SISI LEKPA

1/2/2023

Deborah Abayomi Olutimi

You tok say
You no kuku like am
You say e no fine
But im money
Dey make you fine
An you dey jolificate
For Point an Kill joint...

The man wowo die
But you dey follow am
Go Obodo oyinbo
Yonder, you follow back
Go see Sunny Fine boy
U won chop Oga Wowo money
An you won follow Fine boy
Which one you dey?

You look mirror, come dey cry
Like pikin wey dey run belle
Say you don dey change...
Who no go old?
You no gree chop well
Becos you no wan turn orobo
You no sabi thank baba God
You hala Baba
Like say you chop winch
Wetin Baba for do for you?

Writer's Biography

Deborah Abayomi Olutimi hails from Yagba–East, Kogi state. She holds a Master of Arts degree in literature (2006), a Bachelor of Arts degree (1996) in English, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (2016). In addition, she is a poet, teacher, researcher, lecturer, and short story writer. She lives in Kuje, Abuja (Federal Capital Territory). She can be reached at abayomiisalive@gmail.com.

She believes where a person lives should not determine who they become. Also, she believes that Art and literary works have a far-reaching positive effect on our world. She is interested in Postcolonialism, Psychoanalysis, and Gender Studies, which are reflected in the issues discussed in many of her poems and literary works. Her poem - ‘Did you know’ discusses the subject of love from a deep and uncommon perspective, and it received a certificate of commendation from Khalil Gibran society Lebanon in March 2021.

Her favourite books are Tayo Olafioye’s The Parliament of Idiots, Idris Okpanachi’s Eaters of the Living, and Remi Raji’s Webs of Remembrance. Her poems ‘He Came,’ ‘Come Beloved,’ ‘The Mirage,’ and’ ‘Machines’ were first published in The Herald Newspapers Ilorin in 1997.

5 Comments

Abubakar Maimuna Esther

4/2/2023 12:08:39 pm

This is well articulated, it's hilarious, witty and filled with wisdom nuggets!
Let me say this - you can't have your cake and eat it too?
I love this poem! Well done Ma

Rahma

11/2/2023 09:07:43 am

I can't lie and say I didn't laugh while reading this, I did. I really love the piece. I don't think I have read a lot of pieces written in pidgin English but I love that I was able to read through this and understand it without thinking too long to get it.
In life, you can't get two options and not pick one. That's a loss. And a person should definitely not be selfish. Very important lessons.
I generally loved the writing style, the pidgin, and the fact that it wasn't a long read.

Felix

13/2/2023 09:07:53 am

This elegant pidgin poetry is no doubt a wonderful piece to consume; more importantly, however, it conveys great and timely lessons for anyone who cares to read in between the lines. It is a commentary on a person's changing attitudes and priorities in life. The poem asks pungent questions about people's motives behind certain actions, while suggesting that most people are not grateful for what they have and that they do not understand the value of what they have been given.

The poem is well-written and effectively conveys the speaker's message. However, I believe there are a few areas that this poem that could have been better:

The first area is the language: The use of pidgin English adds to the poem's authenticity and power, but some words and expressions may not be easily understood by all readers. It would be helpful to include a brief explanation of the more unique terms used in the poem.

The second area is the Rhyme: The poem has a strong rhyme scheme that adds to its musicality, but the rhymes could be made stronger and more consistent. This would help the poem flow more smoothly and make it easier to remember.

Overall, this is a powerful poem that effectively conveys a message about the changing attitudes and priorities of people in life. Kudos, ma.

Mbam Amanda

19/2/2023 01:46:20 pm

The message is clear : you can't eat your cake and haVe it, determine your priorities or else your priorities will determine what you become in the future

Ugochukwu Anadị

22/2/2023 06:32:02 am

Na d last two lines for the first stanza dey scatter my head pass: “An you dey jolificate
For Point an Kill joint...”

This poem wey Ayobami take pidgin yarn na very big advice for girls wey dey run enter man and woman dat kain collabo because of wetin dem go gain. She write am for the girls wey be say their beauty don dey turn their head like alcohol. She dey try tell them say na waist dey suffer all the olongo dance wey dem dey dance; say beauty na like flower, e dey shine for afternoon and die for night. The poem dey advice our girls dem make dem no use dia body as their investment for dat kain investment dey always end in tears.

I troway salute to Ayobami for using pidgin to yarn this poem. As e dey like this, okada man oo, serving mason oo, bricklayer oo, even person wey no enter primary school like this, fit listen to am come understand wetin d poem dey try kọwatiate. E don common poetry from big man matter to everybody matter an wetin come sweet me pass na say she use laff laff pass her message sotey person wey listen to am no fit forget.

E don reach time wen we go dey use our own langej and our own pidgin to dey share wisdom give ourselves make we no dey use too much grammar dey confuse ourselves.

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