Halfway to Sixty

Seeking time comes often to a rote around edges of reason, my friend,

when tomorrow moves away from reach into the lengths of a near past.

It is not just the distance of time and space, or memory, but what portends

In-between the fast changing chords of our once rhyming flat bombasts.

Look at it here: movements, shapes, forms, people, hope, desires, and lusts,

And pleasing exuberance circling within one spot of deferred dreams.

So we wonder restlessly where all the time went. We trade masks that must

Hold fears within claypots of growth. We howl our tears into the stream.

We don’t own then, it seems, balms that soothe with scents of silent mimesis,

Else we would sway with wine bags in reclined poses, seconds spent to please,

Which held us then when time favoured the pockets of our scant playfulnesses.

We would not wonder where they went, days spent sprawled in the shades of ease.

It could be only relief that mischief remains, and love’s comfort in the end,

To sew a new tapestry, and to daily, patiently mend. It was never ours to rend.

___________________________

Being too lazy to write a new pre-birthday poem, this will have to do it for the last day of my twenties.

Edited, from Dec 2009.

Yeah Yeah.

There’s magic in company, perhaps the best known means of socialization known to man. I spent yesterday in good company after a long sytax test, and it was all justified in the end. From the early birthday card from faraway that had lovely words written in my language, to the beautiful and thoughtful one surprisingly waiting on my office table when I got there early in the morning, to the happy hugs, virtual and text messages from near and far, calls, and beautiful birthday songs of friends and family, I should say I had fun.

Special thanks to everyone who thought of me. I appreciate it. The after party eventually ended at a dining table in a professor’s house, all – as usual – within wine, laughters, food, fun, photos, socialization, nostalgia, and all the perks of warm happy humanity. I should probably have my birthday every day of the year.

Twenty-nine and Counting

It’s probably been a while since I last celebrated my birthday in contemplation. Ah, it was just twelve months ago, on the wings of an earlier interesting travel experience. But other birthdays before then manage to fade away in comparison and I tell myself in the mirror as I go out that I’m an adult already. I think the idea has properly sunk in by now. Perhaps the most memorable birthday was that one of whose memory I don’t even possess beyond that which is shown to me in the glossy photos of childhood. I had just turned two years old (or is it three), and was looking good and innocent behind a cake and a horde of neighbours invited to celebrate. I still look at that picture every now and then. All the invited guests of that day are now scattered all over the world in different endeavours.

Starched new clothes, shiny shoes, jollof rice and chicken (or fried fish), and cake (of course) made by mum to make the day feel special, I have fleeting images of birthdays looked forward to with such eagerness and delight. It always helped when the day fell during the week. I would be except from wearing the school uniform. I could show off a new attire and get the whole class to sing me a birthday song. Of course I also had to go to school with sweets and biscuits for those said classmates and teachers. I remember chocomilo, bazooka and sumal chewing gums, and Marie biscuits, and 7up, Crush and Mirinda. And some little solid sweets of many colours we used to call eyin alangba. Birthdays during those years of innocence were one of those days of the year when you get to be king for twenty-four hours and dictate your choice of food and drinks. The other day is whenever you came home with a report card that said you took the first position in the school year.

Gone are those days now. Today I will spend the early part of the evening taking a syntax examination with no singing, and no jollof rice whatsoever.

But in the distance between the pleasant innocence of childhood and the now grown maturity of youth, there has been very much to be thankful for, too many to count. From love of friends and colleagues, the assuring presence of family, to even the reliable permanence of season, every turn has been rendered a blessing not quantifiable by words. And for that will I spend this day in the gratefulness for all things good, happy, cheerful and soothing. I’m a year older again, it seems. It is a prime number, a number divisible only by 1 and itself. Ah, the delight of arithmetic. This is also the last year of my twenties.

This is the oldest I’ve been yet. So maybe it’s time to prepare for all needed rites of real adulthood, in within a mouthful of the best delicacies of this day, thankful in the process for the great gift of life.

Happy Birthday Yemi

Pacing idly, and sometimes with valuable purposes around the dusty streets of the city of our childhood, I remember you there a little centimeters taller. That has changed now. I bet you would strain your neck just to give me a peck on the cheeks.

Do you remember Gbagi? What of Akobo, Sogo, Omojola, Baba Baale, Lanko-Lanko, Falusi, Iya Lararo, Imafoje, Ore? What about Basorun, F’Ogbon Yo, En’balaya, Dele Tomori and the lovely Christmases at the Broadcasting House? Do you remember Orita Obele? What about Oba Ile, and the day you peeled your calf almost to the bone because you wanted to shave with daddy’s shaving stick? That was freaky, seeing the white of your flesh before it turned red all over the bathroom floor. Do you still picture Fatom, Stay-fit and Deol? Then there was that day when that old governor gave you and I a hundred naira in 1990 or so. Well, I’ve now given my own part to charity :). I think it was to the guy at the airport in May who wanted some “American gift” from me when I returned. Or something like that.

Well, well, the days go by fast, don’t they? Laitan can’t even remember half of it now. And there you are all grown up and mummy-like. A small-sized big-shot but still not beyond some good old carrying and spinning. And I will carry you again. Let Leke and Jolaade go find their own sisters to carry around ;).

Happy Birthday lovely sister. I hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday Clarissa!

A birdie told me that it was your birthday so I got you these songs. One in Spanish by a cute baby boy

And one in Ukrainian by a bunch of University folks somewhere.

Happy birthday Clarissa. May your dreams come true, and thanks for being a cool professor, brilliant colleague, and supporter of this blog. 🙂