emotion and one of the greatest to ever be. I would talk about it in a poetic form: Hope is like a dreamer’s lyre and songsIt’s an elixir that softens the weary soulDarkness and light, uncertainty and hopeWhile some search through the thick…

  • What Brings You Peace?

    What brings you peace? Well, that’s a big question. For me, peace is one of the greatest virtues anyone would have. So in this prompt, I’ll use the words comfort, relaxation, happiness, and peace interchangeably. I’ll try to list the activities that bring me all these virtues. Writing, Reading, and Reflection: I get peace from…

  • A Birthday Wish and Turbulent Times

    Dreams Come True One of my wishes last year was to travel abroad for my graduate degree. God listened, and my wish and prayers were answered. Miracles still happen – we just have to believe and work hard. Please don’t give up on those dreams. It might take a while but it will come true and…

  • Quote on the Human Mind

    The human mind is a great asset, whatever is fed to it, it returns back. Feed it with positivity, and it will gladly return that to you.

  • August Reflection

    Let’s love and respect each other, that’s what the world needs at this point. It costs absolutely nothing to treat others the way we want to be treated.

  • Quote: If Nature Told Stories

    If nature; places, objects, and animals told stories, they would have so many incredible stories to tell.

  • Night Poem: Stars Glitter

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-2rk

  • Home

    What’s the shortest verse you read this week and what is home to you? Below is a piece drafted from a discussion I had with a friend. You might agree that home is truly the best place to be. East or WestRain or ShineHome is the best

  • Nature’s Symphonies

    I love to hear the symphonies of natureBy the side of streams or up the pretty sunny skies,When it showers or through the whirling wind trail,The smooth rush of the flowing stream,The screeching of insects beneath grasses,The virtually silent clouds whose sounds are exaltedThe call of birds, the hop of deer, minutes of termites,And effervescent…

  • Be Kind, Be Love

    Be Kind, Be Love Love is a beautiful feeling. In a world of injustice, inequality, and pain, it’s the only healing balm to embrace all. I define love as a sort of overwhelming magic. Magic because it can’t be genuinely expressed or explained. Magic because it looks beyond tribe, color, status, race, pasts, hurts, anger,…

  • Quote: Never Give Up

    Every great oak was once a nut that held its ground – Unknown

  • Love knows no race

    Each time I look into people’s eyes, I realize we have a lot of things in common. I see myself, and the more we try to understand each other, the more exceptional we can be. We must try to make the world a better place by loving others as we love ourselves. It starts with…

  • Love Changes

    Your love changed meIt gave me a new lifeStanding beside you gives me confidenceWalking with you gives joy in abundanceMy imagination comes aliveMy mind becomes creativeI see all the beautiful thingsBecause you are in my life For all lovers out there

  • Love Quote

    Love is the greatest magic ever

  • Evening Voices & Hues

    I hear the wind howl through the gapsWhispering solemnly to the approaching duskI hear your name being sung by fading rhymeOne hundred bird voices, flying toward sunset Green, and the taste of seasoned vegetablesPurple hues of flowers and her fragrancesBlack and pink, of waddling pigeons dressedHuhuhu-ing from the lonely rooftops Orange is sunset, a shade…

  • Diary of A Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 6

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-3IV

  • Twilight

    What’s your favorite sunset moment? I have created an imaginative piece for lovers. Well, love is the greatest magic ever. Good night. *** Warm evening blankets lurk behindWhen the golden sunset float ahead,Heralding end of daylightSo let’s watch it go in installments,Let’s feel the soft airs traverseDrift with pure graceThrough our hair and coatsIt gets…

  • Beautiful Sunset

    And here is capturing my favorite part of the day in pictures and few words! Taking it all in: the fresh air and breeze guided by tree canopies, the tree leaves falling, twisting and waving goodbye to sunset, the tiny worm crawling home under the brushes, the solemn rocks sitting harmless, the peaceful hills overlooking…

  • Let

    Let the soft wind of morning speakLet squirrels pick nutsLet happy deer forage rootsLet pretty flowers blossomLet the sun shine bright tooJust let all good things be Listen, to the rhythm of your heart – of Nature’s