Chinenye Oguejiofor

For centuries I have watched from afar
I have seen you squabble so much it became bizarre
All six of you wanted a part of me
You all wanted to claim a piece of this sea

Let’s recount shall we, as I watched history in the making
The nations you grew up to be, were all breathtaking
From tribal groups to communities
To nations with boundless opportunities

I gave you my fruits, the fish you took so pleasantly
I gave you my waves, which you turned into energy
I gave you transportation, not always safe passage
I gave you communication, which frankly was an added advantage

Not once did I ask for what I would get in return
But I suppose it’s my fault, for humans will always yearn
To all six of you, no one more blameless than the other
Let me tell you of what you did to me, and how i could almost never recover

Your wars tore my shores and left battery on my bays
Your mining, with added refining, was a lack of competence I’d say
You dredged and dumped, wherever you so pleased
And when my suffering became more visible you took more resources with ease

So forgive me, when I come to you wanting rights of my own
Something to claim, something to hold and know my purpose is shown
You’ve taken so much from me in the past hundred generations
The only thing I ask for is rights, with limited delegation

Permit me the chance to exist outside of being your property
Give me a fighting spirit to defend myself from your blatant robbery
Perhaps when that is done we can exist in peace
Maybe then when you look to me you won’t only see resources to feast

And one more thing before I rest in my waves
A short sentiment, that I hope will remain
Be sure to remember it, because it is a piece of me
You seem to like taking those, and this one is for free

“I am the North Sea, 
What happens to you will happen to me”
You may not see it now, but eventually I can guarantee, 
You’ll wish you had set me free

The four walls of your bedroom are comforting to you
But the four walls of a prison cell would feel different

When we were children we were told to aim for the stars 
And if we missed we would hit the clouds
But now if we think back more clearly
We could barely see past the trees

Have you heard the sound of a dying dream
It sounds too much like a choking laugh
The owner of the laugh is snuggled into their struggle
But the dream seeps out of them like leaking gas

If your thoughts can never exceed your experience 
Then your mind will be a graveyard for all your dreams
Your heart, a tombstone for all you loved and wished
Your eyes, a glass case where the flowers of your soul 
Are withering as your tears rarely water them

How can you take a risk when you have a backup plan
How can you take a leap of faith when jump off a step
How can you wish for better but make no effort
How can you wish for sun but your curtains are closed

‘Think outside the box’, cliche but relevant
Some live in the box and have made it their dwelling 
Like children making a fort out of a television box
We forge our happiness to come from the experience
Of not having what we want

There was a girl I once knew
She liked taking short walks in her free time
She loved to collect dead flowers then throw them away
She enjoyed watching as it rained while the sun was out

There was a girl I once knew
She hated long conversations that clearly bored her
She never took her time to chew before she swallowed
And a green vegetable had no place on her dinner plate

She is not me or you but she longs to be either one

She back pedalled in everything she did
She spent time hating when she wanted to love
She spent time alone when she wanted company
She spent time walking when she wanted to run

There’s a girl I want to get to know
One who takes long walks and feels the sun on her skin
One who collects scented flowers and gifts them
One who lets the sun’s heat melt her from the inside

There’s a girl I want to get to know
One who chats so much you see the steam in her mouth
One who chews as though time were her servant
One who looks at a healthy diet as a lifeline

They should have warned me about the time
The time spent wishing
The time spent wanting
The time spent crying

Someone should have told me about the prices
The price of rent and energy bills
The price of food and transport
The price of not seeing loved ones for years while sacrificing to achieve your dreams

If I could swim across the ocean to see them I would
Yet I have to swim across the sea of seasonal depression
When I forget to take my vitamin D pills

I call. When I can
When I can muster the strength to hold back tears
And can pick my thoughts up from the dampness of my pillow

It’s not all bad, I have a community in Tilburg
I have a family member here
I even have friends! My mom would be so happy to meet my friends

But my friends can't meet my mom
I mean they can call her but no one ever really talks about the non-monetary price of having to leave
home

At first the well of emotions draws you in
You’re free!
But then you begin to miss the noise, miss the chaos, miss the lack of time management

I wish someone - anyone would have told me
Even the immigration official could have said “Hey! Little girl, it gets cold over there”
Cold? That’s alright I can just get a jacket

No, it gets really cold
The kind of cold you only feel in your soul
The kind of cold that only the African sun can heat up
The kind of cold your mother’s warm hugs make you feel

The sun is not our friend for most of the year
In Tilburg she hides, perhaps out of fear
Fear that she might heat up the entire place
Fear that in Tilburg, there won't be a trace

A trace of laughter from a couple sharing hot chocolate
A trace of trembling shoulders from a student who’s late
She won’t come out till Spring at least
By then the school year is over and students feast

Her companion, the wind makes us shudder in Winter
On rainy days, we could tell he missed her
He lashes out on residents just trying to cycle
By lifting them in the air, he feels no pity, he spirals

When the Wind feels he’s had enough for one day
He lets his brother Rain come in Autumn to take our warmth away
Rain comes out often, relentlessly proud
And sometimes unashamedly he’s effortlessly loud

He muddies up the Spoorpark, he fills up the gutters
What’s worse, he leaves the students all drenched as they stutter
Most people don't drive, so they cycle all wet
While Rain watches on, no morsel of regret

“Jij bent niet van suiker gemaakt!” people say to themselves

But wait! It’s summer again, that means she’s returned!
Our hope, our ray, our sunshine! She burns!
She lights up the town and provides us with heat
She leaves fear behind, makes Rain obsolete

The door opens at eight o’clock in the morning
The floor is silent, the chairs are empty and the screens black
I select a seat by the window so I can watch as people cycle by
Open up my laptop, drink my coffee and cut myself some slack

At 9am people start to enter, the first hour is the worst
I fidget every time someone walks by, wondering if they’ll say something
At 10am I ease into my seat, I own the place, I feel complete
I’m so relaxed I forget I’m there and even begin humming while drumming

Two more hours go by and I feel I’m in the clear
The tension is released, the library is bustling yet I feel I’m the only one there
But then I feel it. A presence. Beside me. Hovering over me.
I look up and there’s a girl. Not looking at me but just past me.

“Hi, I think I reserved this seat. Is it okay if you move?”
I blink. I blink twice for good measure and remove my headphones just to be sure
She reserved it? She reserved it?!
Suddenly the past 4 hours of relaxation felt premature

What do you even say to that? What can you even do?
She reserved it of course but what about you?!

You who sat in that chair for 4 hours before she arrived
You who waited anxiously for someone else to surmise
That that was not your seat, you didn’t make a booking
You only managed to find an empty seat but now…you’ll have to go looking

You who will have to walk around the library acting homeless
You who can practically hear the thoughts of passersby
Saying “She didn't even make a reservation. Of course she was asked to move”
You’ll shuffle along, knowing they all disapprove

I mumble a quick apology and hurriedly gather my things
I’m dropping pens and books and bottles in every direction
Why didn’t she do this at 8am when I wouldn’t be walking on pins
When it wouldn’t feel like everyone is staring through my embarrassing collection

Maybe next time it won't be reserved
Or may she’ll be on time
One thing I know is, I’ll never remember to make a reservation online

What would you like to be taught today
The options vary, don’t be shy, everyone’s here to learn
Leave your bad sportsmanship by the door
And please remember to keep high spirits till we adjourn

Now, let’s get started
In a game of true wit there is no winner or loser
In a game of chess there is no checkmate or stalemate
There is simply a player whose intelligence saw the future

Three quick lessons to be learnt today
Lesson one, a game is never just a game
Even children take something away from the game of tag
What you take from it is up to you, whether victory or shame

Lesson two, you decide whether you have opponents or allies
In a political debate there is no such thing as a winner
All parties want the best outcome from the situation
But if you know the game well enough then you can choose to paint others as saint or sinner

Lesson three, always remember that you’re playing
Simply that! You’re meant to have fun and feel no shame
We all pick our poison as to what we enjoy
So why not use this chance to feel like a child again

The university provides it all tonight
Pick from your poison to your heart’s delight
Whether it's debates and talks or board games and walks
Tonight we play, show no restraint nor any delay