My Loan to The Lord

December 31, 2024Leave a comment

Hello Gods chosen one! I trust your day has been delightful. These creative gems from Freestyle Friday are worth checking out today.

Topic: MY LOAN TO THE LORD
DATE: 25TH OCTOBER, 2024
HOST: GODZNIEL

We kicked things off smoothly with this brilliant piece by GodzNiel:
When my errors were squared up and said “Boss, e dun be for thee.
Little has worked and has thee all worked up in your jealousy.
Jokes are your stock and guess what, the effort is your legacy.”
Mery said, “No, Epilogues are the time I like to change story. “

Mery said…
Mery said, “No…”

Make it so long that they forget the starting
The story goes on, different ears will be tingling
Because we sowed God, He is what we are reaping
He said the latter was the plan from the planting
And God invented both the end and the beginning
Sell him those years, let him pay you unending
But I crawled to Him with last of my substance
He said to me, “Boy what you need is repentance…
And everyone has turning points in abundance
But Mercy said, “No, this one is a romance. “

Mery said…
Mery said…
Mery said, “No…”
Mery said, “No…”

Let me give him my hours
He redeemed them
From a broken heart muddy from believing lies
From a fallen weak from holding on
Even family ties broke when I strayed in life
The predators let you eat a bite before they latch on
But the silhouette of the Lord is the trigger to rejoice
The sound of his voice eliminates the noise
Let me give him my choice
He who gave me my voice

GodzNiel continued:
The thumbs of a man
Who strayed from the plan
Only to discover the Holy demands
And moonwalk back into his hands
Repentance
We act like God is lacking humans
We act like God is trynna make friends
And we have plans, he should wait small
Reprobacy is gradient,
like a business yeah it starts small

Dear Jesus
Dear Jesus
They asked me to target an SDG
I told them I’m targeting knowing thee
Doing my work as I fast till 3
Lost to the World I was found in thee

Yah

Holy Holy I’m Nazarene
Reborn by you said to me
Say the Word and gimme grace to be
What you say is final finally

Hosanna Hosanna, I die on the matter
The story is over, we’re living on credit
Not one lost who belongs to the Father
Matthew Twenty-eight, go there and read it

My loan to The Lord
How can I fail with this much faith?
I believe and that is it
Not me, but the one who sent me
I am his epistle, like a loaded pistol
Music if you listen, flow like River Pishon
Praising the Lord
My Hallelujah is a loan to the Lord
In return, all I need is a Word
Guess what he’s telling me
“Abide, I’ll be all you need. Tell them what’s happening. I am the end…innit?
I am the treasure of treasures, the final bonanza, the question and answer, the pearl of the wise, the business of life, forever and ever and yet I’m the moment, the King of All Life.”

How many times time can I say it though?
Love is crazy when you think about it
The Lover is happier say so
When he really feels the way he’s saying
Never too much ‘I love you’s
Never too much ‘I got you’
What is it that I can’t do
I have died just to raise you
Set it all up to raise you
Put in stuff to amaze you
And yet you…
Need a device, to look my eyes, the time must be right or you won’t delight in Holding my hand
Haba
My eyes are always on you
My love is like a tattoo
Time is a heavenly notebook
Tell me who it is you wrote to

This stunning piece by GodzNiel marked the conclusion of Freestyle Friday:
My loan to the Lord is my casting
Failing men and devils asking
I’ll be hidden in my Light King
That’s him
Yeshua forever, Salvation and Glory
Without him there is no story
I’ll write you a letter with this breath you gave me as ink
Father you are how I’m blessed indeed
Silver and Gold can be stolen, please
What I called ‘wealth’ is your inner peace
Your spirit in me

I
Heavenly Journalist
Of Nigerians, I’m the very least
But I have eaten of the holy feast
My loan to the Lord is to share his gist

Author
GodzNiel

Pray Now

June 22, 2023Leave a comment

Theory is good
Analysis helpful
But none can save you
Except praying on your knees.

God is not moved
By our carnal understanding
He lives above the heavens
He abides in His Presence.

The fourth dimension
Is only moved by faith
Get on your knees now
Humble your heart
And pray now.

Ugwu David C.
©2023

Still Pray

January 26, 2023January 25, 2023Leave a comment

It’s freestyle Friday and you know how we like to serve you; Hot 🔥 and fresh from the oven!!!. My name is Adeleye Olaoye and I will be the one to run you through Today’s menu. Niel, at 9:41 a.m., came to announce what we would be dishing for the day; Still Pray. I wonder what was going through his mind but anyway, sit back and enjoy your meal as your eyes feast on our poems.

At 9:46 A.M., Zoe Ziva opened dey floor:

Dey pray
E go be like say sometimes e no dey work, but still, dey pray
E go even be like Daniel wey dem go gather for your matter dey talk, but still, dey pray
Sometimes it may feel that your prayers are even dragging you towards what you’re praying against, yet again, still pray.
For in the place of prayers we gain strength for the days ahead, so still dey pray
For na den we go receive grace take make things happen and strength to stop the wrong things from happening.
So I say again. Dey pray.

Hope you enjoyed the appetizer? At 9:48 A.M., Godswill Ezeonyeka wrote:

Pray still I pray thee
When thy lips part in supplication
Let thine heart not wavering remain still
Let Jesus call thy peace to attention
And thy prayers find joyful voyage to Father

At 9:56 A.M., Hannah wrote:

When the edge is broken
When there are stray bullets flying in the streets
To pray or not to pray will not be a dilemma
When you are swallowed up by a fish
When you know you’re the reason for the chaos
To pray or not to pray will not be in conflict
But all pray and no watch makes the purpose of the One who sent you frustrated
Yet, all watch and no pray makes you a vessel of no use!

Godswill Ezeonyeka wasn’t done! At 10:03 A.M., he wrote:

Hearken! I pray thee
To the prayers prayed before
Our fathers besought the Father’s very being
With open hearts they yearned for answers we now ignore
Ye! The poured out Spirit searcheth for praying sons

At 10:43 A.M., The Niel wrote :
Father take it from me
Any hanging ons
Gbadura Fun mi
Favors get returned
May acidic spirits get watered down
Man on Holy Ghost
Word Diet and nightgown
We still pray for things we should be praying at
Father said pursue from where you’re kneeling at
Na Spirit go back you, just raise the right mast
Our room is espo, We were an Atlas
I still pray like spiritual pillow talk
Given there are days when we do outburst
The power and eternity sit above the talk
The Lord and His Word are the very First

Felzpoecy, at 10:45 dropped his bars:
When life seats you down to have a meeting with love
And your body begins to feel man enough to own it
Remember
Nobody ever made the right handbook for loving
So when you fall in a kind of love that doesn’t keep you warm in winter
Teach yourself to stand up
Do not leave without burning the bridges
The heat would help you through your travel to a better place

At 10:55 A.M., Ubamara wrote:
Stand still my soul, I pray thee
And know that He is God
When my heart is overwhelmed within me
Still will I pray
More times than I care to count
Has the One who is Love come through for me
And when it seems like my okro doesn’t draw
Still will I pray to the One I’m drawn to

At 11:38 A.M., The Jemcy wrote this:
The rule is simple
Pray or Faint
But I plead with you to choose the former
Its easier than you all have made it
Its as simple as telling me everything
As you would a friend.
I’m tired of being your last option
And being called upon only when you’re in trouble
I want you to dial the line just to say hi
I want our communication to be a constant thing.
I’m not a deaf God my boy
I just want you to pray some more
Till prayer becomes your lifestyle
The solution is simple
When you’re weak, ask me for help to pray…
And by asking, you just started to pray!!!

At 11:45 A.M., Eremipaghmo Pearl rounded up when she wrote this:
Speak the infinite liturgical languages
Pray! It’s a familiar code
Series of requests
Thanksgivings
Intercessions
Let the silent voice cry out
Leave the answer to the one whose say counts
Pray, it’s a familiar code
People still seek a listening ear
Raging thoughts driving them mad
And before them is the familiar code
Yet they know it not
Stiffled faith is what desperation births
The labour is ominous
If we don’t know the code
Let it out
Let it out to the one whose say count
Pray still regardless of what language you know
Still pray when thoughts go wild.
Do both in the name of Jesus

Authors:
Godswill Ezeonyenka
Zoe Ziva
Ubamara
Eremipaghmo Pearl
Niel
Jemcy
Felzpoecy

June 9, 2022Leave a comment

If God asks us to pray, then, He plans to answer. Pray in faith and above all, pray in the name of Jesus. It is the only name in which we pray and have answers.
Lady Nancy

Regeneration on Women’s Day

March 8, 2022Leave a comment

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 a freestyle session. Each freestyle session is given a topic for the poems to address.

I had told you in the first part of this piece, that these poets wrote 18 poems on this day, 25th February 2022. I want to do a sort of back and forth with the period that I draw pieces from. This time, I am continuing my account of a more recent time.

The topic is Regeneration.

And I bring you Zoe Ziva, writing at 10:33am, on the 25th of February:

That same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead, heal your mum and heal my pastors wife too.

Vitalizing, regenerating, nothing broken, nothing missing.

Cardiac arrested, arrested the evil one, our prayers will not cease, this peace will not rest in this, for she will see the light of day on earth, stand on her two feet, her memory will reboot, amnesia would not be a name.

Your mum’s eyes will regenerate, God’s healing balm still has Gilead on it, now it resides in our heart.

Our faith will rise, our hands lifted, we do not forsake our own mercies, we choose to trust in The King rather than observe Lying vanities.

Since I’ve been younger till now that I’m grown, I’ve always seen that faith always wins.
Even in our time, this testimony would be so.

Rejoice.

And at 11:05 AM, the Elegant and Elusive Imani Dokubo:

I join you in prayers
I agree with you in faith
Her sight is restored
Her healing permanent

She sees clearly
The goodness and mercy of our God never runs out on her

We rejoice not in the future but now, for the end we have seen clearly.

Again, let me paint the context. So, one of us, Ade, had just written a freestyle spurt in which he indicated that his mother had just undergone surgery. We all subsequently dove into praying for her through our poetry…very touching stuff.

At 11:08 AM, Aebube with the kiss kiss emojis, wrote:

Just a turned ignition and boom
Men set off in tripedation

It’s not a holy feeling, the jitters are killing slowly
It made me sorrow only

Tell me I’m going to heal really quick from this fear and trepidation, this isn’t some perdition
right?

Of course it isn’t
For Christ paid the ultimate price so I’m forever freed from its shackles

My life is not on hold I’ve been unshackled from the chains of fear, the word alone regenerates me

For he has not given me the spirit of fear but of sound mind and power

Who I’m to agitate about tomorrow’s out come when Yahweh is there

He is the way, the truth and the life, for him alone I mount with wings like an eagle yet do not faint

My strength renewed, no cent used.

She posted that, and after a few minutes, at 11:50 AM, she continued:

They tried to bury me
Not ones
Not twice
For the third time I’m being covered with earth

Fascinating right?
So much they didn’t know
Ohhhh men carefully calculate

With vigour they plan our undoing yet
Ignorance deprive them of their sight

They can’t see right
Though all calculations seemed just perfect

They buried themselves and thought they’re done for, here we’re spouting a leave

With our lips pouted in mockery
They’re left in awe
Our God’s way smarter

We’re his seed buried to regenerate
Just like him we rise
Again and again we’re crowned with Victory to stay above and not beneath.

And then, my darling MeerahZoe, wrote this at 11:53 AM:

What’s more beautiful than a birth?
A rebirth.
The beautiful promise of a second chance
A do over when you’re done over

Twice I’ve lain in the fetal position
The first time oblivious to my existence
The second time wanting to end it

See pain is selfish, you only feel it when you’re self focused.
The man who invented diversional therapy would be out of business otherwise.

Twice I’ve lain in the fetal position
The first time oblivious to my Father’s company
The second time too self-seeing to see Him

It’s easier to ask for a break and a do over,
Blaming the God who supposedly didn’t give it
Than it is to see that the new life He gave you is all the practice you need to be reborn

But pain is selfish, and I would rather reject His comfort than put in the work.
Our faith walk however is sometimes like school, you don’t get past any stage without doing the work.

Standing on my feet again, I hope the sight of the ground from this angle is enough to remind me the next time
That a righteous man can fall seventy times
And rise up seventy times.

Today’s article has consisted strictly of women. I did not really plan that it should be so, but so it has come to pass. Today also happens to International Women’s Day. It makes me wonder, is there a local women’s day?

We hail the woman; for her tenacity, patience, kindness, beauty and industry.

Happy International Women’s Day

Authors:
Zoe Ziva
Imani Dokubo
Ebube
MeerahZoe

The Costs of an Opportunity

January 21, 2022January 21, 2022Leave a comment

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 a freestyle session. Each freestyle session is given a topic for the poems to address.

The first friday of the Month of May 2021, the 7th of May 2021, was that kinda day with a mighty fine topic. At 12:01pm, I announced the topic, “Opportunity Cost”.

Now, there are a few topics that left a mark in my mind for so long after they have been written on. Meet Opportunity Cost

Hanna Azubuike wrote in at 12:18pm, not a poem or spoken word…no, she wrote a little quote:

Opportunity costs constant practice of preparing for one.

It’s like that snake that eats its own tail. Not bad, I reckon. And her vibe bounced around until it 2:35 PM, Lady Nancy picked it up with the same vibe:

They say opportunity come but once
Once again I say it’s a lie
What does it cost God to create one?
And another and another?

See?

Same vibe, they both went for a flash of perfection. But behold, at 3: 30pm, I had something to say of opportunity cost:

Opportunity costs me my bed
Is this real or in my head
Like the faces behind me
BRT, ATM and NYSC

Opportunity costs you excellence
Is being sincere worth any pretence?
No?
Respecter les doses prescrites
Of course the training shows
Persons here already see the precedence

Opportunity costs us disorganization
Is that the time that you start preparation?
Everywhere within our reach,
There is an opportunity
Is this a lie?
Life cascades opportunities

And that was the first round, second round was made available at 3:53pm:

First I kissed a girl, I was drooling in my Pampers
By the time I’m paid, maybe she’ll be done with masters
Quchi told me no, Niel went and left us
Two word foods in Naija will have you moaning in tongues

EastSide till I second-yeared in the work
I watch so I do not end in the work
Operation “Depopulate Hell” in the Works
My main works say ministry, ministry works

If the sky spits me at the moon but I’m cloud-clad
So instead I land on Saturn, in a bed of pepper fumes, lost in what I had
If my straightness came with a jacket
If you never met me, would you still fall in love?
The child says, “tomorrow” like it’s not the same day.
Would you take a picture?
Not a good time?
Not a good time?
Where else could you be?
Would you take a picture?
Not a good time?

Yes yes, I apologise for drifting off. At 4:34pm, Uba came to the fore:

So, I remember all the opportunities that I didn’t take
The mistakes made
The cost was time
A price too expensive to pay
But Hey, no time to dwell
Ahead ahead is the movement
This back wasn’t meant for the floor
This mind can’t be rooted to a spot
Cuz when HE plot my life’s curve it was always for the x-axis
Father Abraham’s bloodline
I’m too rich to be broke
And I’m dead to this world, his word was the kill shot
So even if I bleed anguish and pain
His blood has clot that hurt

Eremi followed through at 5:33pm with her classic quatrain stanzas of wonder. We should talk about Eremi’s writing syle oe of these days. The clarity of it, within the form of classic or textbook style poetry, makes her a pleasant surprise to read. Check this out:

“Opportunity no get price tag oh
Be careful of those
Their costs are never small
You can be so sure”
To expatiate

Opportunities, could they be like flies?
That bug when the place is messed up
And leave a few behind when the place is all clean?

Could they be like mirages
When you could only perceive them from afar
They tend to disappear when you get closer?

Could they be like fantasies?
That only come when your lids are closed
And your heart open to fantasize
Because your hands can’t seem to reach?

I dare say
Opportunities come everyday
So does distractions
Of want
Of the appearance of good
Of misplaced priorities
Or of courage unwilling to surface
And each day we trade
We barter opportunity
For what we may have tagged impunity
But please
Keep watch for when “Kairos” moments
are on display
Their costs are usually heavier
Because they are weightier

You would only know how valuable when you owned them

Woah!! Dripping awesome!!

Need I say more?
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:
Eremi
Hanna Azubuike
Lady Nancy
U.B.A.
Niel Quchi

A workbook of God discussions (ctd.)

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022Leave a comment

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.

And to round up the poems from the 30th of April 2021, when the topic was “How to pray”, here are poems from the last six hours of the day. Hanna Azubuike came on stage at 6:05 PM, and she said:

Father, it’s me again
I really need your ears
I’m really in pain
I’ve waited for your audience
I really need a change
I’ve gone weary with my efforts
I really need your comfort
My strength has been drained
I really need you
Turn my life around
Make a boomerang
Pump in your grace
And I will bounce back
If you don’t tickle me
I won’t be tickled
If you don’t rescue me
I won’t like victory
I’m tired of this stagnation
I’m revolting within me
My spirit is pretty uncomfortable
I’m warring with myself
My mind is perplexed
Come to my rescue
My help comes from you
Let my ears hear good news
Let my eyes see good views
Let my hands handle good tidings
Let my mouth witness good things
It’s been a long time coming
This is one manner in which I pray

Personally, I feel; like she was just showing off. That passion of a heartfelt wail is not so kneeling in the spurt. It sparks through rather than floods. But she does ok, all devices considered. Her resignation glows.

It was after an hour and eighteen minutes, at 7:23 PM that Princess Pirinye. For those of you who have experienced Pirinye before, you can recognize the consistency in her voice. She is still our royal dynamo, never failing to twist. You who are new to her, please meet Princess Pirinye:

*Hello Dad*
Well, I don’t need to ponder on the words to use
I don’t need to pick them out, before they are misused
I don’t need to know how to construct my sentence and place my tenses
What’s the essence?
I say “Hello Dad” and I’m given so much preference
Everything suddenly freezes
His attention he releases
I’m overwhelmed by how he listens to my request
Giving no excuses, he addresses my distress
“Hello Dad” brings the whole victory.

Princess Pirinye
Freestyle Friday

Yep, and she signs her name. And that is super helpful because, the guys who used to edit this later (me), would need to add that. So adding it for them, she’s an angel.

Coming through at 9:42 PM, was the tie and dye jedi, founder of Surprano Art and Clothing, Prince Adeleye Olaoye with “a lot has changed…”:

A lot has changed since my knees dialled your line,
Then, I had no clogs in my mind,
And I knew what I wanted
I was alien to distraction,
My lungs weren’t polluted with doubts,
“Bless and provide for Parents so that they can buy me bicycle “
These words were always spoken in confidence
With my hands clutched to my chest;
My knees dialling God’s line
A lot has changed since then,
My feelings now live in a dry land,
And thoughts are hard to find there,
And when I find words to draw from my well,
It’s not good enough to be served before You,
How do I sieve out prayers from the debris clogging my mind,
How do I stay still when I have so much to let out
But can’t find words to convey them,
Only tears flooding my facing,
For how long will my pillow endure these pains?
When will my tears water my prayers?
When will my eyes watch my desires grow into reality?
When will these little droplets of words,
Mumbled in my heart carry enough mustard seeds,
To move mountains I see before me
Have I been dialling the wrong line?
Dear Lord, I ask for nothing more
Than to teach me how to pray
I can’t stay still again,
Speak now or I keep dialing your line the best way I know how to!

Hmm…Very sober
Very serious
Very middle of the night

But just then, at 11:17 PM, the goddess in CaP, Chika St. Davnique purred poetry her exotic poetry across our screens:

Our Father,
Who seats in the council of constellations
And drinks cocktails of volcanoes
Hallowed be thy name,
Olodumare-baddest, Agidigba-finest, Keeper of my robe, Lifter of my head, and God of gods. Olowgbogboro, I evolve in pursuit of your words.
Thy kingdom come,
With righteousness as rain. Rein captivity
And over the lawless King reign.
Teach brother Nebuchadnezzar
That Lions eat grass when they try to wrestle with God.
Thy will be done…
In this earthen vessel that is me
My life a mirror of your divine intentions
Picture perfect, bright as your thoughts.
Give me this day my daily peace,
For bread isn’t as filling
Echezona, that my frame is frail
I am shamelessly needing your mercy, daily
And when all is said and done,
Crown my tomorrows in beauty
For thine is the kingdom
The best part of uncertain tomorrows

Amen. Did you have to wake up from that too? So much “Nigerian pentecostal” vibes

This is the same person who, in A WORKBOOK OF GOD DISCUSSIONS, acted like she was not praying on purpose. Shey, I told you guys.

Four minutes to the next day, at 11:56 PM…

It happens to me where I find myself at a few minutes to 12am, and I write fast to try and get in a good number of poems before it’s 12. The finality at the end of Xhika’s piece, like she thought that no one would write after her.

But here is Adeleye Olaoye, four minutes to the next day, at 11:56 PM:

I don’t know how death feels like,
I have not even had a taste of it,
It once walked past me,
And that day, I lost my uncle,
And I was still very much young
But now, every day I am being reminded,
That the grim reaper will come knocking,
Snatching my loved ones away from me,
And I am left helpless,
I do not know how to pray or what to pray for,
When these feelings come,
But one thing I am sure of,
Is What His words say,
I will chew on them,
Till I know how to pray
Selah!

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:
Hanna Azubuike
Princess Pirinye
Adeleye Olaoye
Chika St. Davnique

A workbook of God discussions

January 18, 2022January 21, 20226 Comments

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.

Last week, I showed you freestyles from the months of April and March. It is time therefore to advance to the month of May. But may I yet indulge you with poetry from the last day of the month of April. April 30th saw some really great poetry.

We begin at Nonso John, 12:11pm in the afternoon:

I pray.
Let the words of my mouth.
And the meditations of my heart.
Be acceptable in your sight.
Oh Lord.
And when I come on the edge
Of every of life’s precipices.
And take the plunge into decisions
Let my Falcon find his Winter Soldier.
I pray.
That the tears of my eyes.
And the trepidations of my heart.
Find me, and find me still, in you.
Oh Lord.

Sometimes I forget to begin a freestyle session and everyone carries on like it’s a Wednesday and not a Friday. But sometimes, like this particular day, the poetry starts ahead of the giving of a topic.

Speaking of the topic, the topic this time was “How to pray”. Nonso, however, didn’t know any of that. He just wrote, and at 12:36pm, he wrote again:

Give to a fish, man.
And he’ll soon need another.
But teach a fish to man.
And you’ve manned him forever.
And this fish will grow balls.
Big, strong, hairy ones.
The heart of a lion.
And the will of a Warrior.
Teach a pauper to paup
And he’ll Jabez all his life.
But give a crown to a King.
Bend the knee.
Teach a Seminarian to “amen.”
And his palms will always kiss.
His lips whisper benedictions.
Knees chaffed from petinence.
But teach an infant to faith.
To Abba, and to Kadosh.
Bring him truth in all its glory.
Watch the sun bow to him.

Ten minutes later, Funke came through with:

Enter his gates with boldness & thanksgiving
Let go of all these misgivings
With praises -hands raising
Acknowledge His sovereignty
That is how to Pray!
Take your guilt to the cross
Leave the burden on your source
Confess your sins, let His blood erase
He knows about them anyways…
Acknowledge He knows all…Yes He does
This is how to Pray
Forgive, if you were offended
So your prayers don’t get hindered
Though hard, let Grace prevail
The light of Christ passing through your heart’s veil
Your petitions afterwards present!
This is how to Pray
Well the list is inexhaustible
For scriptures exists-so irresistible
Saints of old also echo their tales
Telling us how to Pray!
So while I wait for Nepa’s light
Saying No to sweat this Friday night
Abeg add my prayer to yours till I hear
UP NEPA!
This is how to Pray!

It’s the brightly colored writing style for me. She managed to read just like a psalm would. The anachronism is the NEPA there. That’s pretty Naija.

When those of us who have read UC Truth
saw “UC is typing”, our excitement was evident. Here he is, at 12:47pm:

How to pray I know not
Maybe it is because I don’t have a rule of approach
I just go when he says come
So I come
how I Am
said I should
I set my eyes on him
and then I rise like the sun when it’s dawn
when I’m done
Which is never
Cos I pray whenever
Wherever I am
For I Am is there wherever
Whenever I pray
I Am is there whenever
Wherever I pray
Boldly I do
speaking normally like I do
When I say how I feel to the ones I do, to.
And if saline fluid escape my eyes
I let them
just like he lets me breathe
I let them too, one then two
Until I have cried him a river
same one he lets bubble inside
and then the water breaks
And I put to bed
whatever it is that bid me come
happy or sad
I lay them all there, stripped
naked, at his feet
whipped beyond recognition
Tongues and tongues lashing
till only one tongue is left laughing
So how to pray I know not
I just come and be me
with He
Who said
Come!

So, tell me; how did that feel?

For me it felt like he was replying to the question of how to pray in an anguished, passionate groan. Well, that’s UC-sensei for you.

It is important to recognize that these different replies basically represent different prayers to God, and then there are the replies. At 1:50 PM, Tochukwu came through with his own entry:

Convo with my dad?
With all sense of respect yet so informal
With calmness in my voice but not of fear
With a knowing that he really is listening even if he’s looking at a newspaper while I blab
I don’t need to call him big names to get him to do my bidding
The name ‘Daddy’ is more than enough
Reserved only for his offsprings
I just come because I’m his child and his responsibility.
With no sense of terms and conditions applied

He took a 27 minute breath and then he continued:

A quick one…#PettyFuse
For Christ’s sake, do we really need to raise our voice at him while having a convo?
The answer is obvious
It’s a two person conversation and the other ain’t hearing impaired
What’s with the ‘raise your voice’ and ‘I can’t hear you’ everytime we gather to communicate.
Like I was talking to you before…
Seems the amplitude of the sound increases the efficacy of its ascendance.
Without the gyration, the communication is not effective ’cause the angels on duty do not receive enough kinetic energy to be excited from one level/realm to the other realm carrying our requests with them.
Word!
Did I say we should not freely express ourselves as we please while praying?
Did I?
I just asked why there’s a need to induce persons to increase their volume when obviously they ain’t talking to me
And to think that the person they’re communicating with is closer than their breathing breathe
Maybe it’s more spiritual to ‘ratata…’ in high tones than in soft tunes

And such are the Poets in our team. The fluidity and freedom of language…you should try it, if you haven’t. Meanwhile,something was brewing.

Amongst us in CaP,there are those with a blinding dexterity to their techniques. But that is one of the things that you learn with us – YOU ARE AN IRREPLACEABLY UNIQUE VOICE.

So even when you feel like there is no point trying because you will never surpass so and so? Everyone feels like that at some point. However, everyone didn’t live in that feeling. There is a time for everyone,but you must grow daily, in order to be ready for that moment.

But some are born ready.

At 5:09PM, Hanna stated categorically:

“I’m ANGRY‼️”
But that would be disrespectful
How can 24 elders be angry at me at the same time?
So I tiptoe into Abba’s parlor
Mumbles some words while
He discusses with them about the state of the world and all the big things happening somewhere in the middle east.
Each day comes like the previous day and I do my rituals, mumbling pale nothingness into the blue skies in hope that I’d be asked “what did you say?”
Who knows, may be courage would find a platform on my tongue to vent all the molten magma boiling within
Sometimes a stare from Abba at me…
But wait…
Is he really looking at me or at my sibling who is speaking loud into my ears like I have the answers to her prayers?
Some days silence is what he had for breakfast, no incense of any kind.
Yes,I was shocked to see myself awake
Anyway, what is there to gain?
Moments where I needed to divide the hours, sorry elders into two and tell him of the impending dangers he’s already aware of.
But I just sigh and he nods in the midst of their conversations like he heard me.
And yes, a day came when I finally did say those first words
He looked at me without surprise but with the look that was satisfied after much longing , the desire to hear what I had just said.
And that was it!
The rest is his story because a conversation almost always involves two lives.

First, I’m like, Who is angry?
Then I get sucked into her artful contemplation. She’s just writing what she is thinking and seeing in her mind’s eye, as she prays.

Let it be said,clearly.

This is a compilation of prayers that were supposed to be poems about “How to pray.”

5:55 PM

Chika St. Davnique:

Dear Dad,
I’m struggling to understand it
How do you stay still?
Storms roar and you’re the eye
Silent like the tears on Hannah’s cheeks.
How do you stay still?
How does a mother watch her child die?
I struggle to grasp the difference
the disparity between a God who is good and allows crushing.
How?
Maybe teach me to pray?
Maybe help it all make sense?
Maybe stay still and just sit
Here.
Now.
Maybe…

Shey you see this one…?

She just ups and pretends she doesnt know she is praying, just to illustrate a person who doesn’t know they are praying. The goddessness of the notion, leaves you wondering…

Does she know she is praying?
Does she often pray this prayer?

Then it dawns on me. We all do.

Ini Brown probably waltzed into group chat and went straight for the fridge. He dropped this one at 6:04 PM:

How to pray?
ok, how about,
give me give me give me give me give me give me.
oh and my name is Ini.
Many times we are blinded by personal needs,
often seeking harvest from personal seeds ,
salt of the Earth, the world is a pot of problems, but you’re not our cup of tea.
how about the next time I try to, pray I don’t pray about me.

Where is my laughing-hard emoji?

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:
Nonso John
Chika St. Davnique
TC
Olufunke Ajegbomogun
Ini Brown
UC Truth