Tamilorenla Olubiyi

  OTA GIRL, LAGOS BABE RELOCATION   It all started when I packed my life into two boxes and headed for Lagos A week earlier I had just graduated from the university and celebrated in grand style. Little did I know what was waiting for me on the streets of lagos. It was NYSC that brought me here o. I had worked my posting to Lagos and also gone to collect my acceptance letter from a media house on the island. “Me, a 9-5 girlie?” I thought to myself as my journey to Lagos began on a Saturday morning. I was to live with my sister for the entire duration of my service year since her house was closer to my office. Work was to begin on Monday. Here I was, so uncertain about what I was going to face. How would I seamlessly transition into office work? Me wey no get any single work experience. Would my colleagues at work like me? I wasn’t about to deal with any office drama with anybody o Work resumed on Monday. I was introduced to my boss alongside two other girls who were go...

                                           THERE IS LOVE AT HOME Let these words resonate in your heart no matter how much you try to doubt it Repeat them over and over again till it all makes sense to you Know that there is someone who fully knows you and deeply loves you He will carry you on his shoulders. You’ll never have to stumble or fall   That fierce and relentless type of love that leaves you in awe all the time That sweeps you off your feet and renders you speechless The kind you don’t even have to beg or plead for It is always there. All you have to do is look up   When the realization hits you of how much loved you are You’ll begin to wonder what you did to earn such magnitude of affection Then it occurs to you again You couldn’t even earn it no matter how hard you try   Only if you could see yourself through your creator’...

  I hope that the world is kind enough to you I hope that on days when you don’t feel like it, you would be comforted with these words I hope you find strength to carry on, on days when your physical strength may fail you I hope you are able to pick yourself up and start again I really wish that you are able to focus on things ahead, not things in the present  You are able to forgive yourself and move past guilt’s never ending pangs  I wish gilead’s balm soothes the throbbing pain you feel in your chest And also gives you a hope and a new beginning  I desire for you to be the best you can ever dream of becoming Having that fierce and resilient spirit to forge ahead no matter what life throws at you To achieve all you can despite all odds and uncertainties  I really hope you can listen to these words On days when you don’t feel like it, may you find helpers to uplift your spirit  Let it be known that you are never alone, neither would you walk alone Even in ...

  Imagine moving on from the things that made me The same things that made me happy and gave me a sense of belonging These same things that felt safe. Just like home Thinking of leaving is so difficult, I can’t even make it a reality Alas, the same things that made me also broke me I want to run as fast as I can, but I’m stuck My legs seem to have a mind of their own, they seem to betray my thoughts Tears in my eyes, deep pains in my chest as I try to find my way  It feels like I’m running in circles, I still find my self back in the same spot  I am really struggling. No one told me leaving would be this difficult  There is hope for a tree that is cut down At the scent of water, it will sprout again No matter how battered and tattered I am The lord will receive me I will fight like a soldier that I am Endlessly and tirelessly  As I move on and find my bearing  One who puts his hand on the plough and looks back can’t see the great things ahead of him The one...

  It’s definitely one thing that is constant in life. I have realized I’ve been so scared of it. Imagine stepping out of my shell, out of my comfort zone into a reality that I’m uncertain about.  How do I navigate through these uncertainties? How do I find my footing? How do I find a place I can call my own? Change is like a rude awakening. It wakes you up from your slumber and plunges you deep into realities you never knew existed.  In as much as I’m trying to adjust, I can’t deny the fact that I’m scared. Scared of not knowing what to do, scared of what the future holds.  I definitely may not know what the future holds, but I’m certain of the one who holds my future. He will hold my hand and guide me every step of the way I’ve never been at this phase of my life before. It’s all so new to me I must confess. I’ve always wanted this phase of my life to come. I wonder why I’m no longer excited about it.  I’m going to take it one step at a time till it all becomes...

  I’ve battled with asthma for the longest time. When I mean the longest time I mean for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was little, I’ve been self aware that the attacks could come anytime. As a child, I couldn’t play like every other child because my parents were always careful to prevent me from getting exposed to dust which could trigger it Don’t even get me started on the exams I missed cause I had to be excused because of this disease. Most times, it will get so bad that I had to be nebulized and put on drip to help me breathe. I remember when I was younger, I couldn’t go to children’s camp like my church friends cause of the cold and the dust. The first time my parents eventually let me go, I still had a serious attack at the camp which I needed to go to the hospital for. In the university, there was no semester I didn’t visit the health center because I couldn’t breathe. I was always having breathing issues and severe chest pain. I couldn’t even walk long distances ...