Candid Pens

"A Miracle She Never Saw Coming" It was sunset, that time of the day when the sky is orange as if a paint brush had been rinsed in it. A woman was in dire need of food for her hunger stricken family. She managed to provide breakfast but the day was wearing off and they had not even had lunch, not to say dinner. Then she cried to a neighbor who pitied her and gave her a thousand naira note. Hurriedly, she went to a super market that sell varieties. She got in, picked a few things and was heading to the payment booth when the spirit of God told her to go back and pick everything on the shelf. She got confused but she eventually obeyed, rolled out a cart and picked everything on the shelf. Fear was settling in but she kept calm and trusted God. Then again the spirit asked her to pick everything on another shelf. She became scared to death, she only had enough to buy just a few things and she had already picked every good on a shelf and now God wants her to pick ...

How did we get here? How did everything become fake? I wonder who brought us this far in our self deception. Sometimes, when I walk in the park, I feel like putting my two hands on my head, but because people will start to ask, "who died", "what happened?" And other Jamb questions, I don't. Some times I feel like just screaming, but the fear of people asking, "are your people aware of this?", or "are u still using your drugs?", "maybe you should visit a psychiatrist for medical attention." Most times we feel like doing some things, but because it is awkward, we won't. Why then are we all in deception. I mean self deception! Most of the things we do are complete imitation of what we are exposed to, we have successfully killed our flair, our innate ability to be creative, our self motivated actions are infinitesimal, but we imitate a lot from people. Why? I mean why can't we live the life we really crave, why do we have to...

Kate sighed. It’s 4:35pm already and she should start packing her bag, so she can get home before traffic get’s too heavy.  She slides her chair back a little, as her foot eases off the fur foot mat under her table. The warmth the mat brings is still as good as the first day Jamal gave her on a Valentine's day.  Jamal has always been one who finds it pretty easy to pick up gifts that would be appreciated for a really long time. Kate had once teased him about his real calling in life being to pick gifts for people as she has never met anyone who knows just exactly what to gift others. A day before that fateful Valentine's day, Kate was certain she would beat Jamal to the gifts that year as she had planned a romantic dinner at the newest restaurant in town, she had wrapped the perfume she bought him the day before; it was the most expensive bottle she found in the store and she was going to make his favorite dish for breakfast. She went to bed that night,...

Mum and Dad stands on the sideline waving proudly at him as he sits in the cockpit of the aircraft. He looks handsome in his all-white pilot uniform.  This is his first time flying and the joy on his parents faces that their only child is finally living his dream made his eyes water a bit. Mum shields her eyes from the sun, she had refused to wear her sunglasses because she "wants to see her son directly, no barriers". David smiled remembering his mum saying that to his dad and himself a few days back. They both are proud of their only son. Wait! "Did I just say that?" Scratch it. I keep forgetting I'm no longer an only child as Mum decided to get pregnant when I was 20 and I'm only just remembering the toddler in the stroller in front of her. My baby brother came along 18 months ago and even though I fell in love with the boy from the very second I set my eyes on him, I still can't help feel the stab of betrayal every once in a while when I re...

MS SIZE 18 The fear of hunger is the beginning of wisdom. Well, those who know me well won't be surprised that I started today's post with a quote about food. We can't help who we are right? 😁 Before going to bed last night, I made sure I cooked a pot full of spaghetti with pleeeenty onions and panla fish scattered inside. I had a sound sleep last night knowing there was a pot of my favorite food waiting to be consumed in the morning 😉  Emi, omo ounje fun ara e!! I had to move from the Mainland to Island so I was up from 4 am, said my prayers, had my bath, got dressed, warmed my yummy spaghetti , packed it in my newest food container, and off I went. I couldn't help humming happily as I walked to the road to get a bus. My journey to Oshodi was smooth, Oshodi to Obalende was smoother because in less than 10 minutes into the journey, I knocked it off and didn't even stir until the man seated next to me tapped me to inform me we were at the last bus-stop (...

I think whoever designed this system is not fair. My thought is that everything seem to be working in circle. We all seem to be trailing the same path without knowing it. I used to think that there will be an end to this strife. Like an end to all the struggle here. This does not exempt anyone; both rich and poor, young and old, privileged and less privileged. All of us do work in a circle in reality. Life is full of deception, we all think that the achievement of a goal, will lead to satisfaction, but really does it? Or it leads to developing another interest? I bet you know the answer. I feel the chase after money should have brought satisfaction to many who perhaps at the moment have more than enough! But alas, what we have is that these sets of people want it even more as soon as they acquire some of it. Now, who is deceiving who? Is life deceiving us or we are fooling ourselves? My thought is that, we have been deceived by the system. The system's came with a lot of as...

I have always wondered why things don't turn out the way we so wish. At times, we have great expectations at a very tender age but when we grow a little older, we realise its only a mere child's dream. Well, in all honesty, life is built in such a way that we'll only keep asking questions, we'll perhaps ask more than we can answer but in all, our hope is built on precepts laid down for us by our predecessor, in a way! All that a man is, is his experience from, perhaps his background, and what he got exposed to in the course of his journey through life. However fast, we want things to be achieved, they will always play out in their own time. We have been told, be serious, face your studies, pass your exams, get a very good result and you get a good job and get a very good life. Well, some will say, that's not their own case, as they were told something different, since their own path wasn't in that line (I.e formal school education). But, the same theme...