For Adeola Opeyemi, on her birthday
Adeola,
Tell me,
Did you know
You would be here
Dozen of years
After building those silly sandy nests
For ungrateful birds that ran away
That you would be here
Weaving beautiful baskets of thrilling tales
From silky strands of Elizabeth’s breaths?
Were you told
By some frightening fortune teller
While running dirty around the forbidden field
After helpless ‘hoppers and bully boys
Catching the former in airless nylons
Hitting the latter in their hairless groins
While making enemy of envious girls
That you would today end up
Holding mighty minds hostage with shinning stories?
Perhaps you dreamt of this
While dancing through
Tangled turns of ol’ Joyce
Or lying on oil stained Morrison
And chewing on cultured words of Achebe
Of you causing waoh with your vibrant verses
And stealing time with your radiating grace.
And when you bring home
All those trophies we now know
You will soon be winning, Adeola,
Will you look back
At all those angrily torn scribblings
And the sleepless nights in Ekwensi’s Lagos
The foodless days for pages of Adichie
And the impromptu musing in smelly toilets
And flash us that assuring smile
That you are indeed just setting out
Like that night, 21 rings ago, in that nurse’s hand
And like today amidst all this champagne?
September 9, 2012
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Comments
layrite @layrite
Knows that the road to perfection may be bumpy, and the journey to success and stardom difficult but the desire to become the very best, win all the available awards, and make all the monies will never wane. As my dad always says, there is always room for improvement. That I believe.Go to layrite's profile, and read more of his/her posts.
She is one fine girl, i agree.
And i am seriously hoping she is your sister or cousin…
@kaycee: That your list is too limiting. Why not just a very good friend?
cc: @milady
nice poem @layrite. …or even something more @kaycee
It better be just cousin or sis
@clemency
Exactly, @clemency. Thanks for your understanding jare.
who is supposed to answer these questions? Any ways,i am sure the person this is intended will quite appreciate your gesture.Thank you for sharing.
You can help her answer **examination malpractices??**@sambrightomo
Thanks for reading, bro. How are you?
@kaycee, haba, why na? you dnt want him to contract spiritual STDs?
@clemency: whatever that is…
@layrite you na know? hahahaha, ask mr. kaycee.
Nice piece. Beautiful too.
Thank you for your kind words, @ohmston.
lol…i hope she saw this….
When a man’s starts rhyming couplet for a ‘sisi’ then please get the minister ready, bells be ringing…
forgive my forwardness, buh this better be a lady you have plans… 
Nicely crafted, Kaycee you even said sister , i hope she’s his “WIFE” , Daireen you are in the spirit
This is a really cool birthday gift, layrite. Hope she has seen it.
@layrite…this is touching. A very thoughtful way to commemorate one’s life so far. Why hasn’t Adeola replied?
She has, on some other medium. Thanks for reading @Queennobo
@Shadiat: Thank you sister. She has seen it.