Love for Great Ife

 I’ve known from the birth of time

That even to the end of time

My heart shall break to its end

But I will keep loving you

Unwilling abiku I am made to be

Drawn to life in your ancient splendour

Then drowned in mid-semester poison

But I will keep loving you

You are a malnourished hag

Starved of truth and vision

Milked of your glories and wealth

But I will keep loving you

Your unloving acts freezes the tracks

Preventing the pan of my plan to fry

While my peers are settled for their meals

But I will keep loving you

And while the Divine gives me breath

The Great Ife Chorus I shall shout

Proud of the scars and strife

And I will always love you

Creating Pleasant memories

Imagine for a moment that you’ve lost your memory. You can’t remember anything from your past; faces, experiences, emotions, all gone. Then, for some strange reasons, all of your lost memories are laid out on a tray before you. You are asked to pick the memories you want back and leave out the rest.

For many people, the pleasant memories would be picked first. You and I are probably no different; the pleasant memories will always come first. The time you enjoyed happiness as a little child, when you won a competition at school, when you had your first love. On and on, you would certainly pick those ones that gave and will give you happiness.

Let’s then assume you ran out of pleasant memories and then proceeded to the unpleasant ones. You would certainly start with those that turned out with happy endings. At the end of the exercise, you would have most likely picked more pleasant memories than unpleasant ones. Whether the unpleasant ones were more than the pleasant ones at the table is of no great significance here.

Let’s add a new twist: imagine you had very few pleasant memories, probably not enough to leave you satisfied. That is surely an unpleasant thought; and most certainly, you wouldn’t want that to become reality. That is what this write-up is all about.

The power to create pleasant and unpleasant memories lies within our grasp. It is something we can decide to a very large degree. Every time we put a smile on someone’s face, wipe tears with words of comfort, show kindness to people around us, are there for families and friends when they need us, we create pleasant memories in the lives of others and ours.

Unpleasant memories will always come. Rejections, betrayals, disappointments, sickness, breakups, even death; sometimes, there is almost nothing we can do to prevent them. We can only mum them with pleasant memories.

The power to create pleasant memories in our lives and other lie within our heart and hands. We only need to stretch our hands and hearts and create happiness.

Why don’t you start right now by sharing this post with others?

Mid Semester Break Love

When the mid semester break was announced

And alienated for my love I was to be

Under the dark skies the final night

We expressed our love in words and songs

Now through the halls and classes

I walk to hear the birds chirp

And the wind playing on the grasses

The song of love my truelove sang

I hear the voice of my truelove

Putting a calm on my brow

Her promise that I’ll be in her heart

And my vow that she’ll be in mine

And whenever my heart grows lonely

To that same spot my feet wander

Then send the wind my love to tell

My longing of her voice to hear

THE BEAUTY OF THE MORNING SUN

I don’t claim to be an early riser but I do know the effect of the morning sun.

First, it tells me the day has begun so I must do what I have to do. It also brightens my day as opposed to the darkness of night. It signals a time for work, to begin the hustle for the day.

Well I like to think that youths are bathing in the rays of the morning sun; as such, the following should be noted.

1.      TIME IS PRECIOUS. The first thing to note is that the morning sun comes once in a day; as youthfulness comes once in a lifetime. It signals a time when you should get your game rolling. While you may get the chance to make up for lapses in future, it is more benefiting to get your life right from your youthful age.

2.     EVERYONE IS UNIQUE. Just as the morning sun smiles on all kind of people so you will meet several people of your age range. You cannot expect all to share your values, perspective or even your faith. You must give room for individuality and respect differences.

3.     UNIVERSALITY. The morning sun is a free gift to all. The same applies to the youth age. You shouldn’t think of yourself more than you ought to. That is, you shouldn’t have a selfish worldview, but recognize that the world operates on a larger platform than the individual. This informs the fourth point, which is…

4.     GREGARIOUS. The need to work with people. The need to work with people is incontrovertible. This is because we cannot achieve things on our own. Even if we do claim to achieve our dreams on our own – which is a self-deceiving lie – we still need others to validate it. This leads to our final point.

5.     CHARACTER. There is the need to develop good habits within and without. This will help us give the best within and get the best without.

Ok, I think it’s time I stepped up my game. Do have a pleasant morning.

Peace.

Failure

Numbered here among the expectant forties
The names rang like schoolboys’ chants
One, two, three…
My name was absent from the ten

My heart crashed against the rocks
For it could not stare my pride in the face

Stifled jaws, squared shoulders
My posture aligned to hide my shame and pain
But the sound of silence taunted and jeered
Its words echoing within the walls of my heart

Failure! Failure!! Failure!!!


Twitter.com/iamthegray
Facebook.com/thegrayarchive

The Death-crier's Gong

Ko! Ko! Ko!
The death-crier’s gong goes
Signaling the beginning of his end
His end arriving before his beginning

They say he was on a race
A race many said he had won
But he lost the race against death
And so all of his races must end

He used to vociferously shout “A”
Take a pause, then add a strident “P”
And then fill his lungs for a shrieking “C”
But those letters could not save him

Smiles grew on some “People’s” faces
Thinking something “Democratic” might happen
And then they posed to throw a “Party”
But the spinning die is yet to put to bed

Blind and arrogant they all are!
Don’t they know that one of them has risen?
Risen to the full glare of his deeds, open and hidden
Does power-greed so enshroud the power of death?

My words and the common man walk by
As ignored stories and arguments flutter by
He cares more for his survival than the man
Until the death-crier gongs for him too

A Kite I Am: A Poem

When I wonder how my life far spent
Could be interpret’d to what it meant
I wonder if generations unborn
Will it for me be songs in goldform

I see my life as a little boy’s kite
Flying and whirling in the vast sky
I soar high until I see the cloud
At me threaten with a voice so loud

A kite I am, a bird I could be
The northern skies my home it could be
The leavened clouds my stately stairwells
The morning sun my private compass

Alas! A kite I am and might be
Controlled by the young boy’s impulses
Limited by imperfections and fears
Forever held unto by the leash

About the poet
My name is Gracious Egedegbe, call me TheGray. I do plenty of poetry, a bit of drama and articles and quite a number of stories.
Follow me on twitter (@IamTheGray)
Like our Facebook page (facebook.com/thegrayarchive)

Edo women protest half nude

Yesterday, women in Ede state under the aegis of Concerned Edo Women took to the streets naked. This was said to be in protest against the governor’s attack on the Igbinedion family.

The women who were half nude and dressed in red attires protested against what they termed as ‘disrespectful utterances by the governor on the
Benin chief and father of the erstwhile governor of the state.'

Source:www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/women-half-nude-protest-oshiomholes-move-to-probe-chief-igbinedion/

LASU acting VC shuns office over juju scare

The acting Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. Fidelis Njokanma has refused to occupy his office at the Ojo campus of the institution. It was gathered that, instead, Njokanma, who is a professor of Medicine, is operating from the institution’s College of Medicine at Ikeja. The delay in resumption was said to be, because the acting VC was scared of the charms surrounding the Administrative Block and the Senate Building of the institution. The Admin Block houses the office of the VC as well as those of other principal officers of the institution.
The Lagos State Government through the university’s Governing Council led by Prof.Adebayo Ninalowo, appointed Njokanma, who hitherto was the Deputy VC, Academic, as the acting VC on November 7.
He took over the reins of office from the immediate past VC, Prof. John Obafunwa.
The desecration of the Admin Block and the Senate Building with charms reportedly took place on March 16, 2015, at the height of the dispute between Obafunwa and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities,
among other unions in the institution.
Obafunwa, who the union members accused of maladministration, also did at use the building in the last six months leading to the end of his
tenure. His first four years as the VC of the university ended on October 31.
Other principal officers of the institution also shunned their offices in the building.
Source: Punchng.com

The MASTERPIZ: An original concept

THE MASTERPIZ is a visual art-centered media organization committed to bridging the gaps between the contemporary Nigerian artists’ world, the media, and the community; and promoting Arts and advancing Artistry in this part of the world. We’re committed to providing information about the most relevant art trends, exhibitions and other artistic events; raising awareness of emerging, established and iconic artists, patrons and organizations that uses arts to enhance the vitality and well-being of individuals, communities, and our society; and shedding light on the role of the visual artists in Nigerian society.

www.masterpiz.com is our primary official communication vehicle where we keep our audience of: Artists, Artprenuers, Studio and Gallery Owners, Directors, Patrons, Promoters, Connoisseurs, Jurors, Curators, Collectors, Agents, Models, Writers, Educators, Academics, Advocates, Artivists, Archivists, Theoreticians, Researchers, Historians, Scholars, Critics, Students and Enthusiasts, up-to-the-minute with the latest, accurate and dependable visual art-related news, articles, features, interviews, reviews, commentaries, documentaries, books, catalogues, events- contests, classes, seminars, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, festivals and more.

www.masterpiz.com is an online community of passionate artists, writers, journalists, and publicists dedicated to promoting contemporary Nigerian Art and Artists (whatever their style and genre) and to advertise their skills, talents and businesses. It is an umbrella network, information clearinghouse and single point-of-contact for anything related to art; your one-stop portal for information on contemporary African Art practice from diverse Nigerian perspectives.

On www.masterpiz.com, you have access to expert, authoritative, most concise and comprehensive analysis and commentary of news and developments from artists, studios, galleries, offices, universities and colleges, auction houses, fairs, museums, e.t.c. We report with wit and verve with the highest possible standards in cultural journalism. We highlight and share innovative artistic creations by resident and diasporan Nigerian artists (through our exclusive reviews and reports), with contacts information for easy connection and direct communication with collectors, patrons and prospective clients.

This platform is initiated in response to the stumpy coverage of contemporary Nigerian art activities in print and electronic media; and to collect, publish and document the recent history of contemporary art practice in Nigeria.

The MASTERPIZ is open to Media Partnerships for events/projects that align with her mission. We also welcome artists, promoters, curators, collectors and enthusiasts to support our mission as mentors, advisors, and financiers

Welcome

Welcome to TheGrayArchive