The Lover’s Recipe

While everyone around the world was basking in the euphoria of the acclaimed love day (Valentine’s Day), Penspeak Community UNIZIK got busy with their pens and spent the day reliving the nostalgia of God’s love.

The floor was thrown up and Delight blew us away with this piece;

 WHOSE ORDERS?

That a tiny acorn will make a mighty forest 
Wasn’t the loamy soil’s words to utter.
Dear child…I speak in voices as ancient as before.
I gave you gifts not like anyone else’s 
But you chose to be photographed through distorted lenses.
You followed rules written by hands you will never shake
Then ending at crossroads, you asked me “Lord what’s your take?
Those rules were written by hand…
Funny how you are ignorant to the power embedded in yours
You obeyed the “rites” discarding the “rights”
What a perfect mismatch you are!!
You were told to silence your own voice for the sake of the loud…
The loud voice said “conform” but in your heart you felt torn.
Torn between the needs of your soul and the rule you have been sold.
Is it freedom you seek or a cage in gold?
Bound by lines drawn by a mentally distorted ruler’s ruler
They said “follow” and you never asked why
You were wheedled to be fine with “just fine”.
They raised you to be small but your heart beats loud…louder than their expectations.
Dear child…if you would… listen.
The elders might call this rebellion 
But I call it my divine intention 
Your dreams and desires are my design
Your handwritten lifeline, mine to sign
Your steps are earthquakes in their shallow puddles
You are to build bridges where they said walls stood
You are not a footnote in their stories.
You are the headline yet they don’t want to see your headlines.
Prior to forming you, I knew thee.
I know your deepest sleep even your purest glee 
So, whose orders if not mine?

Mc Wisdom came in right after and dropped this;

GOOD FOOD

Just can’t wait until it gets to the plate
Aromas that dance, through a culinary state
Tenderly cooked, with love and with care
Each bite a story, beyond compare

The cutting, slicing, sizzling, crackling, mixing,
 a continuous process that lives you wanting and yawning 

Oh, the joy of good food, that brings us together
A universal love language,
The norming around the dinner table 
The joy and laughter that’s uncontrollable, that transcends this weather, and leaves you warm.

A taste of nostalgia, a hint of home.
Good food that nourishes the body and soul,
Makes you forget your problem for a moment, leaving you whole.

So, here’s to the chefs, the cooks, and the bakers
The farmers, the fishermen, and the food makers
My mom, dad, siblings, friends, family 
Thank you for the feast, for the flavours and the fun
Good food that brings us to the table, as one.

With the floor and curtains intact, Delight waltz in with so much inspiration and gave us;

HOSEA 2🥰

I was once yours, you were once mine.
But in the shadows, you slipped away,  
Chasing after lovers who didn’t care,  
Trading true love for a false comfort,  
An affair with idols, a broken vow in the temple of desire.  
You left me but every step you took, I felt it,  
Every kiss you gave, I tasted it.  
Your heart wandered, but mine stayed rooted,  
Waiting, holding on,  
Gripping the promise of what was.

But love is not blind– it sees the truth,  
And the truth cuts deep.
So, hear me now:  

I will no longer cover your shame,  
I will no longer veil your mistakes, for you’ve turned your back, 
And I must speak of the consequences.  
The gates will close, the blessings will fade,  
Your fields will wither, and your heart will ache,  
As the world you built crumbles beneath your feet.  
But in this silence, in this solitude,  
You’ll hear my voice again and I won’t leave you there,  

For even in the wilderness,  
I am here, I will allure you,  
I will call your name and I will take you back,  
Not as a servant, but as my bride.  
I’ll speak comfort to your broken heart,  
Restore the years you’ve lost to wandering,  
Your valley of despair will become a place of hope,  
Your shame will be washed clean,  
And the shame you once wore,  
Will be replaced with a crown of righteousness.  
I will lead you to a new covenant, A promise of peace,  
Where love reigns.
Where mercy is poured like rain on dry ground,  
Where my faithfulness holds you close. I will be your God,  
And you will be my people,  
And together, we’ll make all things new.  
The name you once wore,  
The name of betrayal,
Will be changed.  
You will be called “My Delight,”  
And I will call you “My Beloved.”  

Forever,  
And nothing will ever tear us apart again.

What a love! What a God! See you next month for another freestyle!

Authors
MC WISDOM
DELIGHT SHEKELS

Chasing Shadows


Men search all their lives for what has been right in front of them.
Trashing gold and chasing Shadows
Could it be the difference in font sizes making their mind choose superiority over relevance?


How shallow can man’s mind be???
A desperate quest for a test not given detesting all it has been equipped with.
Ohhh……comparison, man’s self constructed blind fold kidnaps him to a dump where pumps no longer make sense until it releases a shrieking sound like that of Ngozi.
Forgetting Zee sounds in no way like Y neither does it come before it but leaves words incomplete with it’s absence.


My heart can’t cry more than the king of Glory’s as he hands another years waited mantle to handle.
If you don’t handle that mic it will be given to another.
If you don’t start speaking now another is right behind you to take over
If you don’t start and see less of how imperfect you may sound and focus on strength from Calvary nothing will vary when another takes your place.
Start!!!


Ebube
© 2021

The Three Abstractions

Time like air is boundless, existing independent of us
Helping us take note, employing us
To nurture after our to-do-list
Yet reminding us the risk
of not being
of not seeing
The thought of it as illusion only makes bold the impact on our vision
An endless circle
Old enough to seal life’s chronicles
Yet does nothing to change it
The only certified entity to bridge it.

Love like the sea, is deep
Accommodating everything cold
and warm-blooded
Not seeking its own way
Needs nothing external to become
Countless questions on its existence
Unending thoughts on its purpose
And like the absence of peace
Making monsters of those who go by without it
The true essence of its fragrance waiting always on those who have gone past feeling
to becoming love.

Death, what happens when you’re busy making other plans
Claiming more lives with its rude interruption
The least talked about of all three
Yet with each blow comes a string of thought on time and love
Each seized breath a trail of shadows to your canvas
With more questions than answers
How much time is left?
Is love evident?
What next after death?

Imani Dokubo
©2021

CHASING SHADOWS

What does “chasing shadows” mean?

How many of us have ever attempted chasing after our shadows? Pointless you would say. If you have ever done this, did you succeed in catching your shadow? Now someone is smiling. Okay, did you try stepping on your shadow when you were young? Did you succeed in doing that? Although I never did literarily chase my shadow. I remember I once attempted to step on the shadow of my leg when I was young. What a ridiculous and pointless exercise! It was futile and I thank God I did realize that on time.

As funny as this illustration is, some of us have enrolled in the rat race of chasing the shadow called happiness. In catching this grand shadow, we assume that if we can have the baits it offers, we would have succeeded in our pursuit of happiness. It is puzzling, however, that every time it appears we have caught this grand shadow via the possession of one of its baits, it suddenly develops invincible wings and flies away and we wonder how and why?

So what are the baits of the grand shadow?

The baits that we sometimes pursue to be happy refer to our heart desires and ambitions which are inherently good. I mean there is nothing wrong with desiring a good job, a new house, marriage, or whatever it may be, but when possessing such become the basis of our happiness, we rob ourselves of a joyful life. Imagine if you had to wait for days, weeks, months, or years to be happy! That’s too expensive a price to pay for what you can have now. The danger inherent in tying our happiness to these baits is that we begin to operate in the illusion that once we can catch any of these baits, the ultimate prize would be the grand shadow – happiness. Alas, once we succeed in catching whatsoever bait we are pursuing at the moment, we soon come to the painful realization that such bait could not deliver to us a lasting experience of our ultimate expectation. A feeling of disappointment soon sets in and we identify another bait we feel if acquired, will give us a permanent access to the grandmaster. Sooner or later, we find out that the same cycle of this result is the case. This can become an endless, vicious cycle if we don’t break free from it. So how do we break free from this enslaving, endless race?

We stop chasing the grand shadow!

Yes, we stop chasing happiness and instead, seek God who is the source of all good things, including happiness. We choose to be happy at the moment while pursuing our goals and desires. 1Thessalonians 5: 16 says “Rejoice always”. This is very effective as it allows us actualize our goals from a happy stance. Chasing the baits of happiness to be happy will never satisfy us for when we acquire any of these baits, we soon realize that we need another bait to be happy. Furthermore, what happens if something happens to the bait which was supposed to make us happy? Our happiness should never be dependent on something that is not assuredly permanent. Only God abides forever (1 Peter 1:25).

The same way I couldn’t catch my shadow by chasing it is the same way we can’t catch happiness by chasing the baits it offers. We choose to be happy and then chase our goals or desires from a happy stance. I didn’t need to chase my shadow because I already had an original version of myself. In the same vein, happiness is a choice and we must make a conscious decision to be happy now! When situations and life events disrupt it, we grieve as humans that we are and after that is over, we choose happiness over and over again by trusting God who knows best.

Ajegbomogun Olufunke
(C) 2020

The Lord Is My Shepherd


The Lord is my shepherd all my days on this earth,
There’s no room for want, lack, fear, nor death;
Walking through the valley with death shadows,
All I feel is peace, faith and strength in my bones and marrows;

The storms of life are colliding in my head like steroids in the space,
Temptations and trials roaring like a lion to my face,
Pressures of life heating up like a nuclear reactor,
All I do is to look up to God my creator,
Because every other device from the devil is not a factor.

He raised me from the valley to stand on mountains;
Filled me with the spirit of wisdom,
Elevated to the right hand to blossom,
This one is excess love from the father of fathers,
Right now, that is all that matters.

Now in him I have too much freedom,
Fulfilling my priestly ministry in His kingdom,
Sleeping like a baby because I rest assured of the future,
You know what, it’s made up of the necessary mixture,
Purposefully planted by God as a perfect fixture.

Behold, I am a new creature,
With newness of life, being renewed like the eagle,
Going about soul winning like atom revolving round it’s orbit,
Never lonely because I’m always alone with the Holy spirit;
I am never lost because I know who I am.

Lady Nancy
© 2020

Left Alone

Scared of the shadows
Confused of where to go
As the soul wallows in the pool of endless dreams

Feet
Stuck

in the bitter realities
Learning to embrace the steps of my fellows
Yet still trapped in the hollow point
Nowhere to go
Learning the steps of a ghost
Ohhhh no…….
I’m left alone

The Alchemist
© 2020

Sensei

Your voice elder brother
Reminds me of life without borders.
You live a virtue more than a cafila
Of the nine fruit a part of the triune is, like aqua
Shadows shift spot when you beam your light.
Goodness you exude without a need to fight
This titanosaur, flesh that engulfed men, bond to obey
One filled with wiles; the same that appears as an apostle of the day
You conquered my nightmares, horrible illusions I traded by peace to
Long before I understood that you never wished to
Have half-baked human, harangued into hellscape.
You took away my bugaboo
And made me whole

Simeon Chidi
© 2019

BEAUTY

Beauty.
There. The name I call you.
When I think of your romance.
The honey droppings you coo
Taking me to heights of pleasure.
Blissing me out.

Beauty.
The colour of pollen sprinkled
On the ovary of my mind.
When You sigh, when You speak.
Impregnating my soul with little You’s.
Birthing futures untold.

Beauty.
It’s the avatar of Your words
Taking shape, casting shadows
On the walls of my beating heart.
Making my petals into wings
Teaching butterflies in my tummy to dance.

Beauty.
From down in the brooks and rivers
All through the scrolls and letters
As the Great Nebuchadnezzer
Witnessed, No book had ever
Recorded Your fullness. Ever.

Beauty.
There. The name I call you.
When I remember Your intimidating love.
Of how Mighty You are in all things but one.
Your need and desire for me.
Beauty without Flaw.
My Yahweh.

Nonso John
© 2019