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Islands seem to get by just fine; that which is said that no man is. Alas it is so, otherwise there really wouldn’t be quite a need to harbour a few wisemen in your life; sadly not the kind inspired by a star in the East.
They come bearing gifts. You invite them to join the tea party – the symbolism for your life – or they come uninvited; either way. You serve crumpets because you don’t want to seem local, and engage in fancy talk. They stay with you all morning, you ease up a bit. Then they eat eba and egusi with you by afternoon so that by evening they are so well acquainted that you find yourself wondering whether these party gifts they brought along wouldn’t end up with inviting them to eat pounded yam sometime; where from zero to hundred in 3.5 seconds they bring out a pestle – or whip out a mortar – And you’re like:
Though the gift is roughly the same, in that it’s in the shape of something you might really need from them at that time to make life simpler, the givers come in many packages. There are big things, small things, fat things, round things; things that come in one way and leave in several. There are no-things, some things, cold things, hot things; things that ask politely before they screw your life over… or don’t. There are quiet things, loud things, silent and dangerous things: They hop into your backpack while you ride your old rusty bicycle, or as you take a morning jog and then follow you around for the rest of the day trying to convince you that you were wrong about this thing, those things, that thing and the other thing; maybe something you mentioned once upon a time and forgot, that they took rather too seriously which then followed from them some weird things, shocking things, maddening things, dreadful things; things after which you began to see that their goodly intentions and mild manners were all kinds of illusory.
Oh, you still dey read? Story don end. So what’s the moral? I dunno, are you asking me? It’s imaginary!
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