TEDx Shoreditch May 2023 Poetry Recap

TEDx Shoreditch May 2023

Poetry Recap Series

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Introduction

I was a TEDx Virgin...

Don't get me wrong I had gorged on many a TED talk on YouTube but never attended a live event.

That all changed on Saturday 13th of May at TEDx Shoreditch

Thanks to 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM) Chevannes who decided to put on the event to spread the message #betruetoyourself and all the host of volunteers working with her.

As someone who uses poetry and coaching to enable transformation. I had no clear roadmap to follow and the temptation was to change how I was showing up in pursuit of "success".

Being true to myself felt like the kind of message I needed to hear right now!

Add to that, I was connected to Ryan Hopkins and Steve Richards who were speaking at the event. It was a no-brainer in the end!

I can truly say it was a transformational experience for me to hear from such a diverse and aligned set of inspirational speakers.

Shout out to the other speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, and Ramat Tejani)

Thanks for being vulnerable and authentic in sharing your stories.

The added bonus to attending was the opportunity to network with so many fantastic people and have such great conversations. Many I hope to continue into the future.

It was a pleasure to meet you Jacob Notlov, Richard Nero, Shaun Murphy, Rishi Sapra ACA, MCT, Microsoft MVP, Pavneet Syan, Camilia Berrada, Adedoyin Oyekan, Lawrence Emenike, Nina Saffuri, Matthew Quadri, and Thomas Duncan Bell

I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of their world embracing their uniqueness to create a unique legacy just like all the speakers.

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Pilgrimage
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Pilgrimage is a journey
Back to authentic self
It is wading through conditioning
To arrive where you never left
The home that is the Essence of love
The eternal infinite you always were
Enjoy it all
Every ebb and flow
Every joy and pain
Every fear and hope
The unfolding
Of an inward odyssey

We never left the room, but we journeyed far as we took a guided pilgrimage to our deeper essence.

When is the last time you took the time to explore if there are parts of you that you have left behind?

I was hiding my poetry to appear more businesslike. What is it for you?

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 2

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 2 - Session 1 - Ellie Middleton

Deep down we all want to be seen, accepted, and understood. To feel safe as part of the human collective. When your brain just won't play by the widely accepted rules judged as the norm. It can have a detrimental effect on your quality of life. You experience yourself as broken and in need of repair.

Ellie shared her story about being diagnosed late in life with Autism and ADHD. this helped her make sense of what she had been going through and how come the mysterious rulebook everyone else appeared to live from did not serve her.

She formed her own tribe and gave many that sense of belonging they have been missing. Through the excellent work she is doing, I do hope that we become better informed about how to show up in this neurodiverse world we live in.

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Rule book
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

There is a book
Maybe you have seen it
I assume everyone else has it
That’s where it's all written

You know what I mean
At least I hope you do
It’s the one we are all to follow
Contains all we need to know

In it are all the rules
It clearly lays out the standards
To which normal people comply
A copy of which no one handed me

So I am left guessing
What those weird looks mean
I clearly didn't get the script to life
So I'm stuck with doing improv

Come to think of it
If they won't let me in on it
Should I just write my own
Assemble my tribe and circulate it?

Here's to a place where I belong
Let's build it piece by piece
Forming it as we go along
Welcoming and inviting, a place for all

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Who is the author of the rule book you have been trying to live to?
If your tribe does not exist exist are you willing to create it?

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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.
Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)
Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 3

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 3 - Session 2 - Jide Maduako

We all have personal ambitions that we dream of achieving. Jide's dream was to be a professional footballer and seemed to be well on his way. Unfortunately, that journey was cut short and he was left seeking a new direction.

Jide went on a journey of discovery in search of something more than just personal ambition. His calling is to serve more than himself. He did not allow what seemed like a failed football career to define him. He learned from the experience and now he is an entrepreneur as the CEO of Yoke Network specialising in social media marketing.

For him, failure was not the end of the process but a part of it.

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Road to failure
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Failure
Sounds like
It should be
Where the road
Comes to an end

It could be
That depends on you
You could decide
To build more road
Using the learning material

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What have you learned from the failures have you experienced along the way?

How can those learnings equip you in service of others?

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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.
Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)
Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 4

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 4 - Session 3 - Louisa Stafford Northcote

The saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is meant to convey the sentiment that it is up to the person observing to decide what is beautiful to them. There is an implication that this would vary from person to person.

The reality of the modeling industry is that beauty is in the eye of the agency gatekeeper. This is what Louisa found out when she developed Acne. She did her best to cover it up with makeup but was finally told to go and get it seen to and come back once it had cleared up.

She persevered and eventually became one of the first models to do a photoshoot with Acne on full display. This inspired many people who identified with this reality to come forward and her tribe was formed.

What began as a problem became the seed for a movement for people to be unapologetically comfortable in their own skin.

Learning to love ourselves is the greatest love of all, and by so doing we encourage others to do the same.

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Make up
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Watch me reach
Into my toolkit
See how I use
My skills
To make up

To improve
The take up
Of this version
I've made up
Of my skin

What else to do
Being poreless
Not being flawless
Falling short of perfect
Prisoner to a lie I make up

Falling in love
With this being
Without apology
Adorned with a covering
Free to or not to
Make up

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What is part of you that makes you uncomfortable?

What can you do today to embrace it as part of your reality?

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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.

Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 5

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 5 - Session 4 - Steve Richards

It's hard enough trying to discover your own story without having to contend with fitting into the stories that others have written for you.

The brain uses stereotypes as a hack for making quick decisions on what it flags as desirable or undesirable.

When a business owner was introduced to Steve as a brand consultant, he took one look at his dreadlocks and concluded he must have been connected to the wrong guy. His brain had put Steve in a box that did not fit the brief. Thankfully they were able to get past that and do great work together.

There are a lot of narratives people hold about what is expected from you based on your looks, colour of your skin, sexuality, religion, or gender. People get nervous when you start behaving in a manner that does not conform to those stories.

Ironically they need you to stand grounded in your uniqueness to give them the permission to stand in theirs.

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Conformity
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

The majority have an ask
For your Conformity
For them it spells safety
Like looking in a mirror
To be confronted by their reality
Should you decide to comply
They can breathe a sigh of relief

The majority have a need
For your non-conformity
Being free in your own skin
Like looking in a mirror
And seeing what is possible
The inspiration to break free
And be true to who they are

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What have you been hiding so others don't feel uncomfortable?

What do you see in others that makes you feel uncomfortable?

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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.
Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 6

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 6 - Session 5 - Amanda Baker

Life can seem like a hamster wheel, we end up working hard but have lost track of why. Moving from task to task with no space to breathe.

In those rare moments when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror, we are tempted to look within but afraid of what we might find. So we distract ourselves by doing even more.

Amanda came to a point in her life where she decided to take the plunge and create space to reflect on and write out her stories. It was a journey of self-discovery in which she identified that everyone would benefit from crafting five stories that span their past, present, and future.

They can act as an anchor, decision-making tool, and motivator both personally and for those who get to experience them.

They can be the difference between showing up as a human doing or a human being.

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Tell it
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Take the time
Uncover your stories
The ones to tell
While you are still here
You just never know
Who needs to hear
As you dare to share

Sparking hope
Saying you are not alone
It's okay to be you
If I made it
So can you
Let's together
Walk this road

[S] - Start with retracing where it all began with your origin story
[T] - Then with vulnerability connect with others with your empathy story
[O] - Own the narrative about your why, with your purpose story
[R] - Relay the way in which you serve others with your product story
[Y] - You then finish off by laying out where you heading with your vision story

Let them anchor you
Let them remind you
Help decide what to do
Eliminate what not to do
Those stories are so true for you
They say you matter and you care
Establishing a legacy
When you are no longer here

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What are your 5 stories?

Where can you start sharing your stories?

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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.
Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 7

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 7 - Session 6 - Luke Manton

The NHS website defines Tourette's syndrome as "a neurological condition that causes you to make involuntary movements and sounds called tics"

Imagine having no control over when your body might get highjacked by movement or sounds/words for which others hold you accountable.

There is a good chance that if you were born with it, you would have known no different. It would of course be no less of a challenge but you won't carry that extra psychological baggage of wishing things would go back to how they used to be.

This was Luke's reality after developing Tics after an accident. His variant of Tourette's syndrome involves swearing which can be a challenge in a professional environment and result in reduced opportunities. He has managed to overcome these challenges and support others in doing the same too.

The one way we can all make a great difference is understanding.

Understand the condition by doing some research (Connect with Luke Manton and check out his podcast)
Understand that however inconvenient the condition may be for you the person affected has to live with it 24/7
Understand that everyone has a different manifestation of the condition so do ask what support each person needs.
Understand that discrimination of any kind against someone with the condition robs them of the opportunity to contribute and be included.

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Tic, tic, tic…boom
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

We're alright Luke
What's up with you
Why not just behave
Like a regular dude
What's with being so rude

This a serious gig
You won't fit in
Swipe left next one
Rather Skip this
Awkward situation

Life's hard enough
Living with me
You encounter me
It feels too much for you
Try being this 24/7

Watch relationships
Bite the dust
Sleep at a premium
Trying to hold it down
Tic, Tic, Tic…Boom

Neural hijacking
Energy draining
So Unpredictable
Anybody's guess
What comes next

Enough to get on with
A little understanding
Wouldn't go amiss
Who would care
To walk in these shoes

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What can you do to learn more about the condition?

What can you do to improve opportunities for people with the condition?
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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.

Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 8

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 8 - Session 7 - Ramat Tejani

What do you really want? Sounds like a very straightforward question that anyone should be able to answer without much hesitation. Try it now and see how easy it is. Do you see what I mean?

Even when you do come up with a list, how many things on there are influenced by what others expect of you?

Ramat proposed the idea of taking the time to reflect and curate the words, themes, and ideas that infuse you with passion and a sense of joy and fulfillment. Then take them and create a personal manifesto, similar to a list of mantras by which you live.

Uncover what really matters to you! You are unique. What is right for others will not necessarily be what is right for you. No one else can define who your best self should be. The process is fluid and evolving, give it space to grow.
If you want to find out more about crafting a personal manifesto, connect with Ramat Tejani.

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Your best self
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

In this moment
Is this the best
I can do?
Then I can ask
No more
To this notion
I'll be true
That is my Best Self
Creating space
For everyone
To live in the reality
That is at play
In this moment
That is their Best Self
Too
Until it isn't
Making way
For something new

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Which words describe your best self now?

Which words describe who you think you should be?
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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.

Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 9

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 9 - Session 8 - Ryan Hopkins

If I told you that we could make a big dent in addressing the global wellbeing pandemic from the throne room you would be forgiven for thinking I had lost my marbles. Worse still you could conclude I never had them to lose in the first place.

That is of course till you realise that we all have one in our homes and use it several times a day. I am of course referring to the room in which we ease ourselves aka toilet, bathroom, or restroom.

You should have been there at the TEDx Shoreditch on the 13th of May 2023 event to experience Ryan giving his talk on well-being titled "Engaging a billion people from the toilet' while literally sitting on one.

The concept was simple enough, why not do something no matter how small to improve your well-being every time you visit? Breathe, stretch, rehearse your mantras, reset, switch off, etc.

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The throne room
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I visit the room
It summons me repeatedly
I sit on the throne
Sometimes as much as 8 times a day
To pay my dues, a penny or two
The place of release
My mind is at peace
I take a breathe or two
Here is my chance
To do what's good for me
Well-being hack that I need

Here is the deal
Mind, body, and soul
Wellbeing made right
Little by little
Like the tortoise over the hare
Slow and steady beats boom and bust
Now I'm no longer forlorn
As I flush and flourish
Every time I'm called
To the throne room

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What one thing can you do to enhance your well-being when next you visit?

How can you help spread the word to help reach a billion?
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I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

In the days to follow, I am going to deliver a series of posts reflecting on the key learnings from the event in poetry and reflective questions.

It is my hope that this recap will inspire the reader to show up in service of all with all their uniqueness on display to create a lasting legacy.

Organiser 🧙🏽‍♀️ Sabrina Chevannes (EMBA, MCIM)

Speakers (Amanda Baker, Ellie Middleton, Jide Maduako, Louisa Stafford Northcote, Luke Manton, Ramat Tejani, Ryan Hopkins, and Steve Richards)

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 10

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 10 - It's A Wrap - Brain Training Part 1

It is my hope that this series has inspired you to show up in service of your world while embracing your uniqueness to create an enduring legacy just like all the speakers.

Below are some more poems inspired by the speakers on the day. Now for a chance for some brain training.

See if you can work out which of our speakers inspired the pieces below. Match the letter for the speaker to the number for the poem (some have more than one). Let's see who can match them all!

Answer to be supplied in the comments later.

You can catch up on the whole series using the link supplied in the comments section below.

A. Ellie Middleton
B. Jide Maduako
C. Louisa Stafford Northcote
D. Steve Richards
E. Amanda Baker
F. Luke Manton
G. Ramat Tejani
H. Ryan Hopkins

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1.

Table
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I could see them
Sat at the table

One that looked
Like I could fit

I waited to be invited
It never came

I tried to hint
But fell on deaf ears

Tired of waiting
I built my own table

Invited my tribe
To join me

Which table
Have you been eyeing?

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2.

Small things
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

By no means
A small thing
This wellbeing thing
But many small things
Done consistently
Just like small door hinges
Swing open the great door
To global well being

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3.

Grief
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Grief
How did it show up
For you
I know how it did
For me
Stopped
Questioning
If this is right
For them
I know it's right
For me
Even if it hurts

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4.

Fear chat
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I had a chat with fear
About Its obsessive stifling
A quiet word for it to ease off
Give me a break so I could live on
Without its constant meddling
Just as I'm about to push off
Do the things that stretch me

To my surprise fear replied
I assure you it's all for the best
Staying away from the unknown
Guarantees no surprises
To never take a chance
Is to know no failure
Always playing it safe
Is to make no mistakes
To never face danger
Ensures no harm is done
All I do is to save you
From the perils of life

That's one way of looking at it
Was my retort
Staying away from the unknown
Guarantees no adventure
To never take a chance
Is to close the door to success
Always playing it safe
Reduces chances to grow
To never face danger
Dulls the fun of being alive
All that leads to is the path
Of death without living

We made a deal
It can speak
I will listen
I get to decide
To try and fail and learn
Than never to try at all
To die knowing I lived
Than live like the dead

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5.

Doing more
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I am so busy
Busy as a bee
Doing so much more
I trust you're impressed
It's my way of distracting myself
From facing the fear of A Void within

I started the #poetricity movement to leverage #poetry to power transformation.

If you have an event you would like me to cover. DM me.

Answers

A. Ellie Middleton

B. Jide Maduako

C. Louisa Stafford Northcote

D. Steve Richards

E. Amanda Baker - 4, 5

F. Luke Manton - 1

G. Ramat Tejani - 3

H. Ryan Hopkins - 2

TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 11

Poetricity Presents - TEDx Shoreditch Poetry Recap - Part 11 - The End - Brain Training Part 2

This series was born out of my desire to use poetry as means of communicating my learnings from attending my very first live TEDx Event. It is my hope that it has provided some inspiration for you to #betruetoyourself.

I enjoy creating poetry to power transformation and will seek more opportunities to do so. DM me if you have any ideas about that.

Here is the final quiz to close off the series. Below are the remaining poems inspired by the speakers on the day. See if you can work out which of our speakers inspired the pieces below. Match the letter for the speaker to the number for the poem (some have more than one). Let's see who can match them all! (Answer to be supplied in the comments below and along with the link to where you can catch up on the whole series.)

A. Ellie Middleton
B. Jide Maduako
C. Louisa Stafford Northcote
D. Steve Richards
E. Amanda Baker
F. Luke Manton
G. Ramat Tejani
H. Ryan Hopkins

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6.

The void
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I felt the pain
Made by the void
The one no one would fill
I searched for someone
To go before
So I had another to follow
I wait some more
Now I am forlorn
In desperation I take the leap
Giving others permission to follow
Emboldened by my courage
Showing what is possible

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7.

Socialisation
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

There is a process
A systemic process
One that keeps working
With or without your permission
Shaping your identity when you're asleep
That's the process referred to as socialisation

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8.

Broken
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Broken, Misshapen
Freak or just need a tweak
Needs to make sense
Or there is no progress
Remaining clueless
To what comes next
Oh what a mess

It is what it is
How do we
Make the most of it

I wade through the mess
My tribe come along
As I sound the horn
The way is over here

The answer I was seeking
Is in what makes sense
Having self-love for me

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9.

Becoming
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Are you ready
Or will you still hold on
Hanging on for dear life
To what appears to be
Blocking the very passageway
For what you could become

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10.

Miss
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Take the shot
What if I miss?
What would that mean?

You missed the shot
That's another one
You never got

Can't take that risk

The risk of what?

Missing that shot

What if it's a hit?
That's one more you got

Now guess what
You never got anything
From not taking those shots
Every single time