Unwritten Echo

This is not the kind of question people like to sit with, it is the kind that makes the room quieter, tightens your chest a little, like a grief brushing up against your ribs but it is worth asking. When the noise dies down, when the curtains closes and the performance of life is over, what is left behind? What gets carved into stone when you can no longer speak for yourself? I used to think it would say something generic, something like loved by many or gone too soon . you know, a soft padded truth wrapped in politeness for the living to digest but the older I get, the more I realize I don’t really want a sugar coated legacy. I don’t want my memory reduced to a recycled phrase that could belong to anyone. I want it to sting a little, spark curiosity, i want it to tell the truth, even the parts I was too afraid to say out loud while breathing. Something like “Here lies someone who felt everything too much and still kept going, someone who broke their own heart by caring too deeply in ...

 Let me tell you a story, not the kind with fairy tales or happy endings nahh. This one doesn’t come wrapped in healing quotes or filtered with hope. It is the kind that creeps in during the quiet hours when the fan hums, when the lights are off and you are left alone with the version of yourself no one sees. There was a night not too long ago when I sat on the edge of my bed motionless, no tears, no prayers, no thoughts loud enough to form words, just a heavy silence I couldn't shake off or get over, my phone was right beside me, lighting up every few minutes with messages I didn’t have the strength to open, not because I didn’t care but because pretending to be okay had become too exhausting. I have realize that don't want to die but I also don't really feel alive and that is a strange space to exist in. Somewhere between presence and absence, between numb and overwhelmed. I wish that I didn’t feel like dying sometimes, but I’d be a liar if I said I never dreamt of the da...

There is a strange kind of silence that comes with feeling stuck, not the silence of peace but of pressure. It doesn’t scream, it hums beneath your skin, waking up with a weight you can’t name. It is standing still while everything else is moving people, plans, timelines, clocks what have you. Feeling stuck is one of the most quietly painful things a human can go through, it is not failure and it is not success either, it is the place in between. The NOWHERE . We don’t talk about it enough  how the stillness can break you more than the storms because at least in the storm, there is motion but when you are stuck in the middle, there is nothing, just questions echoing inside your head, asking things like: am I wasting time, should I move, should I stay, will this decision ruin everything, do I even know what I want anymore ? And yes that is where I am right now. I’ve got a pending interview that could send me back to Lagos, the city where everything feels alive and heavy at the same ...

Heartbreak doesn’t always come with a loud noise and sometimes, it slips in quietly leaving you to watch the person you care about avoid your eyes. Well that is how it was with Bella, my second heartbreak. We met in the most random, unbelievable way. I had just walked into the reception at work when I noticed her coughing, clearly uncomfortable. I didn’t think twice as a gentleman na, I handed her my bottle of water, she accepted it while still trying to catch her breath and I told her to keep it as I walked off to my office. The next day, she came to my office and handed me a new bottle of water, I owe you one she said, smiling shyly, well that small gesture turned into something much more. Not long after, we bumped into each other again in the company's garden, where a few of us usually have our lunch. I invited her to sit with me, we talked about everything, life, family, childhood, pain, even dreams. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, hours to days and days into w...

It is funny how we dig up our birth chart before we dig into our behavior, we would rather blame the universe than admit we are selfish, nonchalant or unkind. I guess It is easier to make excuse and say, “That’s just how I’m wired, that is who i am"  than to be accountable for our actions. But the truth is this, healing doesn’t start with your horoscope, it starts with honesty. This might sting a little but read this from a place of honesty, not ego, don’t read it to defend yourself, read it to reflect. Somehow, the date you were born has become the cosmic scapegoat for bad manners, poor choices and emotional immaturity. In a time where self-awareness and accountability should be rising, more people are leaning into horoscopes and zodiac stereotypes not just for entertainment but as explanations. Some go as far as using it as a yard stick, for who they are and that is a problem. Let’s be honest yh, astrology is fun, it gives people something to connect with, something to laugh abo...

 I heard a group of friends talk about a mutual friend of theirs how he stopped talking to them after he starts making cool money and all i could just do was laugh and wonder, how did we get here, how did we become this, where did this mentality originate from? Success in Nigeria has become a burden, you see the moment someone starts to do well the world around them starts to shift, most times not with applause but with expectation. As if surviving your struggles and climbing out of the mud is not enough, everyone around suddenly believes you owe them something. There is a deep sickness growing in our society, a freaking sense of entitlement that says because we are from the same family, tribe or religion, it is a must you help me. Help that is neither asked nor earned, just expectancy. This is a dangerous mindset and it is killing our spirit. The irony is this, those who expect, often contribute the least or nothing at all. They didn’t help you with your journey, but they want to ...

 Let’s be honest, love today feels like a transaction, not a connection and everybody is blaming everybody but no one is ready to look in the mirror. The guys are tired, they chase no more, you hear things like ( she is just going to use you, collect your money and move on to the next guy who is more richer). The girls are exhausted too they say things like ( He just wants sex, no effort, no romance just vibes and audacity). But beneath all the accusations is a painful truth that we don’t really know how to love anymore. Now let’s start with the guys. Many no longer want to court, impress or pursue chase a woman, they say they are done simping and to be fair, some have truly been burned, used, mocked, lied to, treated like an ATM with no pin of emotional connection. So now they’ve built walls and thay hide behind phrases like “no attachment,” and “I’m not looking for anything serious". Funny though but here is the catch, they still want loyalty, they still want submission, they st...