Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future – Nelson Mandela
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Category: Africa
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Let It Sail
Set sail with hope and loveHope, so to see the golden sunriseLove, as kindness offered by Universe Set sail for sunsetWhere lands endWhere joy is melodyLive in the moment Set sail with the jolly windLet it flow and fill your lungs Love is a voyageCruise, withhold not Don’t let the sun set on hope and […]
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idyll
pretty birds glide up the tree branchesflowers are hidden in the thick shrubshumble rodents burrow through the earthand busy ants make castles out of fine dust
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Your best is waiting
Your best is waiting The world is a crazy place, you may agree. Crazy because kind or nice turns people off. Being kind or nice can get you used or betrayed. Humility is seen as a weakness. Well, if you ever felt rejected or ignored because of your kindness or niceness, please hang on. This […]
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Ocean Rhythm
See the evening tide crash into rocksHear the flying birds call to retreating dayListen to your heartbeat with the rhythm of natureLet yourself soar with the ocean current
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Thoughts on Kindness
Kindness, I say, will never get out of fashion. Small acts of kindness, like smiling and holding doors for others, can positively impact their day. Kindness doesn’t hold back. It is a true definition of love. While a lot may happen and things change, I advise not to take things and people for granted. Family […]
Dear Friends, In a few hours we will be talking about our resolutions for the New Year. How time flies! I recall the nostalgic feelings of the last day of December 2021. It’s replaying, although in a different way because a lot has changed for me. I am grateful for all that 2022 stood for. […]
Merry Christmas dear friends. This will be my first Christmas holiday away from home. It’s been a long holiday so far. The ever-busy streets of UC Berkeley have become a ghost town. The roads are empty and bare of cars. One can confidently stand to take pictures on the roads. The fine houses and magnificent […]
International House is a laboratory for a new kind of experiment – the day-to-day practice of international fellowship among men and women. – John D. Rockefeller Jr., I-House Benefactor It’s up to us, the residents, to continue building on this legacy of love, understanding, justice, and peace. – Okechukwu Iroegbu, I-House resident 2022-2023 A popular […]
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Feel It
Love is the silenceThe smiles, the textsThe stare, the nudgeThe walks, the careThe moan, the helpThe wink of the eye Presence or absenceLaughter or tearsMoonlight or sunshineA benevolent balance It exists somewhere in the universe It will find youOr you will find itNever push or pull itBe calm, relax, and feel Needless to learn to […]
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Many Tongues
Power in Diversity Each time I wait in the elevator, I listen to people who speak several languages. I untie myself from the burden of the English, allowing my senses to drown in the joy of different tongues. The simple flow, melody, intonation, and accents bring me alive. It’s a great feeling living in a […]
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Quotes on Success
Success is a journey. It only takes a collection of little steps to get there. Never let your success get to your head. Failure is part of success. So keep going. Keep taking those steps, and it will all start making sense. Refuse to back down. Resilience is key.
This song explains many things about true Friendship. Enjoy the classic piece from Nigeria 🇳🇬
Dear Friends, Do you believe in angels? Well, I do. And I am happy to tell the world that they come in human form too. I find no words to describe this scholarship and school community. The love and commitment to making other people’s lives meaningful amaze me. I see the reason why Berkeley is […]
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Quote: Gratitude
I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude. Brene Brown
Our differences make us uniquely beautiful
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Don’t Give Up
Dreams are like songs. Keep singing; keep it alive. Dance if you may; spice it up. Don’t stop singing; never give up.
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Berkeley’s Night (Fleet Week)
The wind whips awaySoft chill on bare fleshEvening – end of the day,Start of something else Gardening it remindsMoonshine it bringsTo a grateful shepherdMiles away from home Night is a quiet companionBut weekends are differentMan and his imagination,The best team ever known Clouds rumble aboveTo unnatural flightsThe sky is very busySo is Berkeley’s night The […]
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Hilly Berkeley
Dear friends, The image above is of wood in Berkeley, California. And yes, there are deer and wild cats in the woods. In such an environment, reptiles – snakes and lizards are abundant. There are numerous bird species. Some species are new to me or I have read about them in books or seen them […]
It’s a new month and a new beginning for everyone. Remember to show kindness in any way you can. Let’s spread the love around. Peace. Happy Independence Day Nigeria.
California is exactly what I dreamed it would be, although my worst worry did catch up with me. The clean streets, diversity of people, and hills represent nature, all in an inspirational school setting lined by joy-bringing trees. Where there are trees, be sure to catch a glimpse of birds that add their musical presence […]
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Nature’s Circus
1 When you call, your sound rent through the windWhispers, songs of the wild, emissary of mother NatureYou send birds, they ‘caw-caw‘, they fly the blue cloudsMaking the skies their tuft, and you: their leisure 2 Green trees, red flowers, purple feathers, all in perfect unisonYou call to your own, you Baobab, Bee and Flamboyant, […]
When you feel this morning’s aura gather around your limbs, spread your wings, and fly! Dear friends, it’s September 1, I wish you all a beautiful new month.
Home is a warm hug
If you get caught in between a lion and buffalo, run towards the lion. Both the lion and you will be running from the buffalo!
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Daybreak
Getting up to faint bird tweetsWhen golden shine sifts through curtainsAnd morning airs – so delightful and swiftWander through this little town I heard the older folk greetThey talk of night’s heavy rainBut as the storm is now pastA mild drizzle cheers the lawn Sunlight warms my room and townEach cosy day is a blessing […]
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Quote on Africa: A Whole Story
Africa is much more than a setting, it’s a sentiment, sensation, symphony, sustenance and everything in-between spirited and spectacular. It’s a whole story, not completely told yet.
I’m looking to start podcasting soon. This has been in my mind for years. I think it’s the right time! Stay tuned for more details.
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Treetop
This smell of wet clay when watching the sunrise, Clumsy tree leaves peeling streaks of weak sun rays, With the cold breeze brushing against my skin Remind me of grace and magnificence, And fully discloses where the sunshine hides I love the feeling of being held above the ground On a peaceful day staring at […]
The Broken Heart This greatest dream of mine has been shattered,I fall and stumble into the dark hole,Grasping for light in a place of no shadows, Oh, my heart aches. I watch salty water trickle down my cheek,Thinking of how I’ll stitch this broken heart,Suddenly, his voice echoed in my head,Bringing back the unwanted memories, […]
Footprints pattern quiet imagesOn soft sands, immaculate as whiteWith time images are blurredAnd other times widespreadTracks stamped on grains of sandDistort the marks of regular sand But tracks may live for the moment or forever
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 towards 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 […]
I have seen tree leaves twist in the air, as they dance to meet the earthBrown, some red, some still green; but all rushing to touch the groundThe floor is littered, a gathering of old and fresh tree leaves lay on the dirtAnd why they fall, they won’t say, but when they do, they seem […]
There are few stars out thereTwinkling across the horizonTo shine a special light uponMan and hills he calls home
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Quote on Being Yourself
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 in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me […]
When you smile you open up my heart When you are not aroundIt feels like no sunshineHold my handLet us be like one
I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy – Ernest Hemingway
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Rainmaker’s Poem
When the green neighbourhood dance to the call of the wild oneDark are the skies; darker even are the clouds that stalk the rainThe wind came swift and slow; rushing at times as petals of flowers danceTo the music of the coming rain; to lullabies that made heads bounceAnd to the Forest people, to the […]
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Stormy Night
Why is the storm angry?I heard tiny fireflies askThis evening of barrage,Of tempest and darkness The rain bothers me tooShe flirts with my vision Hurls my soft curtains upAnd annoys the candlelight Even the gloom is ephemeralBut window panes growl and shakeEach time the clouds rumble outside
Oke Iroegbu's Blog 