Everything Here
But life isn't always like poetry, it hardly ever starts from the last stanza. Sometimes, you have no idea if there will be a last stanza at all, or if it will continue in long lines that do not have an end. Like the cliffhangers at the end of thrillers. And these cliffhangers of life... these events that continue to infinity like a recurring decimal, are the parts of life I struggle to deal with. My mind shifts and fidgets endlessly when it goes on a journey that does not seem to have an end.
I was becoming so good, too good that I could write someone’s destiny. So when my muse became tired of my poetic praises and my love, I lost all purpose. Soon I became an empty quill. Speechless. I reduced myself to a spectator, attending poetry events and festivals in Kano, Abuja, Kaduna or wherever I could, and from afar I’d cheer online performers in Orange Poetry, Hilltop or Alitfest, while I go snap, snap, snap, or fire emoji, fire emoji.
Lagos influences most of his writing—its chaos, culture and vibrance, diversity—and like many other Nigerian writers, his work is inspired by gender-based violence and conflict themes. In an interview with Funtimes Magazine, he said, “Most of my initial poems have been responses to societal issues.” However, recently, he has been “very interested in the concept of joy; what it is, why it’s important, and how to capture and share it through poetry and performance.”