Oke’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: reflection

  • Becoming Time

    How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life? For a long time, I believed life moved in straight lines: effort leads to achievement, achievement leads to clarity, and clarity leads to peace. I thought of time as a neutral backdrop—something that simply passed while I did the real…

  • Notes on Leisure

    What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time? This is a response to the prompt above. Leisure, for me, isn’t the opposite of work; it’s where I reconnect with myself. I enjoy unclaimed time—time that doesn’t require me to produce, justify, or perform. During these moments, thinking slows and becomes less goal-focused. I…

  • What This Blog Is Turning Toward This Year

    New Year Rigmarole You know, there’s just something about having to witness the New Year in California. We’re always one of the last places on Earth to welcome the new year. I have to celebrate “Happy New Year” with everyone, and even take a nap before I get to mine. Sometimes I tell my friends…

  • Perspectives: So Big, So Small

    I wrote a quote about this some time ago; this post is a revised version. I’ve always wondered how big an aircraft can be. Standing near one feels so massive that it could hold hundreds of people as they board. I often imagine the passengers inside a passing plane from the ground. Where are they…

  • Random Thoughts 1

    Here are some random thoughts I’ve been jotting down over the past week.

  • Writing Between the Lines of Life

    Well, ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, it’s been a while since I’ve looked this way. I was getting ready for school and also traveling recently. So, I’ve been away trying to sort out my things and thoughts. I haven’t even had the time to watch the sunset. Additionally, I’m back in a big city…

  • The Quiet Mirror Within

    To discover your true self, focus on your inner journey rather than seeking answers externally.

  • Quote on Grace

    Being gracious does not mean you are weak. Choose to be graceful regardless!

  • Indigeneity 101c: Indigenous Knowledge and Ecology

    I invite you to read an article in Romanian (which can be translated into other languages) about the importance of incorporating indigenous practices into our ecological efforts. The article provides examples of environmental initiatives from communities in France, Vanuatu, Nigeria, Kenya, and Chad. How can we sustainably resolve conflicts between humans and wildlife in rural…

  • Maybe 5

    Maybe prints left by crawling wormsare Earth’s remarkable autographs.Maybe trails left by snails and serpentstell anecdotes of curiosity in the dirt.Maybe we discover the beauty of letting things grow by cultivating gardens.

  • Abqs Chill Weather

    I’ve noticed that the sunlight often plays hide-and-seek, like a game of “Now you see me…” I appreciate the unpredictability of the weather here. Sometimes, I see bright sunshine out the window, so I wear a short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts, only to find it chilly outside. Other times, the day looks gloomy, and I assume…

  • Quote: Live in the Present

    Remember to take a moment to appreciate the beauty and smell of flowers and the feel of wet clay. Smile is the best ornament you can wear. Take the time to watch the sunrise or sunset while you still can. Life is fragile, and nothing lasts forever — Oke Iroegbu

  • Quote: Kings and Kingmakers

    When you become a King or Queen, do not forget those who helped you to the crown — Oke Iroegbu

  • Train to Santa Fe

    Verse 1: Mountains and Vast GrasslandDry streambeds in a whileLonely cattle here and thereVast plains overlooking peaksHills grow into mountainsAnd mountains touch the clouds Verse 2: Rainfall and Gloomy CloudsThere’s raindrops on windowsA lullaby of metal and rainTunnels, bridges, creaking,The clouds play hide and seekAnd sunlight is half amused Verse 3: Villages and Happy FolksClay…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Reflection: Homelessness

    Homelessness is injustice. It’s inequality. Homelessness I sit on the warm comfort of blankets and my bed. It rained some few hours ago. It was cold out there. I knew this as the strong winter air hit my face when I tried to open the window. I had options; sit warm with the window closed…

  • A Prayer for the World

    “On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.” — Michel de Montaigne Lifelong LearnerMy birthday is a collection of 8’s and its multiples. It’s a unique collection of 8’s and I’m delighted each time I see my birthday calendar. Since my last birthday, I’ve learned a lot. And…

  • August Again

    August AgainAh, August again! My month of birth is one of sunshine and glamour! How fast times fly. It’s already 12 months but last year’s August was a little bit dramatic for me. A few days after my birthday I started filing graduate school applications, one in Nigeria, and two abroad. Unfortunately, the academic strike…

  • Reflection: Favourite Time

    Sunset is my favourite time of the day. Not only are evenings made for telling stories but are moments of self-reflection and truth. It’s the sun’s way of reminding everyone of the need to take some break from the day’s hustle. In Africa, it’s a time of rest. Each time I travel to the countryside,…

  • Quote: Beautiful Day

    A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset – John Geiger

  • April 2022

    How times fly! Flowers still grow on the dirt by the roadside. That reminds me of hope. Tree leaves fall and new ones replace them. Now that’s greater hope! So I would love to smell the flowers by the roadside and experience love again. Happy New Month everyone and don’t be the April fool today.…

  • Thoughts On Eastern Europe

    I hope the Ukrainian spirit which represents freedom is not crushed It’s a sunny, peaceful morning here. Birds fly and sing over the rooftops, and squirrels swing from trees. At the same time, beautiful Kyiv is under siege. Traces of smoke from homes rise into the sky. A once peaceful and progressive country, now gradually…

  • Reflection: Lafia

    Lafiya The word lafiya in the Hausa language means good. Say hello to any Hausa speaker, and he will blurt out lafiya! I presumed that this was the origin of the name this ancient city held. True presumption or not, I took the city as a harbinger of good, and good it turned out to…

  • Humanity First

    The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life Birds up the trees There, up the trees, I saw several nests. I knew more were there because I could hear a multitude of birds chirping. Most of the nests were…

  • A Big No To Wild Bush Burning

    Home again It’s a full moonlight tonight. The evening air is modest. We are all sitting outside, just in front of the house, discussing the day’s work. Some lay, rolling on mats spread close to one another. In between the lead tale teller’s story, distracting dialogues transpire, though as whispers. Incessant noises made by insects…

  • Opinion: A Sitting Time Bomb

    The protesting Nigerian youth is a sitting time bomb. Trying Times I type with trembling hands. These are trying times indeed. This morning I saw a troop of angry protesters march through town demanding end to police brutality. Since its inception last week, the national protests had gained momentum. For days now the Nigerian youth…

  • Nostalgia: Hills I Call Home

    I sit outside my granny’s house, clad in blankets and a pillow. It was a rainy day and a very cold one. The cold extended into the evening and early night. The village is surrounded by streams and hills and this must have contributed to the extreme weather. I left town a few hours ago…

  • Time

    Make hay while it shines This talent of mine… This is one talent I find solace in. It’s an avenue to paint my heart on ink, to play with the soul of nature and record lovely and beautiful memories. In my mind I create a happy and peaceful world; where I live in fine images…

  • Quotes on Resilience

    You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ Joel Osteen. A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose. John Maxwell. I love the light for it shows me the way to…

  • Reflection: Counting the Costs 1

    At times you need to stop everything you are doing to sit by yourself and mend your broken wings. Cold evening and a To do list I sit outside. A cold evening out here with me. A community of crickets quizzing through the grassland. A gust of wind upon my face, swinging my helpless lamp…

  • Thoughts: I Wonder

    Sometimes it’s hard to stop a rolling stone, but whenever it may roll, it always seems to find its way back home. Brett Boyett Home Forever Dear motherland, I’m proud to call you my home. I’m reminded of sunset; it tells that it ends where it began. From tree branches on the hilly countryside, I…

  • Quotes on Helping Others

    1. Nothing makes life sweeter than making people happy. 2. The people you help today become your soldiers in the battle of life tomorrow. 3. To invest in properties is good, but to invest in people is far better. 4. To make money, make people. 5. Your greatest trophies are the tears you wipe away…

  • Poetry: I’ll Wait

    Love can be crazy Yet I am amused I try to figure the words You pelt me with, When we spoke of love It was zenith of all, everything Days and nights It fell in and out Maybe this was right, I look farther away Towards sunrise A pint of love on my breast And…

  • Opinion: Leadership Woes

    Admitting imperfections are great ways to becoming a better person, people and leaders. City of Talents and Resilient people I was born and raised in Ogbor hill, a suburb of Aba, a city in Southern Nigeria. Aba is known for its industry and export of labour to many Nigerian cities and overseas. The city is…

  • Quotes on Unity

    When spiders unite they can tie down a lion – Ethiopian Proverb. None of us is as smart as all of us – Ken Blanchard.

  • Mechanics of Savings: a Christian perspective

    Mechanics of Savings and Financial Intermediation Savings as described by financial analysts are the portion of income which are not used for consumption expenditures. They are referred to as investments, because huge portions of such savings in financial institutions constitute the capital extended to businesses, governments, individuals and other entities as loans. This is done…

  • Four Quotes on Humility

    Perfection is impossible without humility. Why should I strive for perfection, if I am already good enough? Leo Tolstoy. Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose. Bill Gates. True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of…

  • Quote: Dream big

    You’ll never know… Just dream. Dream big.

  • Modern Scramble for Africa

    A Bitter Pill What comes to your mind when you hear about Africa? Savages. Poverty. War ravaged. Disease. Uneducated? Let’s face it, Africa is what it is today because ‘the world’ contributed in keeping it so. We’re only poor by the world’s standard. This is a bitter pill. Another Scramble for Africa? The economic hustle…

  • Reflection: The Virus and China

    Not so cuddly thought… As I lay on my bed I had a thought. A thought that actually provoked many questions. Maybe someone can help me understand these issues better if my opinion does not reflect reality. This is the first reflection on racism, the next will be on Africa. NB: I speak for people,…

  • Imagining Love

    Imagine riding a horse into sunset Or sitting with kids to hear rare stories Or listening to country late into the night Or picking beautiful flowers & berries, With the one you truly love… Start a blog here.

  • Reflection: Respecting our Environment

    Most of my quiet times are for self-reflection. Each time I prepare to reflect, I take nothing along, invite no one and try to keep my brain free of thoughts. I assume that I’ve nothing save from myself and my environment. During my stay in Workers Village, Tudun Amba in Lafia, Nigeria, I take long…

  • Letter: Heal today

    Dear Friends, I always talk about forgiveness because someone out there needs to let go. Life is designed in such manner that people may not always have it as they wish or want. So disappointments, heartbreaks, hurt, betrayal and pain are unfortunately part of life. Being good does not guarantee that people will be good…

  • Self Reflection 28: Humility

    The way up is down. You don’t know how strong you are until you forgive someone who is not sorry for what he/she did or until you accept an apology that was never given. That is real strength.

  • Thoughts on Covid-19

    Even with the breaking news of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Abia State, some still doubt the media and think that the news is a hoax. People can be stubborn you know, add ignorance and then you can imagine what it can birth. The human nature is fraught to benefit at the expense of others. This…

  • My thoughts on Love

    I love you, and I want you to know. We know that love is a feeling and a state of mind, desirous to be there for someone or see a person succeed or be better. This desire lead to kind acts and actions summarise it all. Yet love can be expressed verbally. Who needs to…

  • Self Reflection 26: Be Kind

    Be generous with kind words and deeds.

  • Self Reflection 25: Diligence

    If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. _Martin…

  • Self Reflection 24: Be Strong, Be Yourself

    “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”_Ralph Waldo Emerson