“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...
Today, I rebuke two distant lovers. They are too immersed in each other but they refuse to be together. They reek of selfishness. Even the stark man who lives close to the bakery can perceive foul odor. Selfish and ignorant. My brothers and sisters are not rebound material. You better find your way back to the one life feels empty without. The audacity to speak to my sisters, contrast them to...
When you’re two bottles deep, and you begin to feel that trap door sliding open from underneath you, Maybe, begin to say maybe, Maybe pacing yourself will serve better than screaming “Shapiru, Shapiru!” at the very top of your lungs as you hold firmly to bottle number three, ice-cold but sweating just as profusely as it’s wielder. Maybe begin to look ahead, Maybe...
If I were a telescope in space, dedicated to capturing the unexplored dimensions of the universe, therefore adding a bulk of knowledge to what is already known, I imagine I would be happy. Because I wouldn’t know you. I can’t remember the exact moment that led me to astronomy. I am certain I already loved it when I read A Brief History Of Everything by Bill Bryson because...
RESONANCE “If you must blink, do it now,” lest you miss a moment. A tiny stone strategically cast unto a water body can cause the most unexpected ripples. And this will probably be the closest I would get to dabbling with a body of water that is not a 9 feet swimming pool. “Resonance”– the sound or vibration produced in an object by sound or vibrations of a similar frequency from another...
On Thursday, we smelt a heartbreak coming and we thought we sheltered you. It was coming and you didn’t pay much attention to it, but you knew. You saw an RIP on a friend’s reel on IG. The first thing you said was “God please don’t let it be someone I know”. You found out that that prayer was answered. Later you asked what kind of prayer it was. ...
“You’ve been avoiding eye contact, why can’t you look into my eyes?”, says a voice deep enough to make your insides tremble. You do not respond. You try to gulp back the taste of last night’s episode down your throat, but your tongue seems to like it. You recall everything: how your bodies folded into each other like palm trees bending over as though whispering secrets. You adjust your naked body...
READING LIST OF THE EIC Hello everyone, Happy New Year! and welcome to our 24/7 year! As promised here is my 2023 reading list. Most of these are essays and short stories. Where a full length is being mentioned, it will annotated. As an editor, one of my greatest joys is reading and curating pieces I believe are worth reccomending. As a house rule, I implore you to look through our...
