Take Charge 2.0

*Selong

Though the storms may roar,

The winds may seemingly pull me back,

Though things and facts may seem awkward, improper and out-of-place,

Though the tears may want to flow like a storm’s aftermath,

Though time cannot be reversed,

I stand and say to my shadow,

“It’s time to sail through the storms”,

“It’s time break free from the whirl wind”,

“It’s time to wipe the tears”,

“It’s time to utilize the essence of time and not let it slip”,

“I’m shaking the shackles off and taking off the timidity coat”,

“I’m making peace with my whole existence”,

“It’s time to be REAL”,

“It’s time I become ME”.

*Ishoyor

It’s time to make peace with my inner demons, to face my fears, to become the person who totally doesn’t give-a-fuck what the world thinks. I have chosen to be ME with and without your permission.

Take charge was a success (mostly because of you [the readers] and the fact that it’s getting published in the first quarter edition of MACOSA DIGEST Magazine) and I’ve been looking forward to doing another piece along the same line and then came Miss Selong, a beautiful, smart and intelligent female. She’s from that rare breed of 21st century women who actually knew what they wanted from life (if you’ve seen the rise in twerking videos on social media, you’d understand how rare these ladies are becoming). She was perfect in the sense of the word but like ‘all of us’, she had the battle scars. The world moulded and shaped her but now, she’s rebelling, breaking free of the form imposed on her, wielding her sword of truth and currently in the dance with death (or life rather since she’s long supposedly been in a dance with death), now, that’s change.

*Selong

Change is the language I understand, change is the verb I have chosen to work with, change is the sound I have agreed to echo as loud as possible in this metaphoric cave I call my life and that sound will go as far as making peace with my demons, ([*Ufana] or, like the Arsonist lullaby goes, you could keep the demons on a leash). It may sound weird that we have demons, they’re our fears and we seem to be overwhelmed by them, it sounds odd that we have dark matters in our heads, speaking in various languages and tongues, giving us matured and sometimes funny thoughts (it’s a bittersweet experience, trust me) but when they come and surely they do come, eyes go round.

In all these, I have resolved within myself to be who I see in the mirrors of my mind, to set aside all of my alter egos and be who I see when I stare at my shadow. Each time I turn to gaze at the path I have come, I resolve to continue but this time, on a path I created. Now, I’m confident because I show the Girl behind the mask, I’ve damned all side talks and embraced my fears and that means, I am my inner being, I am Me.

*Ishoyor

We are our monsters, we are our angels, we are in control of our falling and rising and most times, we fall because we seek acceptance and recognition from the world. We look to be one with the world while really, we are not of the world, we simply live in it (and I’m so not being biblical right now), we are our own little universe. I am Ufana Ishoyor and she’s Selong Tessy and we simply want people to accept us for who we are and stop bickering about what they think is best for us.

I’m in my own head and I think supposedly I know what’s best for me, you do too, don’t let them tell you otherwise.