Nigeria, Arise!

Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

140,000,000 people, old and young

250 ethnic groups, numerous tribes and tongues

49 years of independence from British rule

36 states from Abia to Zamfara, with 36 capitals too

3 major languages: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba; 4 if you add ‘pidgin’ too

2 National colours: the serene white shade and the vibrant green hue

1 Federal Capital Territory: Abuja; sum all that up and what do you find?

Nigeria, a nation that’s one-of-a-kind!

There’s no land like Nigeria, wondrous to behold

Olumo, Aso and Zuma rocks, amazing, they never grow old

See the hills of Katampe, watch Gurara’s waterfall

Several Rivers: Niger, Benue, Sokoto, Kaduna, I cannot name them all

Tourists flock to see the Obudu cattle ranch, and Yankari game reserve

With festivals like Tinapa, Argungu, the Abuja carnival, our heritage is preserved

Behold industries: Petrochemicals, Agro-allied, textiles and so many more

Combined with vast resources to complete our solid infrastructure

A plethora of resources indeed, but the most important one

The Nigerian intellect – surely second to none

Observe our gifted ambassadors, icons of intelligence, passion and creativity

Like Alh. Dangote, an entrepreneurial giant; Oluchi, symbol of our beauty

Kanu Nwankwo, international sports star and philanthropist; Chimamanda, all hail our literary queen!

Fela Durotoye, motivator-par-excellence, and Asa just keeps rocking the musical scene

Now Lady I, inspirational poet unveiled, the list goes on and on and on

They make us proud to be Nigerians, to boldly sing our national song

A truly blessed nation in every way

A force to be reckoned with, anytime, any day

Call me patriotic if you will, but I just have to say

Been east, been west, NAIJA IS BEST!

‘The greatest nation on earth’ within us that potential lies

But it needs to be realized, therefore Nigeria MUST ARISE!

For too long our story has been a sad, sad tale

Of resources wasted, labour exploited, youth misspent in jail

We’ve imported the unnecessary, exported our necessities

Making others rich, while we sink deeper into poverty

Now beat down and rejected, we groan and we weep

With no help in sight, we cry ourselves to sleep

Oh Nigeria, how can this be, when we’ve got-it-all?

Riches of agriculture, crude oil, precious stones and much more

The wonders of nature are seen all across our lands

Indeed, we are a people of great minds and gifted hands

God has blessed us immeasurably, now the ball lies in our court

It’s time for us to take action with a new sense of worth

North and South, old and young, rich and poor, we must unite

Set our differences aside and join hands in one good fight

Against corruption, injustice, selfishness and greed

As good people building a great nation indeed

A new day has come, our new dawn is here

The darkness is fading, so the light can shine clear

Nigeria, Arise!

It’s time to bring an end to shame and sorrow

To set a new standard that others might follow

It’s time to lay afresh a good foundation

To take your place amongst the nations

Nigeria, Arise!!

The world is waiting, it’s anticipating

The sound of a strong beat, from the heart of Africa

Nigeria, Arise!!!

Fulfil your destiny!!!

- - - - - -

Lady I. - Proudly Nigerian

What are YOU worth?

Ever been to an auction? ...

Imagine you have a friend who loves paintings. Imagine you accompany this friend, to an auction of one of Pablo Picasso’s original paintings. In the auction hall, the painting is beautifully displayed on a pedestal, front and centre. It looks pretty ordinary to you, just a nice landscape. So you say nothing and just observe. Then the auctioneer announces that the bidding will begin at $500,000. You think to yourself ‘Is this some kind of joke? Who would pay a cool half million for that?’ Much to your amazement, the members of the audience begin to indicate their interest. The price steadily rises until finally, the painting is sold for a whopping $7 million. And the icing on the cake of your amazement? The buyer, your dear friend, can only be described with one word: ECSTATIC! Unbelievable. He just lost SEVEN MILLION dollars! 'Why?' You ask. Your friend says ‘Why not? I just gained a PICASSO, do you know what this means? I own a picture Pablo Picasso painted with his own hands - it’s mine.’ To your friend, that painting is worth $7million, maybe even more, it’s THAT valuable.

Think about the most expensive material thing you have EVER bought ...
A Beautiful house. A sports car. A diamond ring. A Luxury Cruise. A State-of-the-art Laptop. Concert Tickets to see your favourite artist LIVE. A wicked pair of designer shoes ...

Ok, let me guess, you probably had someone tell you that you paid too much for it, right? And you probably smiled to yourself, knowing they didn’t understand why and they never would. It was worth every penny you spent on it, the satisfaction of owning it, the pride of sporting it, the joy of knowing it now belonged to you. Why were you willing to pay THAT much for it? To you, it was worth THAT much. Simple.

The value of a thing is generally determined by how much money you’re willing to pay in exchange for it. The more you value it, the more money you are willing to part with to get it.

What are YOU worth?
Ever been asked that question before? ... if you have, you probably stated a monetary figure, that represented the sum total of all your assets. A reasonable answer, no doubt, but not quite the best one. Do you truly know what you are worth? When you look at yourself in the mirror, how valuable do you think what you see is?

How do you see yourself?

Maybe you see yourself as ‘out-of-place.’ You’ve always been different. You’ve been told you just don’t fit in. Your family sometimes teases that you must be adopted because you’re just not like everyone else. Like a misshapen penny in a roll of perfect pennies, it seems you’re never going to be any use to yourself or anyone. You’ve been told you’ll never amount to anything, you’re a good-for-nothing. You want to fit in, but try as you might, you stand out like a sore thumb and you wish you could just be like everyone else ...

Or perhaps you see yourself as ‘past-your-prime.’ You think your best days are behind you. Maybe you were once skilled, talented and celebrated, but can no longer work the skill or talent that caused people to celebrate you. Perhaps you’re a grandparent - You’ve worked your best years raising kids and grandkids who hardly even appreciate your sacrifice. You’ve been forgotten. Like an old wooden rocking-chair, left dust-covered and cobweb-ridden in the attic, replaced by a newer and modern recliner. You wonder if anyone would even notice if you suddenly were no more ...

The regular people taking a look at a misshapen penny or an old rocking-chair may with one glance classify it as ‘useless’ and dismiss it. Until the day an expert, a collector perhaps comes in, takes one look at the misshapen penny and says that’s a rare coin, one-of-a-kind from the treasury of King Henry VII. Or an antiques dealer takes one look at the old rocking-chair and says that chair was hand-carved by Abraham Lincoln in 1892, and he may even have sat in it as he thought up the Emancipation Proclamation. Suddenly, the true value of the ‘bad penny’ and the ‘old chair’ are revealed – they are each worth millions!

Like the so-called ‘bad penny’ or ‘old-chair’ perhaps you have been classified and dismissed by parents, peers, teachers, children, society, or worse, yourself. You may feel like life has dealt you TWO bad hands. Life hasn't just given you lemons, it's given you rotten ones! You’ve been stepped on, tossed aside, torn apart, until you can no longer see any good in yourself, if you saw any to begin with. When people say there is something great in everyone, you laugh to yourself because you know you’re the exception to that rule. Well, let me ask you this: if I take a $100 bill and I step on it, squeeze it, throw it in the trash, my dog chews it and spits it out, it gets covered in mud until it can no longer be recognized or recognize itself, yet it doesn’t completely fall apart, is it still worth $100? Say, I took that battered, tattered bill, cleaned it up, straightened it out and took it to the bank and I asked the teller to please give me a newer bill to replace it, would the teller say ‘oh my word, that bill is just so battered and tattered, umm, let’s see, I can give you a brand new $5 bill to replace it?’ No indeed, as long as the teller can still see the numbers on it, the teller would give me a $100 because that’s what its worth!

What are YOU worth?
I assure you, people are not qualified to determine what you’re worth because they cannot see it. Not your family, or the person who is closest to you, or the person who has known you all your life. Not even they can see what you’re worth – so never let anyone tell you what you are or are not worth. They are simply not qualified. But there is an expert, a collector, as-it-were, who knows your true value. And guess what? He took a look at you a loooooong time ago, and He valued you so much that when He thought of what He could exchange to get you this was His conclusion: All the gold in all of South Africa is not valuable enough; All the crude oil in Saudi Arabia is not enough; All the money in all the swiss banks is not enough; all of the stock in the New York Stock Exchange is not valuable enough. He looked at everything in the world, and it still wasn’t enough to exchange for you. So He decided that the only price he could pay that would be valuable enough to obtain a treasure of your caliber, was the very life on His ONLY son. And guess what? He gave up his son’s life without so much as a hesitation, just so he could have the joy of owning YOU! Just so he could proudly mention your name and say “I OWN ...”

Who is this 'collector,' this 'expert,' who alone is able, is qualified to determine your worth? He's the collector of broken men; the expert on rejected women; the God of Heaven and earth - the One who made you and knows you, inside and out, beginning to end.

What are YOU really worth? ... You are worth the life of the Son of the immortal, invincible, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God! ... Take a moment and wrap your mind around that, let it sink deep into your heart.

Maybe your parents told you that you were a mistake; maybe you were an abandoned child eventually adopted; maybe you’ve been rejected by peers, or even your own spouse who vowed to love you always, it doesn’t matter. Just like the battered and tattered $100 bill, your value has not been diminished and can NEVER be diminished by any person, circumstance, happening, or disability in your past or present or FUTURE. Whether you’ve done things that make a prisoner on death-row look like a saint, or you’ve out of no fault of yours been abused by people, by life itself, IT DOESN’T MATTER.
There are a few things money cannot buy – Newsflash: YOU are one of them! You are soooooo valuable that the only thing expensive enough to exchange for you was the very LIFE of the beloved and only Son of God, Jesus Christ. It was a divine exchange. It was a willing exchange. It was a loving exchange. But you're the only one who can make it a complete exchange.

When you buy something, it’s an exchange. You give money, you get the thing, and everybody’s happy, end-of-story right? ... Perhaps, not quite so in this case. Imagine selling all you have, then borrowing several thousands more to pay some kidnappers as ransom for the love of your life, only to have the freshly-emancipated love of your life, walk away without so much as a thank you or a backward glance ... How would you feel? No doubt, as though your heart had been ripped out and shredded to tiny pieces. You did ALL that, looking forward to spending all your days and moments with this person you love so, and now .... the person is gone forever. It’s almost unimaginable. If you can even imagine what that would feel like, multiply that by a BILLION and maybe that would be as a drop in the ocean compared to what your divine ‘collector’ feels, if after He’s paid THE ULTIMATE price, you still haven’t given Him the one thing He wants more than anything else: YOU!
It’s YOU God wants. You’re the only thing that makes a God who owns the whole earth and heavens, and lacks nothing sigh and say ‘I wish I had ...’ – YOU! Yes He wants your time, your service, your money, yes those show that you care, but more than that he wants your attention, your heart, in totality.

He wants to be your first thought when you awaken, and your last whisper as you fall asleep.

He wants to be the melody and lyrics to the song of your life.

The solution to the most complex equations of your existence.

The answer to your most difficult, secret questions.

The deepest longing, the utmost desire of your heart.

God wants You.

No, you can never truly understand why, it’s beyond comprehension. Because He’s immortal and you’re mortal. He’s all-powerful and you’re often powerless. He’s Perfect and you’re imperfect. He knows everything and you don't really know that much. He’s got the whole world, and what do you have? ... I mean, what could he possibly have seen in you to elicit this kind of love? No, you cannot fully grasp the manner, the depth, the span, the width, the breadth of His unchanging, undying, unlimited, unconditional LOVE for you.

You’ve got two options:
a. Disbelieve the story. Ignore the love. Reject the One who gave up everything for you
b. Believe the story. Accept the love. Love Him wholeheartedly, in return

So what’ll it be?

Bottomline my friend, if you asked Him why He loves you like that, all He’s going to say to you is simply is this: 'BECAUSE YOU’RE WORTH IT!!!'

_ _ _

You're a divinely-inspired, uniquely-crafted, undoubtedly-gifted, original masterpiece! Start acting like it.

- Lady InspiroLogos

Miss Inspiration Rebrands Herself!

I’ve changed my name.
William Shakespeare wrote the famous words “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It’s true that changing your name doesn’t necessarily change who you are, but there is something in a name.

A name is a first-impression; an introduction to the world, so to speak. In the minds of all others, your name is a snapshot of your character, your personality, your looks, your voice, your speech, your deeds, and everything else that makes up you. Words are powerful, if you say something long enough and consistently enough, it’s likely to become a reality. I believe that over the course of time, we become our names. Your name is what everyone speaks every time you’re seen, or thought about, or mentioned – should it not then be something positive? (I’ve always wondered why any parent would give their child a name that means something negative. That child has to answer that name for at least the first 18 years of his/her life, and perhaps for the rest of his/her life. It behoves parents to do a thorough investigation to find good names for their children. Anyway, that’s a subject for another day.)

Why would anyone change names?
People change their names for various reasons: getting married or divorced; adopting a pet-name or alias to differentiate themselves from other people who share the same name; disassociating from a negative past; secrecy - going in witness-protection programs; and so forth. Finding out that one’s given name has a negative meaning is an uncommon but very good reason to change a name.
I believe each individual is unique – a divinely-inspired, uniquely-crafted, original masterpiece. It is the desire to stand out from the crowd that causes people to adopt aliases, unique names that are either self-given, or created by friends and/or family members. Used long enough, an alias can come to identify a person, more-so than his/her given name and eventually replace the given name. This happens often enough especially in the entertainment industry.

Why change my name?
Technically, I’m not changing the name on my birth certificate just yet. My given name, Ifueko, means a person who is gentle or meek or tolerant, it’s not defined exactly, but it’s a description of a desirable attribute. I like it, so it stays! My long-standing nick name, Fex, is derived from my given name - don’t ask how, just take my word for it – and it’s unique, so it stays too! Well then what name am I changing? That would be my most recently adopted name, my alias, or brand, so to speak: Miss Inspiration.

Miss Inspiration made the news recently. The headline read ‘Miss Inspiration Does Inspire!’(By the way if you haven’t read the beautifully-written, highly-inspirational article yet, you can do so via the following link: http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=144066#)
Why on earth would I want to stop being referred to as ‘Miss Inspiration’ then? Well, I have discovered that the names ‘Miss Inspiration’ and ‘Lady Inspiration’ and ‘Inspired Woman’ and so many other similar names are ALL already being used by other great women out there; other great women perhaps similar to me, but NOT me. Just like there’s only one you, there’s only one me: a divinely-inspired, uniquely-crafted, original masterpiece! Simple – I’m unique, and so should my name be.

What then will my name be?
What shall I call myself? I shall call myself who I am, naturally.
Well, who am I?
I am inspirational, yes.
My story is inspirational, definitely.
I am inspired, indubitably; better still, I am inspired by the very source of true inspiration, God. Besides that, I am female, a woman, yes, though the people close to me prefer to describe me as a ‘lady.’
So I’m inspired, and I inspire - and what is the primary method of my inspiration? Simple: WORDS.
Words in a poem, words in a song, words in a speech, words in a story;
Words written, words painted, words embroidered, words engraved;
Words in a card, words in a book, words in motion – a play, a movie;
Words amplified, words recorded, words spoken, words whispered;
Words, inspirational words, my words – inspired by God’s Word!

Some time ago, in trying to find a way to describe inspired words that also inspire, I came up with the word InspiroLogos, formed from a combination of two words: the English word inspire and the Greek word Logos. The word ‘inspire’ according to Webster’s dictionary means several things, including “to fill with creative power” and “to move by divine influence.” In Greek, logos means word or reason; but Logos in theology (uppercase L) means the word of God - which is my primary source of inspiration. InspiroLogos therefore means inspiring something or someone using words, especially the word of God. InspiroLogos is what I strive to do; so it has inevitably become my brand.

In conclusion:
What really is in a name? Some say nothing, I say potentially everything. My name is unchanged: Ifueko Fex Ogbomo. My motto still stands: I aspire to Inspire. But my short-lived, though beloved alias, ‘Miss Inspiration’ bows out gracefully to make way for the new brand.
Who am I? ...
I am creative, intelligent, insightful;
I am warm, nurturing, giving;
I am influential, positive, innovative;
I am soft, gentle, beautiful;
I am humble, gracious, virtuous;
I am the glory of man – a woman;
I am all I am because ‘I AM’ says I am.
I am Lady InspiroLogos – the inspired one who inspires.

Now it’s your turn – who are YOU?
Hint: To find yourself, discover your gift; To be yourself, manifest your discovery!
- Lady InspiroLogos

A Patriot's Dream ...

It's the new craze in my part of the world. Everyone has something to say about it. It's splashed across the papers, it resounds on the radio and television, it's the agenda on every executive meeting, and the buzz on every street corner.

What are we talking about? ... in one word: PATRIOTISM!

Yes, yes, i know, it's more popularly being called 'rebranding,' but think about it. Why would anyone go through the trouble of branding or rebranding something? It would inevitably involve a significant amout of work: time, money, manpower, discipline, sacrifice, vision, perseverance ... etc; therefore, no one could undertake such a task successfully unless they actually, truly, loved whatever it is they are 'branding' or 'rebranding.'

In this case, the object of all this rebranding effort is an entire country; so, if the efforts are to yield lasting success, the persons undertaking the effort must actually love this country - in other words, they must be patriots! Otherwise, all efforts will as effective as building a tower on sinking sand.

So there you have it - you call it rebranding, i say GREAT! On your marks ... Get set ... Rebrand!

BUT first, you must have a patriot's heart, and you must have a patriot's dream ...

What exactly is a patriot's dream? I could explain, but I think it would be more effective if you actually 'saw' one - please, allow me. It happened like this:

It was the evening of boxing day 2007, the close of a very frustrating day; there was no power, so i sat in the dark in my little living room, and i let my mind roam free. I thought about my country, how incredibly blessed we are, yet the average person is unable to enjoy these blessings, why? ... but looking beyond the depressing circumstances around me, and imagining the possibilities that could be, I had a 'dream.' So i took pen to paper and wrote these words...

Land of My Dreams
Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2007

I dream of a land, a land of peace
Whose people are always content
I dream of a land, a land of progress
Whose resources are never ill-spent
I dream of a land, a land of faith
There’s belief in a better tomorrow
I dream of a land, a land of unity
All join in the fight to end sorrow
I dream of this land, by day and by night
Its beauty and splendour remain in my sight
Every man and woman, every girl and boy
Young and old, are all filled with such joy!

Where is this land of my dreams?
Where is this land of my future?
It has captured my heart
It’s my land, my home

This land of my dreams, is Nigeria, can’t you see?
Oh, how I long to make my dream come true
But I can’t on my own; I need you to join me
And together we’ll make this land brand new
Yes I pledge to Nigeria, land of my dreams
To be faithful and honest, loyal and true
I pledge to Nigeria, land of my dreams
With all of my strength I will serve her anew
I pledge to defend her unity
To abide by her laws and her creed
Of fear and doubt I have no need
For with God on my side, I am sure to succeed

Nigeria, land of my dreams
Nigeria, land of my future
Nigeria, has captured my heart
Nigeria, my home

Though many in cultures, in tribes and in tongue
Our hearts beat as one, so let’s sing this new song:
Nigeria, Land of our dreams
Nigeria, Land of our future
Nigeria, it has captured our hearts
Nigeria, our blessed home!
_ _ _


Last Words:

In March this year, the Nigerian Government officially launched a rebranding process, with a well-chosen slogan: 'Good People, Great Nation.' As I heard the news, I smiled to myself and thought, ahhh ... perhaps, my dream is coming true. I pray with all my patriot's heart that it is so.

Patriotic and Unashamed.
- Lady InspiroLogos

Beneath My Lovely Mask

Everyone wears a mask of some sort! None of us is perfect, no matter how beautiful we appear on the outside. Thus some people are extremely pretentious, perhaps trying to impress others or gain favor, while secretly afraid that if they show their true selves, they will be rejected. Indeed, we have all experienced fair-weather friends who 'love' us when the going is good, or 'love' us for our outward appearance, or 'love' us because of some benefit they can gain from us, only to disappear when the tide turns against us. It's a harsh reality.
Ahh, but deep down, we all desire to be loved for who we really are, and accepted exactly as we are. In expression of this deep desire, I wrote a poem. This poem is very dear to my heart, and is now being celebrated because it was my final piece and the winning piece at a recent performance poetry contest. (You can read a newspaper publication about my championship at this link http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=142952 )
And now, i'd like to share my poem with you:

Beneath My Lovely Mask
Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

The applause is thunderous! The Cheers are deafening! Everyone is out of their seats!
I feel like a goddess, as they blow kisses at me and throw roses at my feet
Encore! Encore! They scream; longing for another captivating performance
So they can bask in my presence; as my enchanting words and melodious voice fill their hearts with romance
Backstage they’ll be scrambling over each other, hoping to get my autograph,
Pleading to have a memento of me, a personal item, or even just a photograph
The men will ask to have drinks with me, some will stammer, some can only stare,
The ladies promise to name their little girls after me, all to show how much they care
I smile politely, embrace occasionally, and wonder to how this can be
Do they truly love me, and would they still love me, if they knew me,
The frightened child beneath the flawless celebrity
Me, beneath my lovely mask.

Fashionably late, and dressed to kill, I glide into the circular hall
It’s almost comical, tiresomely predictable; I’m instantly appraised by one and all
Calmly making my way to the VIP section, my perfume leaving a sweet scent in the air;
I hear snatches of the conversations, as I part the sea of admiring glances and the occasional envious glare
'What beauty,' they say, 'what poise, an incredible figure,' and 'did you see her flawless face?'
'What lovely long legs, and luscious hair, what a dazzling smile, oh my, such grace'
Holding my head high, I quietly take my seat, disregarding the flattery that assaults my ears
I am sure they would neither envy me, nor lust after me, if they knew my silent tears
The sad girl beneath the stunning woman,
Me, beneath my lovely mask

What a day! - A book signing, cocktail dinner, and yet another proposal
Let’s see, that’s the third this week, nothing special, he said the usual
How my beauty is beyond compare, my face altogether breathtaking, a priceless work of art
My voice, soft and sonorous, music to his ears; and my lips pure perfection when they part
My skin is smooth as silk, the shade of lightly creamed chocolate, and my eyes, he says, oh my eyes
The entire solar system does not hold a candle to the depth or the glory in my beautiful brown eyes
Did I tell you he claims to think of me all day and dream of me all night
And that if I could only be his, he’d love me always, and never have another in thought or in sight
Ha! All this from someone who knows neither my dress size nor my favourite song,
Let alone the things that touch my heart - what a travesty, a shame, oh, an undeserved wrong!

“Why not take the mask off?” you ask, “let all see the real you;” alas you have struck upon my deepest fear
You see I did take it off once - I unveiled my eyes, revealed my heart, and allowed all to come near
But then the admiring glances became non-existent, the gifts and praise, inconsistent
My many fans became oh so few, and the once pledged faithful became untrue
No, no, no, indeed, I cannot afford this flawless facade to fade
No matter how lonely or lithesome I be, I cannot, I must not, this lovely mask trade
Don’t you see, if I unmask myself, he’ll discover my luscious hair is artificially enhanced
He’ll find out my long legs are actually unequal, and my silken skin is spotted and scarred
He’ll see my eyes are pools of sorrow that nightly swell and spill over, soaking my satin sheets
And my dazzling smile is masterfully doctored, to veil my bleeding heart
Alas the undying love he now professes, would vanish like vapour before a boisterous breeze
And then what would I be left with? ... Loneliness. Misery. Emptiness. Dis-ease.

Therefore don’t ask me to take my lovely mask off, NO!
Don’t let me unveil my sorrowful brown eyes, I implore you
Please, don’t make me reveal my broken and bleeding heart, I beseech you
For I cannot, I cannot! Let me be! Let me lie still, beneath my mask
It is flawless, stunning, it’s perfect, and day after day, I must keep it on
Secretly hoping that one day, one memorable day, someone special will come along
Someone kind, compassionate, patient enough, to slowly, softly uncover me
Someone who’ll see my flaws, my scars, my tears and nevertheless, embrace me
Someone who will love the frightened, lonely, sad, little girl, hiding deep within me
Will Someone please Love me, beneath my lovely mask ...
_ _ _ _ _

Last Words:
There is only one true, unconditional, undeserved, irrevocable and everlasting love, and that is the love of a perfect God, for an imperfect human - the love that God has for you!
God sooooo loved you, that he sent his ONLY Son Jesus to die in your stead, so that you could live forever!
If you can believe that Love, and receive that love, it'll change your life for good and forever!
- Lady InspiroLogos

Meet Miss Mosquito

You can never laugh too many times in one day!
A merry heart does good like medicine, so it says in Proverbs 17:22.
Now we all know life is not a bed of roses, (if you didn't know that, just keep living!). Therefore I conclude that merriness of heart has more to do with perception than actual circumstances. If you look hard enough, you'll find something to smile about even in circumstances or people that seem completely negative! Let me give you a personal example: I think mosquitoes are the most insufferable creatures, they've caused me hours, days and weeks of misery, an inummerable number of times, and i'd no sooner be rid of the lot of them!!!
One day, I took a closer look at mosquitoes, and thanks to my hyperactive imagination, I found something to make me smile, and as usual, found a creative way to say it! Enjoy!

Miss Mosquito, the fairest of all
Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

Miss Mosquito fancies herself to be, the fairest and most fortunate of all creation
She is delicate in frame, yet wherever she goes, she commands undivided attention
She has the most sonorous of voices, for whenever she sings, fervent clapping begins
She is skilled in her art, yet so soft in her touch, and treats great and small the same
She hails from a prestigious lineage indeed; her ancestral accomplishments are world-renown
Thousands of books, documentaries and even songs, celebrate the Mosquito family name

The rich and poor, the young and old, all have felt her unmistakable impact
She’s the talk of the town and it’s a well known fact that her favourite colour is RED!
A celebrity, no doubt Miss Mosquito is, but she knows not to believe all the press
She’s aware of her many enemies, green with envy they wish she was dead
So she tries to remain down to earth, often retreating to still waters and quiet halls
And she keeps away from the noisy crowds, preferring the company of one instead

After an all-day beauty sleep, she awakens at sunset, and carefully plans her night
So much to do and so little time, such a hassle for one is as diligent as she
But all work and no play will ruin Miss Mosquito’s day, and no one can play alone
So she must find herself a lucky man, yes, she’ll surprise him with a visit at home
Having groomed with utmost care, and dressed to kill, she’s off on her evening quest
No need to call in advance, experience has proved, she is always a welcome guest
The man may play hard to get, but he’ll doubtless lie still, feigning sleep while awaiting her piercing kiss
She will swiftly oblige, and if he is receptive, also present him her famously fatal gift
Of course she knows what’s next – the lucky devil abruptly ‘re-awakens’ shouting for joy
He’ll never say so, but He’s obviously pleased for he’s up on his feet, dancing around like a little boy
Mission accomplished, miss mosquito gracefully heads home, her sense of self-satisfaction unequalled
She’s absolutely certain her sweet songs and unforgettable kisses, will again be warmly welcomed!

_ _ _ _ _

Remember to Smile Wide, Laugh Hard, and Spread the Joy!
Lady InspiroLogos

Three Little Words

Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

They're just three little words, seven English letters; one might easily dismiss them as insignificant
A hasty conclusion that would be, for they are perhaps of all words, the most significant
Though sometimes seeming brand new, they’re as ancient as speech and maybe even time itself
And there isn’t a language that has been or will be, that is without these three little words

These three little words when voiced, elicit an astoundingly diverse range of reactions
Anything from tears to tremors, scorn to surprise, from disgust to desire, envy to ecstasy
They can cause a blood-curling chill, or result in a spine-tingling thrill
Dependent upon the manner of the speaker, but more so on the perception of the hearer

Three little words, so few; but many are the contexts in which they are used:
The soccer-crazy husband glued to the TV says them to silence his nagging wife
And the gold-digging vixen craftily uses them to ensnare an unsuspecting millionaire
An obsessed, deranged killer might even say them remorsefully as he sobs over his dying victim
Indeed, many parents use them to soothe the sorrows of their freshly-spanked kids

Yes, they’re often heard, but more often misunderstood; often said, but more often silently left unsaid
These words can be scribbled, stamped, simply stated or even screamed, but they’re best softly spoken;
For then they are able to break the strongest of men, and mend the most broken of hearts
Many have tried and failed to comprehend how something three little words could be so powerful!

Uttered carelessly or consciously, irrespective of gender or age, we all say them now and then
Three little words that could mean entirely nothing, but could change absolutely everything
And from the one we hold most dear, they are the sweetest music to our ears
That wonder-working, life-changing, heart-warming phrase of three simple, little, magic words
- I Love You.


In Conclusion
Don't you think there's someone who you really need to say those three little words to right now? Call them. Send them a text. Maybe an email. Betterstill, say it in person. And don't wait another minute, because life can be unexpectedly short - make it good to the last drop!

Get inspired, Stay inspired, Go inspire!
- Lady InspiroLogos