The Greatest Showman
Writopia Ending
It had been a joyous journey, three weeks of pure joy; living out of home for the first time and basking in the sweet presence of like-minded creatives. Writers from other countries; I was a foreigner too.
Abuja was nothing like Cameroon but was beautiful in its own right. Flooded with realities totally alien to me, and with the strangest set of people I had ever met. I constantly reminded myself that I was the alien.
Every day was creating, discussing, learning, laughing, eating and then more creating. A writopia of sorts, it was heaven every day. Fun till the very last. But of course, because there is a beginning, there must be an end; the hard bargain of reality.
Still, the end came like a thief at night, unwanted, unannounced. A firm slap of realization as the final sunrise’s rays kissed my ebony coat, forcing the doors to my soul open. Images came flooding in and fogging my judgment. The smiles and laughter, the connection, the magical movie nights, the refreshing walks, the mall, the Hausa speaking Yoruba; the strange meals.
The goodbyes I had had to say, the fear of never again.
The sorrow that rested in my heart became a little too heavy, breaking the resistance of my limbs and materializing in salty falls. There, in my quiet place, far from the reaches of the masses, I bowed my head in testament to the grief that gripped.
Parking was a back-breaking exercise, with every piece of cloth weighing a little over 40kg. Bathing was a slow painful process, soothing the madness in my head with soft warm caresses running all over my body. My heartbeat slowed, as though unwilling to dance again.
But this was not how the story should end, with a long face and memories. There was much living left to be done, much giving and teasing. The sweet-scented merry carried on the gentle wings of laughter that sipped into my room was a testament to that. I was going to miss every one of those voices and every bit of this place, but I had one charge left. So I slipped into something nice and stepped out for one last show.
Ngang God'swill N. 2020
