On account of being Idle

Sitting here has brought a lot of things; things which I have promised to remind myself. Away from the busy roads of Lagos and the haughty looks of Lagosians. Away from overtly conscious look of the bus driver and the ever threatening eyes of the conductor. I sit here with my idle pen writing; always submitting to my every call. Away from the taunts of the ojuelegba conductor who had ridiculed his driver because he used a Nokia phone when the whole world had moved on to Blackberries and Android phones. "B B laye nlo" he said to the driver who had been enjoying the music he played on his phone. Away from the unafraid looks of the passengers in a moving bus without a driver. Away from the series and series of speedy accidents and dead bodies lying quiet on the floor without the major concern of the people. Away from the porsche lives of city Men and Women. Away from the university boys and girls who take the pains in looking extra good or trying so hard to "feel among". Away from the boys who size a lady up and argue whether or not she should be asked out- or argue about her physical prowess. Away from the girls who have nothing to say but talk about their love life and their constant emotional purgations. Away from the madness of okada riders and the lone talks of the mentally impaired. Away from the very annoying passenger who had been making calls every minute using words like "wazzap!" In a very local intonation. Here I am with my pen writing about a lot of things. A fresh start to every new thing and a beautiful entry to every invitation. I am Opeyemi Ojatula and this is my Idle Pen.

Call for Entries: Write Poem on Death

If you have written, or wish to write a poem on the theme of death, you can send your poem(s) for this anthology.

The title of the anthology is The Rape of Death. Opeyemi Ojatula, Samuel Oluwatobi Olatunji, and Melody Kuku will be the editors. The trio are students of the Department of English, University of Lagos, Nigeria.

We seek poems in any format, but ensure to stick to the central theme of death. Send up to 6 poems of not more than 50 lines each in a single word file (.doc/docx).

Please send your submission to any of the emails below: Celestinatargui@gmail.com Poetic.sam01@gmail.com melodykuku@gmail.com Subject of the email: Title of poem(s), separated by a comma if more than one; full name; and country of residence.

All poems must be in English, Times New Roman, point 12. Send a short bio, written in the third-person pronoun, of not more than hundred words in the body of your email, but your poems should be attached to the email. Deadline: 31/08/2014

REMINISCING HER CHAPTER ONE (AN ELERGY FOR STEPHANIE) SAMUEL OLUWATOBI OLATUNJI

 Reality rips our hearts
 Like thunder tearing the sky apart
 Unveiling the shards of a mirror
 A mirror of memorable moments.


We never imagined that your name
 Will equate a darkened dawn so soon.
 Memories of you have become
 Sprawling ashes in the shape of your
 footsteps
 On the beach of our hearts


We cannot let go of these memories
 Because somewhere between our
 conversation
 A comma or more brings back your voice
 Some periods reminds us of your fine face
 Every punctuation is pregnant with your presence


 Iku has successfully stolen a sparrow
 Under the blue-white garment of God
 Leaving us puzzled with questions
 Questions whose answers hide In the cubicle of God's heart.


 Although all i have is a poem, a farewell poem
 Share this elegaic communion with me
 As we await the breaking of the virginity of God's silence...

REMINISCING HER

On a count of one to three, there isn't much to say. July 6 had been a day filled with tragic events leading to the death of a course-mate. Although, i am not much of her friend to her, death sometimes brings everyone close together. Reminding us that we have only one life. Reminding us that we have only one fragile life. And so, the next write-ups, articles and poems shall be written for a life not so long. Perhaps for a year. Goodnight Adinde Stephanie.