Stories From Young African Poets: Love of Nursery Rhymes And Poems of Isah G. Hassan.

…But what does it mean to survive?
To wake up each day with a purpose I don’t understand
To chase after goals I didn’t choose
To fight battles I never wanted to win
To wear a mask that feels like my skin…

Ever since I was in Nursery school, I fell in love with those nursery rhymes and songs that even at home, I was always with my book simply because I wanted to recite it.

When I got into senior secondary school, I represented my school consistently in poetry competitions, debates as well.

Isah .G. Hassan, Nigerian.


In summary, my inspiration and love for poetry was since when I a little child from nursery school.

Here After by Isah .G. Hassan.


I worked all my life to become someone
Someone I don’t even know
Like it is just someone I once saw in my dream
Someone that was just him
That one who is not even sure of himself
A person who can do anything to provide for themselves
That person who lives to survive

But what does it mean to survive?
To wake up each day with a purpose I don’t understand
To chase after goals I didn’t choose
To fight battles I never wanted to win
To wear a mask that feels like my skin
A mask I can’t remove without losing what I built
What I built but never want.

Hannah Omokafe Dennis
Hannah Omokafe Dennis Is A 24-year-old Journalist, Voice-Over artist and UNFPA Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Rights Advocate Living In Nigeria. She Currently Serves As A Community Manager In Konya Shamsrumi And Has Some Of Her Written Works Published On Writer's Space Africa and audio stories on Genti media. She Enjoys Using Words And Her Voice To Tell Stories. She Tweets @Omokafe_forite.