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plotting life into a romance

1/9/2022

5 Comments

 
By Olachi Angel Iwehee
Picture
That morning, you were an unenthusiastic bystander, 
watching little school children go by like early sand ants. 
With a plastery smile, you make a shallow attempt at 
hiding your anticipation. When the postman arrived, in his hand 
was the letter that would determine your fate.
 
As you opened the flaps of the envelope, 
your heart was a jumpy thing doing uneasy dances. 
You had gotten rejected. Again. 
Your heart flattens into a beat. You cannot breathe.
The news the next morning sings of the fifty names 
handpicked like lotuses, for the state’s institution. 
You wonder if your petals were not bright enough, 
not scented enough.
 
The next morning, your eyes scour the profiles of 
the fifty names strapped to smiling pictures of happy faces 
of people who knew how to plot life into a romance 
with their long legs and fattened bank accounts. 
And in the ambiance of that revelation,
you imagine yourself: a dwalved lad, who could 
easily wrap his worth in a purse.
Picture
Writer's Biography 

Olachi Angel Iwehee
is a Nigerian poet and storyteller, passionate about telling African stories. Her works explore diversified themes, cutting across love, romance, introspection, and an exposition of human complexities.


She is currently a student of Law at the University of Calabar, Calabar. She bakes and enjoys playing the piano.

5 Comments
Ojo Victoria
12/9/2022 08:23:56 am

This is not but an awesome piece.

Keep it up Ms. Olachi.

Reply
Toluwalope Praise Korede
12/9/2022 05:09:44 pm

For me, this poem is so relatable because of the numerous rejection emails I've gotten this year, from applying for different jobs.
I'll just be eagerly waiting for the "email" and all I get is a rejection email which can be heartbreaking and heart wrenching, considering the hours or minutes it took me to compose the email I sent.

Maybe some people get unlucky with love and romance, sometimes, it feels like what's everyone doing to get themselves a partner. And, it feels like you are not doing anything right.

I just guess it's life and our worth is not in what we have encountered, I think.

Reply
Chimere
13/9/2022 10:00:50 am

"...a dwalved lad, who could easily wrap his worth in a purse."
This piece was very moving. Thanks for putting this together.

Reply
Ayomide
16/9/2022 01:15:22 pm

"...of people who knew how to plot life into a romance
with their long legs and fattened bank accounts."

This is exactly how the thoughts run through my mind each time I get another rejection.

Thank you for this beautiful piece, Ms. Olachi

Reply
Michelle Enehiwealu Iruobe
30/9/2022 09:20:16 pm

"handpicked like lotuses, for the state’s institution.
You wonder if your petals were not bright enough,
not scented enough."

the fifty names strapped to smiling pictures of happy faces
of people who knew how to plot life into a romance."

My favourite lines here.

Rejection does make you feel like a wilting, crumbling flower. And you think of those accepted as freshly bloomed, with better prospects and lifespans.

For rejected applicants suffering from anxiety, you begin to dwell on your failure, wondering what went wrong, instead of going back to the drawing board. When you eventually apply/submit again, your confidence is dwarfed.

The accepted ones seem to be the luckiest of the lot--a privileged sort, and somehow everything always works out well for them. It is a bit odd, how you can be jealous and feel inferior to someone you don't even know/ haven't met. But rejection letters usher you into that world.

I admire the writer's succinct use of metaphors and imagery to convey her message, however, I think some of the word choices in the opening lines do not adequately capture the emotion she wishes to express. Words like "unenthusiastic" contrast most awkwardly with the applicant's attempt to subdue his excitement.

But overall, I think this is a very simple and relatable poem.

Reply



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  • Publications
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