Poetry: '' Friend" by Janet Olabisi Ogundepo

FRIEND

Friend,

In you, I reflect,

To you, I look.

Serve a pathway to my craved being;

turn me not away.

Friend,

To you, I listen

To you , I tell

turn not deaf ears to me

like my words are breathless.

Friend,

Before you I empty

my abyss of emotions.

Will you please heed

to my yearnings?

Saturday Special: FUNNY, STRANGE & FACTUAL

                  Welcome to the another edition of FUNNY, STRANGE & FACTUAL

So so sympathetic

Cute!

Short Story Series: Ofada Kitchen V by Oyelude Yetunde

                                                                  Ofada Kitchen V

  

Three months trickled by, hoisting the flag of the newly found affection between Demi and Sewa. The memories of Demi confessing his undying love to Sewa still lingered freshly in her memories as they sat under the same tree, on that plastered seat in Balewa park.

          

The day was old as it was gradually succeeded by the full moon and twinkling stars. Both illuminating the night’s serenity, as Sewa relaxed in Demi’s encompassing arms. Sewa sold out the dominant silence, tickling Demi who jolted backwards and wasted no time in reciprocating the act. And in no time, they were lost in the realm of fun, giggling uncontrollably at the tingling sensation of the continuous tickling. Sewa was still trying to regain composure in-between tickles by Demi when a message popped on Demi’s phone placed beside her. And before Demi could reach for it, Sewa had playfully grabbed it.

           

Demi tried retrieving the phone from Sewa proved abortive as Sewa kept dangling the phone evasively before him. It was like gaining pleasure in dangling a piece of bone before a dog. Demi decided to give up, consoling himself with the fact that he would see the message later. Sewa was obviously enjoying the moment..

Romantic and Crime thriller : "Nemesis" by Akinyode Peace

                                                NEMESIS

I crossed the present to the future and by the time I got back to Micheal’s house, the sun was already giving way to the moon and its cohort – darkness. I opened the half opened  door to find him reclined in a sofa faraway into dreamland, with his innocently studly face almost stripping me of my mission there. I moved closer to him shutting my eyes, as I plunged the knife into his stomach repeatedly, until I could hear him gasp no more. I slowly released my eyelids to jolt back in fright as his battered flesh gushed blood from his lifeless body. Cold shivers sent tickles through my spines as I turned to dash out, dropping the dripping knife…
          *                                                         *                                                *                        
Michael was the Superman every lady fantasised. Aside his political prowess on campus, he was tall, a bit fair, aesthetically built and remarkably handsome with his lush smile and husky voice being the cake’s icing. His physical qualities and acclaimed intellectuality floored his average academic performance. “Joy, bequeath to my Eagle, wings, that we might tour the world together, forever”, were the last words that night that released the long melted wax in me. I was always going to accept his vastly craved proposal, but I had to make him hunt deep for the priced jewel I was. I had outrightly turned down proposals from other  guys but Michael mysteriously got under my sleeves, I fell in love with him from our first contact.

Poetry: On Your Own by Bona Solomon

                It’s a rainy day,

               Nobody’s feeling gay.

              The hoary heads keep calm,

              Creating friction between their palms.

              From life’s first cry,

             All we do is try.

             We keep the tears away

             Mercurial it becomes indeed.

            Till life's final breath,

            To carry on is the pledge,

            Executively the best way forward.

Short Story Series: Ofada Kitchen IV by Oyelude Yetunde

The evening was calm, breathing solace through the breeze.  Demilade was in the company of his friends when Adesewa crossed his mind again. Two weeks have plodded by, taking along three extra days, yet no sign of Adesewa. Demi closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The darkness of the temporal blindness could not overshadow his memories of Adesewa’s beautiful face.

        

 "Guy, how far na? Are you not eating too?" One of Demi's friends asked, oblivious of his friend's subconsciousness.

            
  "Demi!," the other yelled when Demi remained mute, obviously still lost in thought.

            "Huh!" Demi said all of a sudden, like he just jerked awake from a bad dream.  "Are you guys talking to me?" His friends stared at him in amazement and it wasn't until he looked around, that he realized they were still seated under the bamboo shed outside ofada kitchen and had been deliberating on what to eat before he sunk in his pool of thoughts. "Oh! food, ehn let's go in na" Demi could now guess what his friends had been asking him about.

            

 Demi's friends shook their heads, laughing out loud at him as they all sauntered in. Demi was not bothered by their jest of him. He couldn't blame them. They were yet to have their thoughts consumed just by one person. Demi now gave his gaze to the sightless floor as he stepped into the canteen. Anytime he stepped into Ofada kitchen now, something always struck his heart. He raised his head to glance over the counter as usual to behold the recently reoccurring feat of finding it void of Sewa. But on glancing at the counter, his heart missed a beat. The antidote to his unsettled  thoughts was right there.

        

 Sewa, engrossed in attending to the lined up customers, had no idea she was being watched by a dazed Demi who couldn't quantify the plethora of bliss and affection that coursed through him as he stood watching her. Sewa was casually taking in her surroundings when she thought she saw Demi. She narrowed her head this time, towards the canteen's entrance just to be sure she wasn’t giving in to imaginations, only for her eyes and Demi's to  interlock. It was surely her Demi.

        

Communicators League: Call for Submissions

Poised to hoist the flag of creativity for societal uplift, Communicators League (CL) calls for submissions of works aligning with the following categories/columns:

Written Literature

·            Prose

·            Short stories

·            Flash fictions

·            Poetry

·            Essays

·            Memoirs

Visual Arts Column 

·            Art works: paintings, drawings and graphic designs.

·            Photography: Still life & Wildlife

 Reviews section: Concise reviews on

·            Books

·            Movies

Oratory Section

·            Spoken Word (audio and video formats)

·            Poetry recitations (audio format)

·            Songs (audio format)

·            Freestyles (audio and video formats)

NOTE:

Ø  Entries can be on any theme.

Ø  All entries must be intellectual properties of all entrants.

Ø  Entrants will be notified via email or phone number when their works are accepted for publication on www.communicatorsleague.com.

Ø  Submissions are welcomed always. Forward your submissions (including your biography and photograph) via email: communicatorsleague@gmail.com

Makinde Damilola Peter 

COO, Communicators League                                               

Saturday Special - FUNNY, STRANGE AND FACTUAL.

                                  

Welcome to another edition of FUNNY, STRANGE & FACTUAL

Lol! Thank God he got away with his camera.

Wonderful! Despise no little beginning

Poetry- ''Arike'' by Makinde Damilola Peter

                                                 

 Arike,

      sit, that I might squat to tell you of my love.

    Relax, that you might feel the weight of

 every word I utter.
Only in comfort will you appreciate

 the tales of your beauty I am set to tell.

    Arike,

   my heart dances only to your will's beat.

     Like a wind at night that fearlessly parts wide

    the curtains on busy lovers, you like a sabre'
cut through my seeming invincible aura
to behold my fragility in its nudity.

   Arike,

     your dimples carve a pathway to your craved

 utterances, and serve as the gateway to the
heaven of your alluring smile.

 Tonight seems too much of a hare,

  but in the morrow's night, I'll take the pace of

 a tortoise in gracing your cheeks' succulence.

Poetry- ''Abamo'' by Faizat Asifat Oladunni

Dust, mint; sweat, they breath.         

Relishing the respite the cold breeze served.                                                            

Bodies moving, loosened hair swaying, to the drums.                  

The trees dancing to the whistle of the wind

while the sky sniggers.               

The children laughing as the sky leaked,

depicting its imminent labour.                                                 

Men and women tittering at jokes and riddles.                                                         

The aroma of ole overwhelming all.                                                         

The raconteurs enjoin the children to welcome

the Full moon's presence.                                

Chattering; gossiping, envelope the atmosphere.                                                           

Suddenly, the sky robes itself in red,                                  

With traces of green peering through.

Horses' cacophonous whines puncturing the inflated excitement.                       

"Ogun de,Ogun de"* was the frightful chant that engulfed

the choking air and at the repulsive music of the guns,

"gboh,gboh"** people drop dead.

Pandemonium!

FARAFINA TRUST CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP 2016

Farafina is here again!!

Farafina Trust will be holding a creative writing workshop in Lagos, organized by award-winning writer and creative director of Farafina Trust, Chimamanda Adichie, from June 21 to July 1, 2016. The workshop is sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc. The Caine Prize-winning Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina, Aslak Sira Myhre and others will co-teach the workshop alongside Adichie.

The workshop will take the form of a class. Participants will be assigned a wide range of reading exercises, as well as daily writing exercises. The aim of the workshop is to improve the craft of writers and to encourage published and unpublished writers by bringing different perspective to the art of storytelling.

Saturday Special: FUNNY, STRANGE & FACTUAL

Welcome to the maiden edition of FUNNY, STRANGE & FACTUAL

                                           

I couldn't beleive it either. lol

 

Awwwwnnnnnnnn

Essay Competition: SIGMA TERTIARY ESSAY COMPETITION

SIGMA CLUB UI Presents Sigma Tertiary Essay Competition

                                                     

                                                      

     Topic: ‘‘Education and the Nigerian Youths;Why is the street taking over?’’ 

PRIZES:

1^st Prize: N100,000

2^nd Prize: N50,000

3^rd Prize: N30,000

Guidelines:

• The essay must be original, practical and meet the standards for publication in local and international journals.

•  All entries should be typed in double line spacing and must not exceed 2,500 words.

•  Font type must be Times New Roman with 12 points font size.

•  Sources must be properly cited; footnotes should be used and a table of reference must appear at the end of the essay.

Poetry: The Dirt Road by Mustapha Modupe

You had this alluring carriage about you

that stopped me dead on my track,

the very day I set my eyes on you.

I believe I was blinded by some

superfluous emotions which your

ovally excited fangs lusciously fed on,

from my delectable jugular.

It's awfully easy to creep under my skin,

unapologetically rob me of every stowed

away supply that has been neatly contained.

UPDATE: NIGERIAN STUDENTS POETRY PRIZE 2016

Following a Call for Submission of poems/entries for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize 2016, poems totaling 400 were received upon closure on 15th March, 2016. Find more details below:

• As a result of non-inclusion of bio-data by some entrants, a total of 320 valid entries were processed for assessment.

• Due to unforeseen delays experienced during the collation period, a long list will now be made available on 30th of May, 2016.

• Top 3 entrants who will also double as prize winners of (₦100,000, ₦50,000 and ₦30,000) respectively will be announced on 15th June, 2016.

• Details of an awards ceremony will be announced 30th June, 2016.