In January 2024, Pazqal Eriq came to us with an offer we couldn’t refuse: produce a debut anthology. We agreed and so for the first quarter we worked on this wonderful body of work and now, here it is for you. This collection is empathetically written bursting with stories of our every day romantic. It is a breeze through the shoes of a person trying to love, what connects us all more than...
GUESSING GAME BY TOLU FOWOWE Suddenly out of the blue and into the empty classroom came the dashing damsel herself, as ever with her flowing brown hair and those eyes, sure fire proof that a God must exist. And if God existed, what she did next seemed to constitute sure fire proof that He despised me, when she ambled around the room briefly before deciding on sitting at the exact desk I was sat...
PICTURES OF STONY FACES BY URHURU “See this picture” Kamsi handed it to Gold. Gold took it and went back to the wardrobe, her eyes fixated on the picture. She studied the people in it, each face glowing with happiness. Suddenly, she tossed it aside, she wanted to make a remark to counter any impression that she was interested in the picture but decided against it, there was no need to...
FOR DAYS BY VICTOR SESE There are days when the only place I want to be is beside you Days when I beg you not to get out of bed Because then the cuddling ends and the warmth leaves with you Days when I shudder at the thought of being overwhelmed by the cold Because I fear the warmth may never return But I’m glad today isn’t one of such days Today, for the first time in a...
My Relationship Saga by Raheemat Jimoh Popping pills everyday Because I can’t find a better way I’m a drug seeker seeking drugs for healing I know what you’re thinking and you’re right I’m an addict But not of marijuana or cocaine, but of folic acid and OPIOIDS Addiction takes many forms, and mine wears a mask of healing Like a vampire, I take blood too From sack to...
CHRONICLES OF A SMART KID BY RAHEEMAT JIMOH Sitting on my bed thinking about what had happened to me in the past few months, I couldn’t point out the problem; I couldn’t tell my parents, nor could I say to my friends the truth. I had to lie to them because how would I explain that my CGPA dropped from 5.0 to 2.1? I wasn’t surprised because I knew my...
I have always wondered what it would be like to eat my brain. Not in a suicidal way or a scientific way, its more a thing of idle fascination. I imagine it will be a rainy day and I will be dressed in pink, craving something warm. My thing of interest is my ss2 biology notebook with the pages filled in ugly, barely legible chicken scratches with interesting information about...
“There are many pivotal aspects of your life that have made you who you are, my Ogiemwḗnva. It has not been easy, but you and I know you held pain by the hand in a vice grip. You were determined to answer questions that would not only wound you each time but take bits of your will to enjoy life. Ogiemwḗnva, like your name, you are in two versions. There is me and there is you. I believe...
I didn’t recognize who you were in those last few days, you existed in a world with defences I could not breach. This thing between us had been crashing for a while hadn’t it? We didn’t fight it, we knew. We let it play out as it desired. Should we have fought? I think our very survival of it should be something to celebrate, a testament of our strength. They say we should write about...
The next endangered beings on Earth are women. ~ Benita Chapter 1: Womanhood I keep grappling with the concept of ‘Womanhood,’ and with each attempt, I find myself faced with the daunting realization of its complexity. It’s like trying to catch a slippery fish—I think I have it, and then it slips away again. Perhaps that’s because womanhood is a multi-faceted entity...
