.esse aude.

dare to be | a reflection on my experiences | on things my mother told me -- how to be myself, how much hand to invest in a handshake | etc.

[morohunfolu]

Water

You are not crying --

there is water in your heart

and you need to put it somewhere so you can breathe again

[herversionofhuman]

[herversionofhuman]

[morohunfolu]

-especially when you can't.

[love-personal]

[pinkfacetidalwave]

deep

[morohunfolu]

I will pronounce your name

I will pronounce your name and let the lyrical sound of your name roll off my tongue the sound produced by the combination of those letters arranged in a way that makes you so unique I will pronounce your name slowly quietly, like the whisper of a bed-side partner when you seem too far away calling you to draw you closer into my arms quietly like the boyfriend your mother would kill you if she knew of wondering if you're sleepy, and not wanting to say goodbye although its almost sunrise intently, like your Creator must have when he made you and called you to be His own I will pronounce your name Like the word that draws your attention is the clue to understanding the entirety of your being Like Ali Baba, and wait to hear the magic of your voice pour forth from your mouth I will pronounce your name loudly to the world with pride because you are worth more to me than the world's weight in gold to my parents in triumph, because I have brought home the prize To my friends with disdain because I have seen the light that shines brighter than their shortsighted quest for immediate gratification that cornerstone that they once mistook for JUST a stone, and now regard green with envy I will pronounce your name before I crack a funny joke, and watch you laugh so that every line of your beautiful visage can be ingrained on my memory forever And before I tell each secret so that you will know that I tell them to you in trust in confidence, and in love I will pronounce your name And wait in agony to catch a glimpse of that wince hiding behind the smile Because I know that I never get it right each time I try I will pronounce your name Repeating after you, syllable for syllable so that my tongue will learn to call you by your native name I will pronounce your name breathlessly from trying so hard to get it right that the meaning of your name will never be lost on my tongue But one day I WILL pronounce your name PROPERLY and watch your face crumple in utter disbelief and go HA! You never thought I'd do that innit? :P -- Originally posted on my teenage blog. Maybe dates to about sophomore year? The original caption reads: "Special thanks to Siku!!! for agreeing to read this over and helping me come up with the last 2 lines. :) AAAANNND, I haven't done any homework today X_X" I never got better about doing homework...

[nayyirahwaheed-deactivated20180]

poem. from salt. by nayyirah waheed.

[morohunfolu]

Palm oil (edited)

You were like a cool breeze on a harmattan's eve, and a dewy mist on its morn, and -- in the short time that you held it -- my hand was finally where it could belong - welcome to the hall of fame

[morohunfolu]

the end

.

[morohunfolu]

Intervention

My conversations with you go thus; “You don’t want to miss this!” And I wait five hours to respond “You can never have too many!” But you’re wrong! Yes I can! I do! And I don’t need you!

-Ann Taylor needs to stop sending me emails

[morohunfolu]

Little Things

It seems you've been so obsessed with forgetting me that you've forgotten to give me my stuff back...

[morohunfolu]

Fall

In the way nature depicts endings, we realize we are made beautiful because - and not in-spite - of change; With every breath the wind takes the trees are whispering to their leaves "I am ready to be by myself again"

[morohunfolu]

Seasons

All of a sudden It's summer in Boston -- and I wanted to say it looks like you The wind smells like your hair There is sunshine in your smile And your eyes are full of water

[morohunfolu]

a call to arms

It still catches you by surprise but you don’t fight it anymore when, in the street, and on its corners, windows of a passerby car reverberate with the strains of that "gbedu" drop

Now you cock your head to the side and let your hips flow with their rhythm – You let that sudden blast take you to barbeach, yellow danfo drivers, hot boli wrapped in newspapers

It has become for you, a call of sorts to the arms of the tribe of women before you; whose hips swayed first in response to this ancestral call. They beckon; “you are almost home, you are almost home”

--

Gbedu - Yoruba word referring to the beat of a drum.

[morohunfolu]

Omagwa

If Brueghel was to paint Omagwa there would be

in the horizon, a blazing sun setting.

Amidst the hues of orange and blue,

green bushes would surround a tarmac

and birds would be seen flying out of the surrounding forest,

chased by a cloud of smoke snaking its way upwards.

At the center of the frame, Port Harcourt International Airport would stand,

its aged concrete slabs bathed in the sunlight.

Three cleaning ladies would be gossiping in earnest near the side entrance.

A commercial bus would be making its way towards the city with an entourage of okada drivers.

The car park would be littered with people and cars

held back only by the air traffic wardens and some ill-equipped firemen.

Numerous eyes would be peering out of the airport’s south windows

–- peering at the tongues of fire engulfing the dismembered body of an aircraft.

Strewn about the disaster would be clear nylon bags of pure water, a fire extinguisher

galvanized iron buckets, the burned bodies of survivors.

And, from a safe distance, a fire truck would look on as sixty angels burn

in the aftermath of a fall more tragic than Icarus’.

[morohunfolu]

Growth

You are counting time And I am learning to sleep with the lights on

[youknowikaire]

Hollow

You wonder how long it took you to get here

How quickly everything changed

There is a part of you that got lost

A part you are always trying to bring back

 How do you tell someone

Anyone 

That there is an empty grave inside of you 

A tombstone with no name. 

[morohunfolu]

Here's someone new that I stumbled upon the other day. And here's to many more of such fortunate stumbles!

[thelovejournals]

Just because someone desires you, it does not mean that they value you. Read it over. Again. Let those words resonate in your mind.

Nayyirah Waheed (via thelovejournals)