Sharing Bodies

Nobody’s cloth is really different from another’s, nobody.
Face, Legs, hair, eyes, lips, parts of the body continue to eat people into thinking that they are bigger than what they are.
But people are bigger than what they are. They are bigger than their clothes and frame.
I saw a man eat the Sun once,
and flushed it down with a bottle of reality.
My mind keeps splitting into small pieces of many things.
It keeps molding itself into newer versions of swallowing waters
that draw maps of life
and humans are fishes swimming to the rhythm of invincible sounds.

Open these bodies.
Trace out the lines that are cursed through the spitting of tongues
that is saying I am different – that is saying you are different – that is saying she is different and so we should burn all because they do not understand us – because they do not understand themselves.
But bodies are dynamic and so they bend and twist into shapes that suites only them.

In this life we cringe from fearing what we do not know,
which is what we ought to know.
All souls are merged, that means we are one, that means we are indivisible, that means we are a mountain that cannot be moved.
The enemies of the people always keep crying wolf
and so one day they would cease to find voice
and people would become a tower of talking bodies.

Wear my cloak of somberness and make my readings from within you,
away from being buried in the cockiness of your ignorance like proud beggars.
This poem is not about today – This poem is tomorrow’s blood pouring from the sockets of sunken eyes,
freeing entangled souls woven into the matrix of shattering misunderstandings.
Saying that we all are 1,
= Sharing bodies.

Poetry is a Kind of Savior

Everybody has a place they run to when their world is in chaos.
For Christians it is the Church. And for Muslims, it is the Mosque.
For me, it is Poetry. 
At two a.m. I am stuck on my lover’s Facebook wall, 
re-reading my unreplied messages. 
I do not feel like I have a soul again | my husband has beaten it out of me.
My walks are faint, & I live on eggshells.
If you can come closer,
you will read the stories of marks that are mapped around my body.
My body is a generation’s history.
It is a building that houses the meaning of vulnerability.
And it is a broken soul, sheltered within the four-walls of poetry.

These days sorrow eats away
the courage of brave men.
And fright makes warriors take flight.
The streets are desolate & I can hear the echoes of my own thoughts.
Life looks very dissimilar.
And I fear for my disorientation.

When no home would accommodate my madness,
and no ear would listen to my shrilling.
Poetry kept waiting, with it hands out-stretched.
It kept waiting for me to find my path,
me that is a complication, walking through sulphur-disinfected pavements. 

I remember that one time, that time when I misplaced my happiness.
The road to the stream appeared shorter than it usually was.
I walked to and fro until my feet grew big & watery sores.
That night, it was poetry that took me in. It cuddled me away from the precipice of death.
And after then I could live again, because poetry is a kind of savior.

When life decides to Costume you

At the first instance, you will think you have a choice.
This is because life always comes easy,
it comes easy with no force or pressure: at the first instance.
You are still used to arranging clothes for each days:
Suit and tie for the coming Monday.
This week’s Saturday has to have an Agbada in it for me,
this is what you tell yourself.
You have forgotten that clothes have spirits
& that life can do with you what it pleases.
This is why you feel different the first time you mask your face.
And you can barely move, 
because you feel you’re caged.
We all know:
It is never easy to like a new thing that’s different.
But who can have a say, when life gives its dictates?
It is dress like this or face meningitis,
Or dress this way to avoid Covid-19.
This is life, ordering us around.
Telling us what to do, live / die.
You can have a choice,
when life decides to costume you.
But what you do today,
would always decide your tomorrow.

Storytellers of the street

Who are the storytellers of the streets?
They are the orange sellers.
They are the sugar-cane traders.
They are the ones whose silence is always a recording,
and nothing ever seems to pass them by.
You see these people,
The streets were built for their feet
& They know its corners like the back of their palm.

The tale of the smoker-pastor can be heard from their lips.
We can learn about the thief-turned national hero from them.
From the Lungus of many Angwas,
to the alleys of the ghettos =
You can see them.
They’re always singing:
come and buy Oranges,
come and buy Carrots,
and nothing ever seems to pass them by.

Today they told me a story about a man,
Who couldn’t mind his mouth.
He fell in-between two women, &
Insulted another woman’s husband.
Woe! Unto such a man,
that ended up beaten into his right senses.

These storytellers are conscious than griots,
yet, they require no pay for their services.
These street stories, are everyone’s stories.




Glossary
Lungus = A slang that mean Corners in Hausa language.
Angwas = An Hausa language word that means Areas.

DE.MODE.M (DE = DOMINATE EVERYTHING) --- The Art and Sound of Mikhi

Music continues to be a medium of connection to the soul and the heart of many people in society. Artists come up with styles and patterns through which they dish out their art, and we know from history that only a few of these artists are able to create something that is long lasting. 

This article is a review of five songs of the musical artiste ‘Mikhi’. These songs are available on audiomack and they constitute an EP titled DE.MODE.M, which is the only body of work that the artiste has on the musical site as at when this article is being written. What are the qualities that a music which must be relevant to society should have? Does the art and sound of Mikhi possess any of these qualities, as well as portray social relevance? And where and in what part(s) of Mikhi’s artistry can we find these qualities? These are some of the questions that this article would be interrogating, in-criticism of the art and sound of the artiste.

It is important that any music that wants to attain posterity must involve itself with matters that are intransient. This is what Mikhi’s music appears to have pursued through, in the five songs that make-up the EP. The musical tracks talk about different subjects that can be understood vis-à-vis relatable scenarios or incidents that happen in life. From crisscrossing rap and singing with a notable confidence, Mikhi’s music contains themes and messages that are capable of contributing positively to the growth and development of his environment. The lyrics, and words are a part of the system through which the artiste propagates his thoughts and ideologies, consciously/unconsciously. From the interrogation of the lyrics of all the five songs, we can hear a honest conversation between a child and his parents, promising them of his success and their enjoyment. We can also hear an expression of a love for simplicity, contemporary vibes and most interestingly, love. These chosen themes are fundamental qualities that try to explain life, and therefore remain being discussed in continuum with a never ending relevance, because life can never be fully explained. 

The sound of the music and the structure of the artiste rhythm is another place that one can look out for the signs of a socially relevant song. Mkihi’s sound is different and can be discussed individually in relation to other sounds. The difference of the music lies in the combination of the sound, the lyrics and the voice texture that the artiste uses to weave his delivery. His voice texture is a little above normal-flat, which makes us to think of an artiste that is relaxed in himself while he his creating his art. This relaxation and coordination is a trait that many artiste lack, and it is in fact an important requirement for every song that wants to be remembered forever to have. Life is an ocean filled with crushing waves, and it is this ‘relaxation and coordination’ that is able to help a song fight against the eroding powers of time. Songs that would be socially relevant have been known to have an unusual style, a signature that carves a space for the artiste in the general world of music. The sounds of Eminem, Jay- Z and J. Cole are examples of socially relevant music, that bring some audacious contribution to the general forum of music. It’s therefore no surprise that Mkihi counts Jay – Z and J. Cole as some of the personas that have inspired his musical journey so far.  

Michael Iriale Ikhigbonoaremen a.k.a Mikhi, describes himself as an Indie Artiste. A creative mind that exists in independent form, unconnected to the capitalistic construct of being ‘signed’ in the music industry. He explains that the kind of music that he creates is genre-bending and genre-blending. This is why the sound that he keeps creating has been able to carve a niche for him, in the world of music. Truth be told, the unconventionality of the sound and the structure of rhythm that characterizes Mikhi’s art, cannot be overlooked. The way ‘Mihki’ twists the hooks and the tones of the verses in his songs, making them feel like conversations, has been able to break any possible categorization of his music. This is perhaps the reason why he explains that his music is genre-bending and genre-blending.

And so, it is important that we should discuss The art and sound of Mkihi, and by doing that, relate to the public our own opinion of the nature of the artiste music. It is good that the public should always be made aware of the things that can be of benefits to them. This is the first duty of any one that decides to do a job to the society. The knowledge that you are able to acquire in the course of doing the job, should be used for the good of the public. After a study of the five songs that constitute the EP of Mkihi, the public are made aware of the rare pleasure and knowledge that can be gained from listening to the artiste. This is a music creator whose projections can only be interpreted as a favorable one. The kind of prediction that can be made about very few artiste in the country and around the world. It is the knowledge, lessons and information that people can get from this artiste that should drive them to listen to his vibes. In the capitalistic world of today, the truth is rare and therefore artiste who create in the openness of their messages deserve to be appreciated. It is important that if we must listen to music, then we should listen to that which would enlighten us more. That is how we can learn things which can help us live a better life. And it is on this note, that I recommend Mhiki’s music to the public.

Follow Mikhi

Twitter & Instagram: @miiikhiNG