James 5:16

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
- New International Version (NIV)

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing of my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,

They say they still can't see.

I say

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

The palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.

51

"African?" they ask.
Yes,
but I am Nigerian.

I am the voice that brings heads together,

as I speak in loud tones, through poetry, 

as I make the opinions of the speechless known.
I let my accent roll off my tongue,
by accident, 

as my voice rises like the dust does in my fatherland.

My heart beats like the talking drums of my ancestors, 

brave like the wrestlers of that time yet pure, 

bursting with severe passion, 

bleeding with an indescribable love, 

and having a thirst for change.

My hands stay open as they touch the lives of the needy through actions of brotherly love, 

and as they wish to know the secrets of the delicious dishes of our women.

My ears reminisce those days it fell asleep to folk tales told by the wise whose faces are adorned with
laugh lines and proud smiles, whose eyes saw visions and lips spoke prophecies.

My mind sleeps in a state of unrest,
harboring thoughts of hope and dreaming of a future that can be attained by a generation of multitalented beings: children who break boundaries and shape universes.

My eyes miss the beauty we possess,
seen in the smiles of people who have little joy in the world. 

Yet they laugh even in deprivation, sing even in trepidation. 

The beauty, that's in the happy way the hips of the dancer sways as our culture comes to life with her every move.

My body moves to the echoes of bomb blasts and clashing cutlasses. 

Stray bullets pierce through my eyes as I read memoirs of those persecuted for standing up for something 

and the cries of the survivors of the many oil explosions play in the background. 

While the fire blazes in my soul as I watch those memories once tucked away reincarnate in our today.

And the color of my skin?
It unites me to my people,
tracing the world map, with dotted lines, the route back home. 

Reminding me of seeds I must sow, in memory of my roots that define me, wherever I go.

I am Nigerian,
a reason to be proud,
Proud that after 51 years, we keep growing strong, we keep growing free.

Another Poem I wrote for Femme Fatale

Mama Said ..

My mama told me of times like these,

Of days he will smile at me and cause that girl in my head to twirl,

so gracefully like an ecstatic yet composed ballerina
and of nights I will let my mind swim with graceful rhythms, 

through unending fantasies only to catch my breath again, 

because my dreams were a bit too 'far fetched'.

Of the times I would dance through unknown forests of beautiful desire, 

blindfolded, 

and feel extreme pleasure. 

She said no one will have to tell me which way to go 

because the right person will hold my hand through the darkness 

but she added that I was never to make it easy; 

she never told me that this would be a difficult task.

Of moments I will feel the effects of a famine 

due to massive droughts, 

in my lungs 

because the air between us will be filled with unwritten love songs. 

She told me to stop the knife from getting too deep too quickly

but I could hardly resist him, 

and as I bled volumes of love,

it was like my brain had reset 

because I could barely remember, 

how to pronounce the word 'NO'.

And so we danced together,

in this vast forest with untangled branches of 'I love yous' 

and non-existent trees of 'goodbyes'. 

He drew maps on bare sand 

and soon I became a skilled bandit in the darkness.

All the while the moon cast shadows of doubt upon us 

but I ignored them

as mama's words became a mere constellation

of stars that painted the night skies,

too far to remember.

Then my near sighted eyes began to see those dreams 

take the shape of dark circles 

that made a shelter beneath them 

as I counted days 

because one night while we dug up layers of gold and silver 

with perspiring backs and over active limbs, 

and retraced our steps through the bushy and now familiar path 

of a thousand 'I'd miss yous', 

we were completely oblivious 

to the fact that we had left something behind,

inside me.

But she warned me.

Of the times I'd be bruised with cold 'Hellos' 

and greeted with excuses each time I needed explanations,

for the unmarked footsteps that tainted our secret trail,

Only to realize I had only been a guest.
Of times when the wind that will cause me to shiver 

will be from unfamiliar waters of "If only's", 

flooding my conscience with regrets, 

that I would never see coming.

Of times my stomach will twist in endless knots of ineffable joy 

trapping little creatures with a million colors.
But that morning was not what she had spoken of; 

my stomach felt like its contents had been curled up in a ball 

and propagated by some undiscovered force

 out my mouth as a sick bland color. 

And at that moment, the butterflies were set free.

Mama said there would be days like this, 

but mama's words could never have taught me this lesson.

Beautiful Imperfection

Beautiful Imperfection is an album by Asa. 

If you remember, I posted something about it in January around the time of its initial release. This time its different! Yes, Asa released the US special edition +2 bonus tracks and it debuted at #5 on the BILLBOARD WORLD ALBUM CHARTS!! I mean how cool is that? I said it before and I'll say it again, I love her, she makes me proud to be Nigerian.

P.S. It was also #3 a few days ago but its now back to #5 :( 

"Powerful vocals that channel Amy Winehouse at her peak… and lyrics that recall Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye"- Teen Vogue.

Baby boy

I felt the innocence
of his soul
in the naivety of his speech,
but I led him on
with my soft yet deceptive nods
while I rendered him my ears.

I watched his fingertips
tremble from the great battle
that was going down in his mind
as he contemplated on what exactly he should,
and shouldn't say
and when I took his palms in mine,
I felt his heartbeat
as it resonated the purity,
in his childish wisdom.

A playful tease danced,
at the tip of my tongue
but I refused to hinder him
from allowing his spirit wander free,
in my presence.

His eyes flickered with fear,
and his troubled face left me
feeling as helpless as I usually do
because the same shackles bind me,
so that we can only offer each other
the comfort that comes with companionship.

I refuse to be the one who will encourage him
to throw away his shorts,
for some pants;
a boy cannot teach a boy,
to be a man.

I would rather sit,
and watch his radiating skin shed
with time and life,
and watch it give way
to the puberty filled skin
of a stressed out teenager.

I would rather kiss my baby
until his brown skin almost turns red 
in a blush,
while I tell him he is the man of my life
and he tells me the only truth I believe 
like the black and white words,
in His book:
'I love you too'.

I love my MAMA!!

The title says it best, I can't describe how I feel any further.
My mother is just the most amazing creature on this earth to me, I can't stop being grateful to God for her, honestly.
I know everyone says this, but for real, "My mama is the best in the world"

♥