Hello, My name is Niel and these are the ChristaPoet Freestyle Sessions. This year, ChristaPoet wants to give you a special perspective to our freestyles. At first, some of these poems were published as stand-alone pieces. But in actuality, each poem is an untitled part of the a freestyle session. Each freestyle session is given a topic for the poems to address.


It is no secret that as artists, freestyling helps us become more adept with the delivery of our artforms.A fine artist freestyling can grow to the point that he quickly waves a masterpiece from his brushes at a speed that would be considered humanly impossible. Same goes for the rapper and the actor.

Practice makes perfect? No, Practice makes you better and better until you become a trusted source for consistent excellence.

On today’s episode of ChristaPoet Freestyle Sessions, we take a figurative trip to the 14th of May, 2021. The topic on ground was “Opportunity Spots”; not one of my best topics, I admit. It seemed a little difficult, at first, to articulate what the topic meant. Normally, I have to freestyle first since I choose the topics. Personally, I think that it only clears the air about what that topic is supposed to mean.

Here I am, 1:23pm:

I’m talking ’bout places today
Yeah I took some time off to play
Iz norh like I have much to say
But as a philosopher, lemme astonish ya with an idea of a pay day

What if I never met Pearl?
Chances are no Daniella
Fast forward no Penspeak
No Sioné no Janette_ikz
Oh I wonder ’bout my writing
Would I know to do the right thing?
This CaP team capped me sharply;
Showed me some of what I might be
Gave me stages, pictures, guyses
Christrospective devices

Opportunity spots
Him in what he is not
Let the energy blot
Opportunity spots
Row the both of your boats
Down the streams and the clout

So I asked him, do you wanna be taught the Word?
We don’t do it because we’re bored
A man’s life is to fear the Lord
There is little he can’t afford

And at 1:32pm, I continued. If you are the kinda person that does not like long pieces of literature…:

He said his name and I said mine
I gave him food, and free of charge
I washed his feet, it was the time
He repeated what he learnt, showed he understands

So I asked him, do you wanna be taught the Word?
We don’t do it because we’re bored
A man’s life is just to fear the Lord
There is little he can’t afford

But I found there’s things to give,
Use the weapons from that and this
Pray, teach and Xender things
Opportunity spots un-missed

I’m talking ’bout places today
Yeah I took some time off to play
Iz norh like I have much to say
But as a philosopher, lemme astonish ya with an idea of a pay day

Opportunity spots
Him in what he is not
Let the energy blot
Opportunity spots
Row the both of your boats
Down the streams and the clout

And it would seem that the 13th hour was an awakening one for more than me, because Ezeonyeka Godswill came through with a 1:35pm spurt:

Opportunity is a funny thing
How it sneaks in disguised
Intent on being missed

Opportunity costs nothing
But the attention of a keen eye
Yet it is anything but cheap

Opportunity spots on any scene
Many a man has had a slice
It’s your decision to seize it

Yes,it would seem that Godswill simply wrote on “Opportunity Costs” rather than “Opportunity Spots”. But the goddess of Cap, Chika St. Davnique delivered a spurt at 4:52pm:

Deep down in my heart, I’m a vinyl music, slow jazz music listening, candlelight slow dancing…

Play me a tune of dreams
Romantic and sweet
I promise I’ll lose my shoes

I swear I’ll forget to close the gates to my heart

I think I’ll sing the twinkle of that moment forever

If only you were attentive enough to spot the opportunity.

Deep down in my head, I’m the indefatigable crazy, would-you-drink-me-the-stars-and-shine-brighter romantic.

Sit oblivious of the rain and stare
but more importantly, talk
About everything and nothing
Glean insight from our blind spots
Lie to me and say; “we’re different”
Even when we know, come trouble, we’ll crumble

And it wouldn’t be because we weren’t strong enough.

I feel I’ll bottle the agony in a glance

Scars are always opportunities if only you can spot them.

I’m tired now, floating away.
Head and heart spent.

I spot even now, an opportunity to rest
In the knowledge that He knows His goofy-head, hopeless-to-stupor-romantic-Cinderella-baby-girl.

So it’s off to sucking thumbs.

Ah!
Who writes like this?!

I know that the world is full of wonders but these people still surprise me. The ability to wrap a few unrelated words together to paint meaning beyond the implications of the words themselves…that’s poetry folks.

Up next is Eremi, at 6:49pm, with a bit more class than foreseen:

*Grammar class*
Teacher says
“Learn to place your full stops
At the right spot
Else your statements will be senseless and full-ish”

*Puberty class*
Adults say
Don’t pop those zits
They’ll leave dark spots
Would you rather your face be awful and spot-ish?

*Life class*
If your syntax is right
You’ll definitely know
When there’s need for a full stop
Only Fools stop before wisdom’s gate
If you spot some amazing spots
Make it full with your essence
And whether or not you break open those zits
Don’t forget growing is more than aesthetics
The process could alter form
But the result is worth it.

Don’t let that moment you so desire slip away
Because you consider yourself a fool who sleeps away
Wake up! and fill that spot
Even when it is full
Don’t stop
Enter the palace of wisdom
Be the process and the result.

And I think she most embodied the Spirit of the topic. That’s Eremi for you. Its easy to get carried away by your disposition, as a person, instead of your mission as an artist; and this is where “being a professional” comes in. We each have to recognize the difference between casual moments and opportunity spots.

I dropped the last spurt of poetry at 7:05pm:

Shoulders can neck when they know where I’m headed
Opportunity spots washed away by the tangent
Butter, Jam or Bama, the colour is that I red it
Straightening for Heaven every soul that was Hell bent
I rid myself of dullness by sharpening like a Katana
Very few peeps can come call me their father
Odim on to Lekki, my Baby told me, “Lotanna!”
Freestyle-reading freestyles, you know the plan, Ma

PS: I love to make real life, albeit strange, references in my poetry.

I believe that if you had read any of these poems on their own, you would get a part of the picture. Now you see them together, I think it’s a more wholesome picture. Tell us what you think, and see you next time.

Authors:
Ezeonyeka Godswill
Niel Quchi
Eremi
Chika St. Davnique